|
Karl Sanders The guitarist & vocalist of Nile
Interview and live/off-stage pictures by Luxi Lahtinen
The US catacomb warriors Nile hit on the Finnish soil on May 1st 2006 for the very 1st time, having touring mates Yyrkoon from France and Australian Psycroptic along with them. This was Nileīs 2nd leg of the European tour, a continuation for their successful "Annihilation of the Wicked" world tour which started last year.
Since the band was in Finland for the very 1st time, I felt an urgent need to find out why they had so well managed to avoid coming to Finland before - amongst other things, like a common brotherhood of metal fans, the troubles the band faced in Estonia, voodoo witchery and so on.
It was the vocalist and guitarist of Nile, Karl Sanders who I found taking pictures outside of the venue with his digicamera, about 3 hours before their gig. While he was taking some pictures from one of the harbours of Helsinki, I decided to join him, and the recorder was put rolling after his permission...
TROUBLES IN ESTONIA
I heard from your tour manager you had some sort of a street fight in Tallinn, Estonia yesterday? What actually happened there?
Actually I wasnīt in the fight. We all were at a big aftershow party, and it was getting late. We had all the fun we needed to have and the merchandise guy Zack was very very drunk, barely standing up. Since it was a good walk back to the bus, I thought that I should take care of my friend and Iīll walk him back, just to make sure nothing will happen to him; get lost or fall down or anything. Anything can happen when you are drunk. So we had gotten back to the bus already; we were already sleeping when the fight started. So I wasnīt there, I wasnīt involved. We should have been there to help my friends though.
You also missed a ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, or so Iīm told...
Well, what happened was the customīs people made us wait, wait, wait, wait and wait... And when they finally said itīs ok for us to go and up and get in line and go back to the line, we had to wait and then when we got to choose the immigration control where they checked the passports, they didnīt like us because we are Americans. So they kept me, Zack and Joe Payne whoīs our bass player - they held us back. So, when we went through, trying to get on the boat, it was already blocked off: Ramp up, gate closed and the boat was already going off leaving us, so we had to wait for 4 hours for the next ferry. Luckily I had my wallet with me, so I had my credit cards and was able to buy new tickets. Otherwise I would still be in the God-damned Estonia!
You started this European tour from Ljubljana, Slovenia on 24th of April... well, according to your website anyway.
Well, we have noticed our website hasnīt been updated for a while, but yeah, we have already played that show (Ljubljana in Slovenia that was), which was on the tour list as well. But we started this tour from Osterburg from Germany which was a pretty cool place to play.
Ok, I see. Bet many of your shows have been kinda crowded on this tour even sold out, correct?
Well, to be honest with you, not everywhere. Some places have been quite normal. I think in Lithuenia we had like 150 people there at tops. They are nice people. All the people that have been coming to these shows, are the people that wanna see the band. So itīs been good. Regardless what size it is, I think Poland was totally insane, 500 people showing up to that little room. But overall, all the shows have been good to us so far.
I just got to know that approximately 450 tickets have been sold for tonightīs show here in Helsinki, so I guess that piece of advance information satisfy you enough already...
I think thatīs great!
This is actually your very 1st time to play here in Finland, and somehow you have managed to miss this isolated country on all of your other tours can I ask why?
It does not depend on ourselves. We have a booking agency that decides how to arrange touring, and we donīt really get a whole lot to say so where we are gotta play. Sometimes we ask, but we dont it sometimes we donīt ask, and we get it, yīknow. Itīs crazy yeah, I really let it to the metal gods to decide.
JUST IN... A HOT NEWSFLASH: THE FINNS ARE FUCKINī DRUNKEN MUTHAFUCKERS!!!
By the way, what do you know about our country Finland anyway, or just metal fans in this particular country?
Every Finn that Iīve ever met ANYWHERE on the planet, is a drunk motherfucker...!!
Thatīs, quite honestly, no news to me...
(*laughs*)
I happen to know we Finns still tend to have a pretty bad reputation as heavy alcohol consumer all around the world...
Thatīs ok, I donīt mind at all. I know itīs hardly the whole story. When we were about to come into harbourg - man, that was beautiful. The shore, the beach, the rocks, the hills man, they were all fuckinī beautiful. Like here right now, itīs fuckinī gorgeous.
You are currently touring with these two other bands; Yyrkoon from France and Australian Psycroptic. How do you feel about your touring mates; like them?
We have toured with Psycroptic before. We did an Australian tour and they were on that with us, too. As for Yyrkoon, this is the first time when we have met them or heard them. I didnīt know anything about them before this tour. Sometimes we have a little bit to say so and who goes on tour with us - and this wasnīt one of those times. I even didnt know Psycroptic was on the bill until we got here. I really like what Psycroptic is doing. Yīknow, itīs kinda technical kind of Death Metal, and I can relate to that I like that kind of music.
And what about the French Yyrkoon; can you relate to their type of Death Metal then?
Well, thatīs not for me to say...
Itīs quite different stuff what Psycroptic is doing anyways...
Well, I like technical Death Metal stuff, and they are all Death Metal bands, so on that note I was stranded on a desert island, and I had to choice between Yyrkoon and... between turtles, I think I have to pick Yyrkoon.
You guys have done several tours during the past couple of years or so, traveling from one country to another and seen different places in general. Anyways, which one (-s) out of these tours have been the best one for you for some reason or the other?
Huh, that was a hard one I donīt know. Maybe with Cannibal Corpse and Krisiun. Man, that was such a good tour for us, man. Also the tour we have done with Behemoth; we really enjoyed those not to forget the tour with Morbid Angel we did... oh my God! That was just... legendary! But I think I kinda like touring under our own name because the people that come to our shows, want to see the band. Sometimes when you got to... yīknow, you are a support band, or you have lots of other big bands on your bill, you catch some people there who simply hate you. They come to see the other band and they donīt wanna hear you and they are, yīknow, you know how drunk metal fans can get sometimes. Yīknow, like sometimes I say why am I doing this? Why put these bands on the bill if there are fans, yīknow, donīt appreciate the band. That kind of makes a rule without enough sense. So, I donīt know... This tour, it feels good even if the numbers are huge like we had lots of big bands on the bill. The people are coming to these shows, like the band. And thatīs enough for me.
Donīt you get tired of being on the road all the time as I gotta assume traveling long distances may bore you quite easily sometimes?
I think we donīt get paid for playing metal; we get paid for the traveling.
(*laughs*)
So it really does feel like that sometimes?
Yeah, thatīs hard work. All the traveling and... Itīs not the one hour that you are on the stage. Itīs the other 23 hours that suck. That one hour on stage, man - it really does make it worth touring.
THE SPIRIT OF METAL BROTHERHOOD
I think it truly pays you off when you go on the stage and see that excited crowd in front of you headbanging and yelling your name from the top of their lungs...
Yeah, thatīs rewarding. I think the important thing though is metal just survives and continues, then metal people have to be able to come together and the metal show is where you league with all your other metal fans and other metal people that are just like, but you donīt know. But you know what, we are all pretty much the same and a metal fan from here, is not drastically different from in spirit, a metal fan from Canada, or England, or Belgium, or Marocco, or Japan or Australia; we are all metal people. And I think metal is what brings us together, and that is the beautiful thing about metal shows. Itīs not necessarily just about having a minute of glory. I mean, thatīs ok, but I donīt think about that. I really believe metal is an international language of solidary which we all metal fans share together. The brotherhood, the spirit we all feel, whether we are all headbanging together or in the moshpit or throwing goat horns with each other man, that spirit is empowering; thatīs the great thing about metal. People say bad things about metal because they donīt understand it. Itīs a communal spirit. Manowar is kinda cheesy band ok, but when I was a kid, man, their spirit of metal brotherhood was just empowering; you felt like raising your fist and, yīknow, fuckinī throwing up the horns and saying: Death to false metal...!! - or whatever, and that spirit continues, no matter what band it is, being it Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse or whoever the fuck it is. As long as that spirit is alive, then, yīknow, we are strong.
Those were wise words for sure, but itīs sad that MTVīs way to think about metal is way different. They show bands like Korn, Deftones, etc. and say these bands are metal...
They are not metal...
If you have ever watched MTV, you know for sure how it sucks...
I donīt watch it...
 Good for you then...
We had a video on Headbangerīs Ball and I didnīt even watch my own fuckinī video on MTV. It was there last year when the album (ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED that was) came out.
Do they still show it there?
Well, no I think thatīs the only time I have known about it. Maybe they played it maybe they not, I kinda doubt it. They play a lot of fuckinī crap.
Yeah, I know, thatīs for sure. Anyways, talking a bit more about touring. According to your website, thereīs been some talk about your possible tour in South America, India and even somewhere in the Middle East countries as well. How do things look like concerning these plans? Has something nailed down on the paper yet?
Nothing has been nailed down to anything, but yeah, there has been some talk about touring in those places and I hope we can work these plans out. If not, then we will rest this summer and work on the new album. We have got two festivals I know of; Graspop Festival and Hellfest in Nantes, France.
Have you already been able to write any new material for the next album?
We havenīt even started. When we tour, we tour and we focus on that. And when we work on the album, thatīs all we do. We try to not be distracted and try to do a good job with whatever is we are doing at the moment.
There was some sort of an announcement about a new Nile release in the end of the fall? Is this news still accurate and valid?
Thatīs what we are hoping to record in the fall time and trying to get it out by the New Year. So I guess we have this summer to work on it.
May I ask what kind of plans do you have for your next album concept-wise? I guess itīs not that hard to figure out the Egypt thing will be there as it has always been...
A lot of people give me a lot of discouraging words like Karl, you are going to do this Egypt thing and blah-blah-blaa.... I say: Well, Iīm not unhappy with the band. Actually Iīm very happy with the band.. So in the other words, I see no reason to do anything that anybody fuckinī tells me to. No one can actually tell me what to do not even me.
Now you have this Greek drummer George Kollias in your line-up (playing the drums for Nile), has he ever suggested that since he comes from the country with a well-known ancient history, he might have some cool ideas to be used from the Greek mythology for the next Nile release?
No, George has never said that. He has too much respect. George is a great guy we really love him. He is kinda giving us a new lease on life and new purpose, feeling of fusing in the band. That was suddenly lacking, yīknow, touring the last couple of years. But now we have it we feel like a team again; we feel brothers. We are in it for all the right reasons, and we love playing music together. Itīs really... I feel like Iīm 20 years old again.
Thatīs a very nice spirit to have...
(*laughs*)
Yīknow, Iīm 38, but I still feel like I could be 20-something from time to time, going to all these gigs and seeing kids people headbanging amongst the audience watching their favorite bands playing onstage, so thatīs a great spirit. I can so easily relate to them as well...
Me, too very easily as a matter of speaking. Iīm 42, and Iīve been playing metal my entire life adult life. And in my heart Iīm still an 18-year-old kid, having a blast - playing metal. Iīve just, yīknow, made it my whole life.
MORRIAH
Nile was started in 1993, but before Nile sometimes in the late ī80s you were in a band called Morriah together with Chief Spires and Pete Hammoura. Can you tell something about those days? What happened to that band anyway?
Well, we had problems with our singer. He was incredibly gifted like Ronnie James Dio, or Rob Halford kind of guy lots of power, lots of range and he did an incredible stuff. Sometimes he even did things we were totally amazed of. He was just incredible! But a bad thing was he had a drinking problem. And we wasted so many years, trying to help him, yīknow, to be a band. And we as brothers, tried our best to help him. And in the end we realized that we were never going to get anywhere when our singer is not showing up for rehearsal; he misses the gig. We got a little tour offer for end, and he doesnīt wanna go because heīs not answering the phone. We cannot get anywhere like that. No matter how talented he is, and he was godly talented. So finally we said, yīknow what? Letīs go on without him. Thatīs when we dropped that whole thing in disturbed to come up with what else we did to you.
The music of Morriah as some other people have described it, had a lot of Slayer influence, added with more traditional Heavy Metal vocals and stuff, as Iīve been told...
Some of the riffs were Slayerīish, some of them were Queenrychīish, some of them were Priestīish, some of them were Metallicaīish I mean, thereīs a lot of varying influences in our music back in the day, probably a way ahead its time. If that band were around today, weīd be selling big, big, big... BIG, because it had all the thrashy elements, but with the incredible vocals. And, yīknow, thatīs why I think itīs cool.
Did you guys manage to record any demos with Morriah or anything?
We did two demos, but they never went anywhere because we didnīt much for them. But thatīs ok. I donīt mind thatīs life. I wouldnīt do live that band. I learnt a lot about it doesnīt matter how good you are. You can be the best motherfuckinī band on this planet, or yīknow, on that day be the best or maybe next Thuesday youīll be 2nd best, or... I donīt know. But you can be a great motherfuckinī band! If you donīt have any business sense; or you donīt make the right contacts, you donīt do the right thing - you donīt keep working at it, you are not prepared when the good offer comes. Itīs no good... You can be... itīs like... I donīt know. Itīs hard lessons; hard lessons stuff that I can run. Also friendship, friendship in the band is a double-edged sword. If you see some life experience, you should see your brand-old brother letting you down, time after time after time. Thereīs only so long you can help him. And after that you are not even really helping each, yīknow. You are helping anyone; all youīre doing is allowing him to waste your life. And now youīre some people nowadays call me a ruthless asshole. Iīm not ruthless, Iīm just... yīknow, life is a gruel thing. Like those birds over there (*Karl pointing his finger at some seagulls, flying right above us*), if they donīt find enough food, they eat or they are gonna go hungry. So, yīknow what? They find enough food to eat...
On your IN THEIR DARKENED SHRINES album you had Tony Laureno (ex-Naphobia, ex-Angel Corpse, ex-Acheron, etc.), doing the drums for the album. Iīm very curious to know why he didnīt want to join his forces with Nile as a permanent drummer of the band? Heīs one hell of a drummer anyway...
He wasnīt happy, he was unhappy with us. I donīt know why, but you cannot make someone happy if he was not happy even if you tried. So, when he decided to leave, we said: Ok.... Life goes on...
What about your DVD plans? Any Nile DVD to be expected in the near future?
I think that so many metal-DVDs suck. If we can do one that didnīt suck, that would be cool. I mean, going life is about not to suck.
I gotta believe you should still have some pretty good footage taken from down the road that you might possibly consider using for the Nile DVD, havenīt you?
Well, a lot of people have bootlegs of us much to my annoyance, but I donīt know, letīs see what happens. Future is not written yet...
BLESSED BY THE GODS OF METAL
Nile is also known for its very lengthy songs. Have you ever been thinking of doing like a soundtrack type of album, like one song that could last like 50-60 minutes. That would be a nice challenge if anything, thinking of the whole song writing process in general...
Well, yīknow...
It shouldnīt be THAT hard thing from you to do...
I donīt know, we donīt write that way. When I write, I donīt always plan out whatīs going to be like this is the peak long song or this is the little short song or the medium length mid-tempo of last down shift the end. I donīt think about that. I write the song and what it is, it is. Like on this last album ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED, I didnīt wanna write another 12-minute Unas Slayer of the Gods, I just didnīt wanna do it. People asked me to write another song like Unas Slayer of the Gods - Iīm going: No... fuck you! I write whatever the fuck I write, hey cīmon...!!. And then we ended up writing three songs that are like, big-long 8-10 minute songs. I didnīt do them on purpose; it just happened that way. I think if the metal gods give you an inspiration for a song; you donīt say to them: Hey, I want it... inspirations for a big, long song! Whatta fuck are you doing?!! Give me a short song...!. But you donīt say that to the metal gods; you have no rights for doing so. You take what they give you and you say: Thank you....
In the end of the day...
Yes.
ON THE MOVE
 What about your solo stuff? Your own solo album titled SAURIAN MEDIATION was released through Relapse Records in October 2004. Do you have any interest, or plans to do another solo record of yours any time soon?
Yes. I have already got three pieces written, and itīs gonna be called SAURIAN EXORCISMS. I donīt know yet whoīs gonna release it though because we are moving; we are not on Relapse anymore.
You mean Nile isnīt with Relapse anymore either?
Yes. We had the four album deal, and ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED was our fourth album. So from now we are on Nuclear Blast.
Were you happy while being on Relapse with Nile?
Well, from now on we are on Nuclear Blast.
(*laughs*)
I guess you pretty much answered to my question then, he-he!! So, thatīs official info now and can be announced in Metal-Rules.com, too?
When we signed the paper - so unless they tear it up or something, or donīt give us the money they promised us, then I guess itīs the deal.
When did you sign a deal with them actually?
Right before we left. In fact, Iīll tell you a funny story. We had a big party when George came in to the town. George had been flying from Greece for his first rehearse, so before we do a tour, we bring George over, for like a week before the tour we start rehearsing. So, we were going to have a BIG party and drink all the leftover beer from the tour before, like 8 cases stacked on my porch; lots of beer drinking lots of liquor, and so we had this big party and thatīs when signed the contract. We had friendsī family; signed the paper, took pictures and all this. And then I took the signed papers and we started, yīknow, drinking and I put the papers on my desk and left them there. I even left them there on my way to the airport. I got into the airplane to come over here for the tour and left the papers on my fuckinī desk!!
(*laughs*)
I had to get my friend to go over my house, and so he had the papers and ask him to mail them for me. Itīs very silly...
ABOUT EVIL CHANTING & VOODOO WITCHERY
As the very last thing Iīd like you to comment the following vocalists in Death Metal... are you ready?
Ok... go ahead!
David Vincent (Morbid Angel)
Heīs one of the originals, isnīt he? Some of his stuff on BLESSED ARE THE SICK... cīmon man, itīs classic!!
Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel)
Steve is a friend of mine. So I donīt get involved since Iīm a friend with David, and a friend with Steve, I donīt get involved with the whole īDavid Vincent versus Steve Tuckerī -thing. Someone had to take Davidīs place; it took a lot of courage to join that band and try to stand where David used to stand and do what David used to so. And heīs a different person than David, so of course itīs going to be different. You know how metal fans are. Thereīs only one David Vincent, and thereīs also only one Steve Tucker.
Ross Dolan (Immolation)
I love Ross! What an evil growl... Sometimes when they are playing and he just got the rhythmic, evil chanting going on, itīs like voodoo witchery. Heīs just casting some hideous, evil spell on people and itīs like that. You see people right there with him. Man...!!! I love it; I love his malicious vocal style!! What a great band, and Ross is a great vocalist!!
Yeah, his death growls just seem to come from somewhere very deep down...
Thereīs evil...
Kelly Shaefer (Atheist)
Heīs a nice guy. I really didnīt listen to Atheist, so I would not be able to say much about his vocals. But as a matter of reason, he is a nice guy.
Matti Kärki (Dismember)
Dismember... Hmm, thereīs a band that I have not heard in a long time. And itīs been so long, I donīt think I have anything educated to say about it.
What about Mike Browning who used to sing in Morbid Angelīs early line-up as well?
Ha-ha-ha-ha-hah... Mike! Well, every time I go to Tampa, Mike is always at the shows. Heīs a SUPER-nice guy, and also his wife is super-nice.
Yeah, Mike has a band with his wife called After Death nowadays. Have you heard of them? They have only made a couple of demos so far...
Yes, I have heard them, yes.
Martin van Drunen (Pestilence)
Oh, thereīs another classic vocalist. These early guys they really kinda raged it all out for everybody else and a lot of people are still doing the exact same thing as said these fellows originally did 15 years ago.
What about L-G Petrov from Entombed, especially his vocals on the first Entombed album LEFT HAND PATH?
How can you go wrong with the first Entombed album?! Cīmon, LEFT HAND PATH... Jesus Christ!!! AWESOME!!!
Ha-ha-hah... I guess I just got your opinion about his voice right there! ;o)
What about this relatively unknown vocalist... let me see; Iīm not even sure if you know him at all, but his name is Karl Sanders, or what the fuck his name was... ;o)
I donīt know him. Yīknow, he missed the ferry today, so where the fuck he is!!
(*laughs*)
Ok Karl. I think Iīm running out of the tape, so I wanna thank you for this nice chat with you and wish you all the best for your tonightīs gig. May the gods of metal be with Nile tonight, heh!
Thank you. Thank you very much... c-ya later!
"FUKKINī METALL...!!!"
THE OFFICIAL NILE CATACOMBS:
http://www.nile-catacombs.net
|
