MP3.com is streaming NILE’s fifth studio album, Ithyphallic, in its entirety for seven days prior to the album’s North American street date of July 17th at the following link: http://www.mp3.com/artist/nile1/summary/

Engineered by Bob Moore and produced by Neil Kernon (CANNIBAL CORPSE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE), Decibel Magazine recently praised Ithyphallic in their August 2007 issue: “The trio’s attack is more brutal than ever, their sound richer and more redolent with Middle Eastern flourishes. The opener, ‘What May Safely Be Written’ is the band’s grandest to date - a manicured orgy of horns and gongs that gives way slowly to an opening dirge dominated by blast beats.”

In the same article penned by journalist Rod Smith, guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders (who was also voted #4 Top Death Metal Guitarist of All Time) provided the background story for the song “Papyrus Containing The Spell To Protect The Possessor From Attacks From He Who Is In The Water,” which debuted on the official Ozzfest website on June 6th:

“It’s from The Book Of Overthrowing Apep. There’s a spell in there, a chant that’s supposed to stop crocodiles from attacking your boat. I tried to picture it and thought, ‘Your boat’s being attacked by crocodiles. Are you really supposed to dig out your scroll, fumble through it, find the right chapter, repeat the words, and the crocodiles are gonna leave you alone? When the croc is about to bite you in half, are you gonna be able to find that chapter fast enough?’ It’s a ridiculous concept. I found myself thinking, ‘This song needs to have the words said as fast as possible.’ We decided this song would be frantic, fast as anything we’d ever done, with the words super-frantic fast, for that ’trying to escape from the jaws of the crocodile’ feeling.”

NILE are confirmed artists for Ozzfest 2007’s second stage and will be headlining off-date shows with CHTHONIC and DAATH. To view complete summer tour dates, visit www.nile-catacombs.net and www.myspace.com/nilecatacombs.