NILE mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Kars Sanders has announced that the subterranean slumber of his Eastern-ambient Saurian series has finally ceased with the impending release of its dark third chapter, Saurian Apocalypse, out July 22, 2022 via Napalm Records. This segment of the hypnotizing saga arrives 13 years after the release of its predecessor, 2009’s Saurian Exorcisms, and nearly 20 after 2004’s equally lauded Saurian Meditation.
Emphasized by unique instruments like the baglama saz (Turkish lute), Ancient Egyptian Anubis Sistrum, Dumbek (Middle Eastern goblet drum), glissentar and gongs, the album’s score weaves cinematic auras and deep grooves, accented by the tribal percussive stylings of original NILE drummer Pete Hammoura and returning Saurian vocalist Mike Breazeale. A wealth of musical growth and refinement, both in Sanders’ guitar technique and compositional development, is strikingly evident. Eons more than just an album of interludes or ambient scores, Saurian Apocalypse is a shining advancement in the Saurian series, and the most dynamic, detailed Karl Sanders solo release yet.
Feast your ears on the forthcoming Saurian Apocalypse by way of its haunting first single, “The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man,” out today. Accompanied by an entrancing animated music video, the track instantly showcases the unique instrumentation, sparkling production, and ominous conceptual themes of the album – echoing with vibrating flutes, exotic percussion, and a contextual acoustic guest solo by guest guitar virtuoso Rusty Cooley.
KARL SANDERS says about “The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man”: “‘The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man’ is a great choice for people’s first exposure to this album. It’s the opening track of the new Saurian record, very cinematic and an eerie mood setter. Much like the score of an opening scene of a Sci-Fi movie, the song serves as an introduction for the many twisted journeys of the album that follows. It uncannily evokes that feeling we all get right after the sun has gone down and night is upon us, conjuring an awareness of the ancient, evolutionary dread of the unknown dark and its terrors that have been imprinted on the human psyche since early prehistoric man first realized that there were things in the night that would prey upon him.
“The track is also very special to me as it features two dear longtime friends of mine, original NILE drummer Pete Hammoura on percussion, and legendary guitar shredder Rusty Cooley on guest acoustic solos. Although Rusty certainly is a prolific electric guitar shredder, this track marks his debut on acoustic guitar. Thank you, Pete and Rusty!”
The musical and lyrical themes on Saurian Apocalypse detail the vexing fictional journey of Dr. Eduardo Lucciani, one of very few survivors of mankind’s self-destruction, who descends into madness after discovering the violent horrors occurring at the hands of the Saurian Masters.
Karl Sanders adds about Saurian Apocalypse: “I have been driven for years by the knowledge of an inevitable doom, of an unyielding calling to realize what seems to me a preordained fate of making a third Saurian album. It’s a record that fans have been asking about for over a decade. It’s not a record born of casual intent, it’s a record that has quietly burned within me for many years awaiting its appointed hour. I have bided my time with near inhuman patience, yet that day is now imminently upon us. This new release, Saurian Apocalypse, is a deeply personal record of quiet and exotic, hypnotic dark music spawned from somewhere deep within the Reptilian part of my brain and soul. In some way, sharing this music with fans is much like sharing the lurking, haunting visions in my skull, of quiet blasphemies and an inexorable dread of the looming demise of our species. I am beyond happy that listeners and fans will finally be able to enjoy this music as much as I and my colleagues have while making it. It is my earnest hope that the music of this Saurian Apocalypse record will bring others as much inner peace as it has me. F*ck Yes.”
