Best known as the brainchild behind Egyptian obsessives Nile, vocalist, lyricist, and multi-instrumentalist Karl Sanders returns to more atmospheric, ambient territories with his latest solo album Saurian Apocalypse (Napalm Records). For the third entry in his ongoing Saurian saga, Sanders tells the story of the fictional Dr. Eduardo Lucciani, one of a handful of survivors of a man-made apocalypse who slowly loses his mind after discovering the secrets of his reptilian masters.
Setting the scene immediately, the opener ‘The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man’ sounds like John Carpenter scoring an Egyptian-themed sci-fi western. Former Nile drummer Pete Hammoura makes a welcome appearance, distinguishing himself with some clever percussion while guitarist Rusty Cooley guests with acoustic solos. ‘The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us’ follows, its languid strumming relaxes and perturbs as scales and melodies ascend and descend at will while more conventional bluesy elements creep into the Middle Eastern tones.
After an effective stop-start opening, the seemingly improvisational nature of ‘The Evil Inherent in Us All’ includes another contribution by Cooley and features the vocal talents of long time collaborator Mike Breazeale. The interestingly titled ‘Skull Fuck Ritual (Skull Breach Edition)’ features sinister chanting, unsettling background screams and slithering Middle Eastern leads while ‘Nada Zaag’ and ‘Nihil Emplexus’ are both absorbing and slowly hypnotic pieces of music.
‘An Altered Saurian Theta State’ sways and lurches to Mustafa Stefan Dill‘s Oud (a type of Arabic lute) and acoustic jazz drum work by versatile Nile sticksman George Kollias – a methodically constructed slow-burn, ‘Divergence: The Long Awaited Third Primordial Ascension’ moves from sliding strings to a chilling middle section and a fevered guitar solo backed by multi-layered acoustic strings while ‘Mask of Immutable Self Delusion’ is heavily wreathed in far eastern influences. Featuring jazz guitarist Matthew Kay and the narration of Italian drummer Jonathan “ADD” Garofoli as Dr. Lucciani, the desert sun finally sets with the ten minute long, tension-filled monster ‘No Creature More Deserving of Cataclysmic Annihilation’, a sublime climax to another outstanding record.
Interweaving cinematic orchestration, tribal percussion and a strong thematic narrative, not to mention the use of unusual instruments such as the Bağlama, Glissentar, Sistrum and Dumbek, Saurian Apocalypse is a stunning, meticulously crafted piece of work boasting a dynamic production by Sanders himself. Simone Mularoni‘s mix allows each instrument the space to be heard, no matter how delicate or violently tempestuous the atmosphere, everything coming together perfectly to form another masterfully evocative Lovecraftian soundscape.
Buy the album here: https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/karlsanders
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK