‘ENERGIZED’
Change in guitarists gives Nile a ‘new lease on life’
Anew lineup has recharged the batteries of technical death metal band Nile. The band, which recently parted ways with guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade after 20 years together, has experienced a breath of fresh air with new guitarist Brian Kingsland.
“We’re ridiculously happy,” Nile frontman Karl Sanders said. “The mood of the band is so positive, so energized. We feel like we got a new lease on life. We couldn’t be happier, actually. We’re really lucky to have found Brian. He’s a fabulous guitarist, great metal vocalist, incredible range, and just an all-around nice guy.”
Nile bassist Brad Parris suggested Kingsland join the band. Kingsland’s knowledge of all things Nile impressed its band members.
“We put him through a pretty rigorous gantlet of an audition, and he surpassed our expectations,” Sanders said. “He really did his homework. Learned the songs backward and forward, not only the album versions, but also learned the live versions as well. In fact, he can tell you like every single little thing about every live version of the song that’s ever been done out of our set list. It’s really just mindblowing how much work that boy did.”
In addition to adding a member, Nile has added some songs to its set list.
“Well, we’ve got a couple new ones,” Sanders said. “We’ve got some classic ones. We added a song last night that we’ve never played before, ‘The Fiends Who Come to Steal the Magick of the Deceased.’ It’s such a fun song live. It’s just got something about it that makes it fun to play. We decided to do that one and really have a blast.”
Nile expects to put out a new album the end of this year.
Lyrically, Nile will stay true to its roots, which are strongly influenced by Egyptology and ancient Middle Eastern cultures.
“I guess you could say I’m looking forward to doing what we do but with a fresh slant on things,” Sanders said. “We’re not going to radically change direction or anything. When you get new people, you kind of do things a little differently. Each person has their own creative influence, so it’s definitely going to sound fresh.”