George is writing and recording a solo album in between drum clinics and touring cycles. Due before the end of the year, the CD, which is primarily set to show off some of George’s craziest metal drumming to date, is being completely written and recorded by George, including the guitars, bass, keys, vocals, and percussion, and it will also feature a DVD of the recording process.

Kollias’ recent YouTube video shows off the blistering speed of George’s hands and feet around the kit, through his quick fills and fast footwork, as well as showing his multi-talented musical ability through his guitar work and other instrumentation.

Commented Kollias: “The drumming will be crazy on this album; I will push it like never before, since the whole idea is to write something based on drums anyways. Although I will pay attention a lot to the music in general, and I arranged to have some of the best guitarists in the world playing some guest solos for the songs, which is great! The mixing will be done in Florida, at Mana Studios, [by] Erik Rutan, one of the best producers today. He worked on the last NILE album, next to Neil Kernon, our main producer. This is just a first demo…. nothing final yet… but the final thing will be crazy and will sound incredible!!”

Source: www.blabbermouth.net

The P.A.L.M India Expo is India’s international expo on professional audio, music production, musical instruments, FM radio, live sound, AV install and lasers and lighting equipment. The expo has previously hosted such drummers as Greg Bissonette and John Tempesta.

George Kollias is writing and recording a solo album in between drum clinics and touring cycles. Due in September, the CD, which is primarily set to show off some of George’s craziest metal drumming to date, is being completely written and recorded by George, including the guitars, bass, keys, vocals, and percussion, and it will also feature a DVD of the recording process.

Kollias’ latest YouTube video shows off the blistering speed of George’s hands and feet around the kit, through his quick fills and fast footwork, as well as showing his multi-talented musical ability through his guitar work and other instrumentation.

Commented Kollias: “The drumming will be crazy on this album; I will push it like never before, since the whole idea is to write something based on drums anyways. Although I will pay attention a lot to the music in general, and I arranged to have some of the best guitarists in the world playing some guest solos for the songs, which is great! The mixing will be done in Florida, at Mana Studios, [by] Erik Rutan, one of the best producers today. He worked on the last NILE album, next to Neil Kernon, our main producer. This is just a first demo…. nothing final yet… but the final thing will be crazy and will sound incredible!!”

Interview:

Clinic footage:

Source: www.blabbermouth.net

Kollias’ latest YouTube video, which can be viewed below, shows off the blistering speed of George’s hands and feet around the kit, through his quick fills and fast footwork, as well as showing his multi-talented musical ability through his guitar work and other instrumentation.

Commented Kollias: “The drumming will be crazy on this album; I will push it like never before, since the whole idea is to write something based on drums anyways. Although I will pay attention a lot to the music in general, and I arranged to have some of the best guitarists in the world playing some guest solos for the songs, which is great! The mixing will be done in Florida, at Mana Studios, [by] Erik Rutan, one of the best producers today. He worked on the last NILE album, next to Neil Kernon, our main producer. This is just a first demo…. nothing final yet… but the final thing will be crazy and will sound incredible!!”

Source: www.blabbermouth.net

“George Kollias is one of the fastest drummers in the world and with the Pearl brand name building as fast as his double bass speeds in India, this seems to be the perfect time to bring him to India!” commented Keshav Dhanraj, Pearl Drums brand manager for India.

George himself was super-excited about the trip and had this message for his fans: “It’s a big honor to be invited to your beautiful country, this will be my first time in India and it has been a long time coming for both me and our fans in India. I hope to see you all at my clinic and meet you all and make this day the best possible.”

The P.A.L.M India Expo is India’s international expo on professional audio, music production, musical instruments, fm radio, live sound, AV install and lasers and lighting equipment. The expo has previously hosted such drummers as Greg Bissonette and John Tempesta.

Source: www.blabbermouth.net

Darkrise from Switzerland were the first ones to step on the stage. Unfortunately, as it happens most of the times (not to say always), the first and opening band has the drawback to play for limited crowd attended to each show. However, their brutal death metal style managed to leave the few metalheads satisfied. They didn’t tire us at all and despite they didn’t have the response they’d like, they were honest in what they did. Their love for bands like Immolation and Spawn Of Possession was found also on the t-shirts the guitar player and the singer were wearing (the drummer was wearing an Anthrax one, respect!) and on the 25 minutes they had, they played six songs. They have three albums called ”Massive Retaliation”, ”Unbeliever” and ”Built” released in 2003, 2006 and 2009. Check them out, they deserve at least one good listening.

Zonaria from Umea, Sweden are the typical band who seemed to form only to get cheeks to get laid. I explain in order not to get misunderstood. If we surpass the fact that they appeared on the stage with a kind of lame Hellraiser-like suits and with guns hanging from their impressively expensive trousers, they sound like a third degree of Dimmu Borgir wannabes. I like their two albums ”Infamy And The Breed” (2007) and ”The Cancer Empire” (2008) and they played well. I can’t accuse them of not giving 100% on the stage. But it seems it’s all about the image so much, that everything goes into a downfall. Even the good voice of the Glen Danzig clone singer and their good drummer. They must do something with their bass player, as he looks as scary as The Predator from the same titled movie. Geeks! With some hard work, they can become better for sure.

Dew-Scented were like redemption for us all. German THRASH metal in the modern way and the veins of (good) old Slayer. Leif Jensen on the vocals friendly as we know him, started spitting venom from the beginning of ”Arise From Decay”, and despite a problem on the drums, the relentless assault continued with ”Turn To Ash” (somebody find my neck please) and ”Cities Of The Dead” (thrash groove holocaust). After these, we had ”Never To Return” and the new ”Critical Mass” from the phenomenal album ”Invocation”. With ”Soul Poison” the last remnants of endurance started to abandon my trempled body and my brain took over to bang my soulless head, before ”Condemnation” and ”Acts Of Rage” leave us unable to breathe properly. If they had played at least one song from ”Inwards”, I know at least 5 people that could tear the place apart. Much better than their first time here, they deserve a full show. SOON!

Melechesh were the pleasant surprise of the night. Not because we don’t know how much good band they are, but mainly because they managed to produce this oriental blackish metal in the best possible way. Starting with songs of their latest brilliant album ”The Epigenesis”, such as ”Illumination:The Face Of Shamash” and ”Sacred Geometry” (my favourite one), they had a great sound as an ally and they continued with great tracks such as ”Deluge Of Delusional Dreams” and ”Ladders To Sumeria” from the also great album ”Emissaries”, with ”Rebirth Of The Nemesis” from that album closing the set. Of course they played two more from the new album, being ”Grand Gathas Of Baal Sin” and ”Ghouls Of Nineveh” and there was also ”Triangular Tattvic Fire” from ”Sphynx”, the album that got me into them. They didn’t play anything from the first two albums but the crowd was more than pleased. Musicians that play with soul. I want to see them as soon as possible again.

Nile need no introductions. Basically they need no criticism but someone must tell what happened there in this devastating hour they fucked the place up. Their newest album ”Those Whom The Gods Detest” was another perfect example how much they have taken the whole genre from the hand and driven it to a whole new level. Logical as it seems, they represented half of the songs of their newest effort, with ”Kafir!” opening the set and Dallas chanting ”THERE IS NO GOD BUT GOD” and Chris Lollis on the main vocals being unleashed at every second. Karl Sanders on the other corner enjoying the role of the chief and smashing the six string into pieces with every riff and the pride of Greece named George Kollias playing with closed eyes and devastating every drum wannabe’s dreams with his playing. And it was only the start.

”Sacrifice Unto Sebek” eases things a bit (!?), before ”Hittite Dung Incantation” unleashed the hundred curses of the pharaohs inside the club. Suddenly there is a threatening feeling we’re surrounded by mummies and ”Serpent Headed Mask” from the monumental debut album ”Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka” brings the eternal sands of time around us, so as ”Ithyphallic” could make us suffocate much easier. The sound is colossal and the riffs are gigantic like the beasts of the ancient Egyptian prophecies. Maybe the best moment of the whole night. Coming three new ones, played as in the album in a row, with the title track being first, ”The 4th Arra Of Dagon” following (with the tremendous ”ARRA, ARRA, ARRA” and ”DAGON, DAGON, DAGON” chant) and ”Permitting The Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld” showing us why George Kollias is the main reason that Nile have evolved SO much since his departure in the band.

The last part of the show included some older ones such as ”Sarcophagus”, which Sanders dedicated to Kollias, and straight after that, ”Lashed To The Slave Stick” prepared the final war, which came with ”Black Seeds Of Vengeance” and all people’s hands up to the air after a triumphant performance, by far the best of Nile in Greece. Sanders couldn’t hide his smile during and after the show, being kind with everyone and taking pictures with everybody approaching him. Dallas has the hand of doom in death metal, relentless riffing, even by a shaved skillet. Lollis is hella gigantic bass player, accompanying Kollias who felt like home after many years, to create an inpenetretable rhythm section. We will remember this show for many reasons in the future. If we manage to come up to the surface. For we are still buried. Beneath Eternal Oceans Of Sand…

Report:Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.
Photos: Louis Konstantinou photography.

NILE will embark on the European leg of the “Those Whom The Gods Detest Tour 2011 – Part II” in January 2011. The trek, which will feature support from MELECHESH, DEW-SCENTED, ZONARIA and DARKRISE, will cover Scandinavia, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, with additional gigs in Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Switzerland.

“Those Whom The Gods Detest”, the latest album from NILE, sold 3,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 160 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Produced and mixed by Neil Kernon (NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE), along with a drum-recording job by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE), “Those Whom the Gods Detest” features the band’s strongest production and perhaps its best material to date. The cover artwork was created by Michal “Xaay” Loranc, whom NILE guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders had previously worked with on his second solo album, “Saurian Exorcisms”.

Source: www.blabbermouth.net

No introductions needed, and just by looking at the title of the album, you can imagine what Nile are giving you again this time. The members put a great performance delivering to us insane drumming, dark and furious riffs, and vocals coming straight from the pits of the underworld, composing this release. This time there’s no big intro and you get hit by the blast from the first seconds with “Kafir!”. What follows up is mostly in the same tempo and will definitely make you headbang and wanna crush something all the way till the end. There aren’t any “bad” songs on this album, although in my opinion “Permitting The Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld” and “Kem Khefa Kheshef” steal the glory.

“Those Whom The Gods Detest” is a very straightforward release. Nile are still delivering their unique brutal metal, with the same, if not better, quality they always do. In case you have any doubts about this, the production was made by Neil Kernon and Erik Rutan, providing an amazing result. This time though, you’ll notice Nile concentrate more on speed, anger and technique, leaving behind the atmosphere they had on previous albums, something that old fans might not like. The album still has the general dark feeling, but in a more brutal way that lacks the “wandering” atmosphere offers.

Summing up, although I think “Those Whom The Gods Detest” doesn’t have anything new to offer, is a very good album that only musicians of this class can make, and every fan of the extreme metal scene should give it a look.