Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka

Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
Studio album by Nile
Released 28 April 1998
Recorded 1998, at The Sound Lab, Columbia, South Carolina
Genre Technical death metal
Length 33:07
Label Relapse
Producer Bob Moore, Earl Sanders
Nile chronology
Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
(1998)		 Black Seeds of Vengeance
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka is the debut studio album by American death metal band Nile. The album was released on April 28, 1998, through Relapse Records. The album is considered to be their breakthrough record. In contrast with the following album, Black Seeds of Vengeance, the songs are much shorter in length than the songs featured on later Nile albums.

The title of the album is a reference to the H. P. Lovecraft story "The Outsider". The phrase is featured in the song "Beneath Eternal Oceans of Sand" which has lyrics paraphrased from the aforementioned tale. In Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, Nephren-Ka was an Egyptian Pharaoh whose unspeakable cult worship led him to be stricken from almost all Egyptian records. The catacombs where he is buried are referenced in several Lovecraft stories as well as many stories by other mythos authors.

The orchestral intro on "Ramses Bringer of War" is strongly inspired by Gustav Holst's Mars movement from The Planets, written between 1914 and 1916.

The title of the song "Das rache krieg lied der Assyriche" roughly translates as "The Revenge War Song of the Assyrians" in German ("Das Rache-Kriegslied der Assyrer"), as if it came straight from the field journal of a German archaeologist.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Smashing the Antiu"2:18
2."Barra Edinazzu"2:47
3."Kudurru Maqlu" (Instrumental)1:05
4."Serpent Headed Mask"2:18
5."Ramses Bringer of War"4:45
6."Stones of Sorrow"4:17
7."Die rache krieg lied der Assyriche"3:13
8."The Howling of the Jinn"2:34
9."Pestilence and Iniquity"1:54
10."Opening of the Mouth"3:39
11."Beneath Eternal Oceans of Sand"4:17
Total length:33:07

Personnel

Nile
Additional musicians
  • Drilbu Dungkar - Thigh bone flutes, Turkish gongs
  • Mahala Kapala - Damaru human skull drums
  • Mudflap - Additional vocals on "Die rache krieg lied der Assyriche"
  • Penga Grande - Additional vocals on "Die rache krieg lied der Assyriche"
  • Gyuto Drupka - Choirs
Production
  • Adam Peterson - Artwork
  • Bob Moore - Producer, Engineering
  • Matthew Jacobson - Executive producer
  • Earl Sanders - Producer
  • Bill Yurkiewicz - Executive producer

References

  1. ↑ Kantor, Matt. Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka review allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-05.
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