The band had only one goal for their new record: “The goal for the new record was sheer epic brutality,” guitarist Karl Sanders jokes, but then he answers seriously: “Really though, the focus this time around is on brutal Heavy Metal riffing and songwriting; kind of like of an »Annihilation Of The Wicked« approach but very streamlined to achieve maximum destructive impact. So we believe that we have a truly crushing disc to bring to metal fans. Although »Unearthed« is still full of the kind of undeniable musicianship people have come to expect from us over the years, it’s the songs themselves that will hit listeners over the head this time around."

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Founded by Karl Sanders (guitars, vocals), Chief Spires (bass, vocals) and Pete Hammoura (drums) in 1993, NILE released their first EP »Festivals Of Atonement« (1995) through their own label, Anubis Records. The band’s second EP »Ramses Bringer Of War« was released via Visceral Productions. Dallas Toler-Wade (guitars) joined the band in time to support the release of their first album »Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka« (1998), with NILE touring the US as support of the famous MORBID ANGEL, and Europe as support for VADER and SIX FEET UNDER. The debut was followed up by two other blasting records - »Black Seeds Of Vengeance« (2000) and »In Their Darkened Shrines« (2002). Drummer George Kollias joined the band in 2004, becoming the 4th legendary drummer to occupy the drum throne of NILE. Several long months of intense songwriting and pre-production by the band culminated with the release of their paramount album »Annihilation of The Wicked« (2005). NILE’s continuing success led the band to signing with the record label par excellence Nuclear Blast; releasing NILE’s NB label debut finally in 2007, called »Ithyphallic«. A two month long blitzkrieg tour as support on Ozzfest in the USA brought the band to the attention of a much wider, diverse audience; gaining new NILE fans across a wide demographic and expanding the band into new touring opportunities worldwide.

After releasing their remarkable follow-up albums »Those Whom The Gods Detest« (2009) and »At The Gate Of Sethu« (2012), NILE are ready to unleash their new, eighth bone-crushing masterpiece to the masses now - »What Should Not Be Unearthed«.

The band had only one goal for their new record: “The goal for the new record was sheer epic brutality,” guitarist Karl Sanders jokes, but then he answers seriously: “Really though, the focus this time around is on brutal Heavy Metal riffing and songwriting; kind of like of an »Annihilation Of The Wicked« approach but very streamlined to achieve maximum destructive impact. So we believe that we have a truly crushing disc to bring to metal fans. Although »Unearthed« is still full of the kind of undeniable musicianship people have come to expect from us over the years, it’s the songs themselves that will hit listeners over the head this time around.”

The production of »What Should Not Be Unearthed« was handled by the band at Sanders‘ own Serpent Headed Studios. All the tracking was done there too, except for the initial drum tracking, which was done with Bob Moore at Soundlab in Columbia. “It all went fairly smooth, although as we all know, no record is without its share of challenges,“ the guitarist tells. “Overall, though, I can say that this time around the recording/composing/rehearsing was a rewarding and enjoyable experience, and the band worked together as a team with a level of consistence and confidence in a way I’ve not seen since the golden early years of working with original NILE drummer Pete Hammoura.“ After all recordings were done, Neil Kernon in Chicago did the final mix of »What Should Not Be Unearthed«.

The artwork was created by Michal “Xaay” Loranc. “I excavated the theories of an elder ancient civilization which could give the origin to ancient Egypt,” Xaay starts to tell about the background of the cover. “That's why you can find a new ingredient in the band imagery, pointing at some higher obscure intelligence, eroding and covered with time. That trace of a dismal legacy is resembled in the outer structure which radiates from the block, sealing the unknown, and it's only an adumbration of what we will meet, once it is removed. The pyramid-shaped seal in the center doesn't contain a recipe for some camel stew or a pharaoh's dining menu. An experienced eye will notice hieroglyphs taken from the 'Book Of The Dead', or the Seven Islands of Amentet glyph - depicting the ancient underworld, and describing the elder reign of God-kings, which had ended circa 9850 B.C. (perhaps some similarity with that of Atlantis?).” But the main thing of the artwork is a winged scarab sign in the exact center: “We all know this most common Egyptian artifact giving protection... so the message is pretty clear... I hope it may become another fine element in band's repository for the NILE themed tattoos. To sum it up: This album is definitely not a box of candies. Keep in mind that opening the package means you will deal with the deadliest essence…”

Once again, the title and the lyrical themes of NILE’s album are heavily inspired by old Egypt and archaeology: “'What Should Not Be Unearthed' is somewhat like the idea that what if archaeologists accidentally dug up something, so old and unimaginable in its implications of the origin of humanity that it rocked the foundations of modern civilization,” explains guitarist Karl Sanders and continues: “As if everything we all believed to be true about humans, our history, and our place in the universe were shown to be so horribly wrong by these new discoveries that it drove the general population to madness and despair. It‘s a classic Lovecraftian sort of idea. Basically, this song grew out of the concept - of the many recent excavations in Egypt containing fantastical discoveries.

In the track 'The Rape Of The Black Earth,' there is a line referring to looters (both recent and in ancient days): “Unearthing What Should Not Be Unearthed”; in other words, digging up stuff that would have best been left undisturbed, unviolated, left for eternity to rest in peace”. Sanders asked himself: “What would be if they were to dig up something so awful and unbelievable that completely fucked up everything we thought we knew about history, science and mankind?” But he realized that this has already happened: “By the end of the 1800’s and the turn of the century into the 1900’s, the minds of our public consciousness had already been raped by the first discoveries of dinosaurs; with the obvious implication that the earth was ruled by other than man LONG before any Adam and Eve were around . Charles Darwin had given us his theory of evolution - which pretty much forever fucked up the idea that God had created humanity. This was also the time of the great Egyptologists - many unbelievable ancient things were being unearthed and in the news every day.

The work of English archaeologist Howard Carter provided the concept of the “Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb”. The discoveries of the remains of early humans caused an explosion of the field of paleontological anthropology. Around the globe, modern warfare brought about a scale of mass death and destruction heretofore undreamed of. The miracle of electricity was spreading through all the cities of the modern world, and advances in science and medicine were granted god-like powers to mortal doctors. Even the questioning of the very existence of God was spreading like a mind-blowing cancer throughout the civilized world.”

“In 2015, even little kids watch dinosaurs on Saturday morning cartoons. School kids are taught evolution at a young age now. We use electricity as easily as water,“ Sanders states. But these things weren’t that normal a century ago. The guitarist and vocalist adds: "In the early 1900’s, this shit was fucking up people‘s minds left and right. The concept that man evolved from monkeys was sheer blasphemy that shook the foundations of people’s beliefs in a catastrophic way that we just don’t get anymore with our modern perspective. In the 1930’s, the public consciousness was reeling, in a way we just don’t appreciate now that these ideas have become commonplace. So that's more or less the framework for »What Should Not Be Unearthed«.“

Altogether, Karl Sanders says: “Sethu and Ithyphallic - while full of incredible musicianship and unique songwriting approaches - were not ever intended to be definitive NILE records. They were representative of where we were and how we felt as a band and as musicians at those points in our careers.”
“Unearthed is somewhat reactionary in that aspect; it‘s a record that we are confident NILE fans will love,” the guitarist promises and closes: “In that respect, some of these tracks will be instant NILE classics and fan favorites: If someone can listen to tracks like 'Call To Destruction' or 'Evil To Cast Out Evil' and somehow NOT feel that intoxicating, empowering rush of metal adrenaline and feel compelled to raise the horns in metal, I would be genuinely shocked.”