Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka

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

The title of the song "Die 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

1. "Smashing the Antiu" - 2:18
2. "Barra Edinazzu" - 2:47
3. "Kudurru Maqlu" - 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

Personnel

Nile

• Karl Sanders - lead vocals, guitar
• Chief Spires - vocals, bass guitar
• Pete Hammoura - vocals, drums

Additional musicians

• Gyuto Drukpa - choir chants
• Drilbu Dungkar - thigh bone flutes, Turkish gongs

Production

• Produced by Bob Moore

References