Nile

You'd think a guy like Karl Sanders would've visited Egypt by now. After all, the virtuoso guitarist fronts South Carolinian Egyptian-themed death metal act Nile -- and fancies himself something an expert on Egyptology. But alas, Sanders has yet to make it over to see the Great Sphinx.

"The irony there is, being a person who is playing death metal, of course, death metal has no retirement plan, no healthcare, no dental package and certainly no holiday pay," Sanders, who says the History Channel is his favorite one on the lineup, tells Noisecreep. "So, taking a trip down the Nile is kind of out of the reach for my meager death metal budget at this point. I do have a bunch of statues and artifacts, and I have a seven-foot-tall sarcophagus in my living room, but its more an interest or a hobby. It's not a life obsession.

"The guitar is probably more of an obsession. Maybe, if this record sells a few copies instead of everyone downloading it, well maybe we could talk next year about how wonderful my vacation to Egypt was."

Yes, you read correctly. Nile's new record has leaked, and damn, is Sanders pissed. Like the recent leak of Converge's 'Axe to Fall' album, the Nile leak has been traced back to a journalist.

"Amongst your brethren, there is a betrayer," says Sanders. "In fact, Nuclear Blast knows exactly who it was. It was the same guy who leaked the Hypocrisy record. So, yeah, it was a journalist, a music journalist that leaked the record. Now, come on man ... don't we all have the struggle in this day and age, trying to eek out a living, playing music or writing about music?

"So, the idea that one of our own ... one our own brethren is the guy that stuck a knife in our heart ... I have trouble believing it, man. A couple days after I found that out, I had a little trouble doing interviews, because, in the back of my mind, it was like, 'Is this the guy? Should I be killing this guy instead of talking nice to him?' It took a while to put it all into perspective."

While Sanders admits you can't stop the flood once the levies break, he reveals, "I believe [the label] is planning legal action, and I think that's what's gong to have to happen. You can't penalize someone for downloading it. You don't hate on the fans because of it. I think its going to take recourse on the responsible people ... if we're not going to police our own, and hold our comrades and colleagues up to high moral standards, then what can we expect? It's up to us to not only try and behave ethically, but to call out others when they engage in unethical behavior."

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