Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka

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Professional reviews
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	33:12
Label	Relapse Records
Producer(s)	Bob Moore
All Music Guide review
Nile chronology
Ramses Bringer of War (1997)	Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka (1998)	Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)

Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka is the first full length album by American death metal band Nile. It 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.

[edit] Track listing

"Smashing the Antiu" - 2:18
"Barra Edinazzu" - 2:47
"Kudurru Maqlu" - 1:05
"Serpent Headed Mask" - 2:18
"Ramses, Bringer of War" - 4:45
"Stones of Sorrow" - 4:17
"Die Rache Krieg Lied der Assyriche" - 3:13
"The Howling of the Jinn" - 2:34
"Pestilence and Iniquity" - 1:54
"Opening of the Mouth" - 3:39
"Beneath Eternal Oceans of Sand" - 4:17

[edit] Notes

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 song "Ramses, Bringer of War" covers the intro of Gustav Holst's Mars movement from The Planets.

The word Assyriche from the song "Die Rache Krieg Lied der Assyriche" could be a misspelling for Assyrische. If that were the case, then the song would mean "The Revenge War Song of the Assyrians" in German ("Das Rache-Kriegslied der Assyrer").