Nile mastermind and multi-instrumentalist, Karl Sanders, recently 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 via Napalm Records.
After revealing the album's ominous first single, “The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man”, featuring a contextual acoustic guest solo by guitar virtuoso Rusty Cooley, Sanders returns with the cinematic second single, “Skull Fuck Ritual" (Skull Breach Edition). The score-like track begins with a cautionary chime before marching drums make way for eerie tribal voices and Middle Eastern-inspired leads on uniquely curated, exotic instruments. Its haunting aura inspires a calming yet foreboding look into the Saurian universe.
Witness the track for the first time today alongside another mind-bending animated music video.
Sanders says about “Skull Fuck Ritual" (Skull Breach Edition): "'Skull Fuck Ritual' was one of the earlier songs written for Saurian Apocalypse and it set the tone for much of the recording that followed. This song has a slow, hypnotic, ancient ritualistic vibe that will softly caress and then crack open your skull for Necromantic Carnal Communion with the Ancients. Please don’t listen to this track while driving or operating heavy machinery.”
Saurian Apocalypse arrives 13 years after the release of its predecessor, 2009’s Saurian Exorcisms, and nearly 20 after 2004’s equally lauded Saurian Meditation. The musical and lyrical themes on the album 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.
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.
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. Fuck Yes.”
Whispering atop the ominous sands of opener “The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man” are resonant flutes and forewarning percussion, and immediately, the album’s impactful production and crystal clarity is apparent. Produced by Sanders with mixing and mastering by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, the most subtle details of instrumentation shine. “The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us” peaks between soulful acoustic guitar renderings and droning tones, ushering in “The Evil Inherent in All of Us”, featuring another uniquely thematic axe contribution by Cooley, and surfaces as an energetic jam and standout departure from the Saurian blueprint. “Skull Fuck Ritual (Skull Breach Edition)” begins eerily with a cautionary chime before its marching drums make way for Middle Eastern-inspired leads, bridging the journey to the 6+ minute desolating trek “Nada Zaag”. Fans will hear an alluring Oud (Middle Eastern lute) solo by Mustafa Stefan Dill and rare acoustic jazz drums by current Nile percussion goliath George Kollias on “An Altered Saurian Theta State”, before the seductive auditory excursion “Nihil Emplexus” and its iridescent strums and ominous chants signal the beginning of the end. Sitar-like sounds immediately ensnare the listener on “Divergence: The Long Awaited Third Primordial Ascension” before hopeful lutes make way for heart wrenching electric shred. Far-Eastern stylings creep in on “Mask of Immutable Self Delusion”, a tranquil moment of atmospheric bliss, before the album closes with the 10 minute epic “No Creature More Deserving of Cataclysmic Annihilation” – featuring the deft skills of jazz guitarist Matthew Kay and the panicked, incensed narration of Jonathan “ADD” Garofoli as Dr. Eduardo Lucciani himself.
Saurian Apocalypse is available in varying formats in various territories:
- 1-CD Digisleeve (6 Panel)
- 1-CD Digisleeve + Shirt Bundle (RoW Napalm Shop Mailorder Only)
- 2-LP Dark Green Vinyl Gatefold
- Music Cassette (Napalm Shop Mailorder Only, Limited to 100)
- Digital Album
Pre-order here.
Saurian Apocalypse tracklisting:
"The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man"
"The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us"
"The Evil Inherent In Us All"
"Skull Fuck Ritual" (Skull Breach Edition)
"Nada Zaag"
"An Altered Saurian Theta State"
"Nihil Emplexus"
"Divergence: The Long Awaited Third Primordial Ascension"
"Mask Of Immutable Self Delusion"
"No Creature More Deserving Of Cataclysmic Annihilation"
"The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man" video:
In addition to the upcoming release of Saurian Apocalypse, Karl Sanders and Napalm Records are proud to re-release 2004’s Saurian Meditation and 2009’s Saurian Exorcisms on vinyl for the very first time – out on the same day, July 22.
Saurian Meditation will be available in both 4-Panel CD Digipak and Transparent Orange 2-LP Gatefold Vinyl formats, while Saurian Exorcisms will be available in both 4-Panel CD Digipak and 1-LP White Gatefold Vinyl formats.
Pre-order Saurian Meditation (2004) and Saurian Exorcisms (2009) here.
(Photo - Nill Silver)
