Ithyphallic (album)

Ithyphallic is the fifth studio album by American technical death metal band Nile. It was released on July 17, 2007 through Nuclear Blast, in both standard and digipak formats. It is the band's first album released on Nuclear Blast, since signing with them in May 2006. It is also the band's only album since Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka not to feature notes explaining the context of the lyrics. 1,000 limited edition copies of the album were released in a pyramid-shaped box containing the disc, several images, a certificate of ownership and a scroll containing the lyrics and liner notes from the album. The cover art of this album depicts a statue of the god of fertility "Min", being erected by Egyptian slaves. The title means "Erected Phallus" in ancient Greek.

Ithyphallic
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 17, 2007
RecordedFebruary – April 2007
StudioSound Lab, Columbia, South Carolina
GenreTechnical death metal
Length49:47
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerNeil Kernon
Nile chronology
Legacy of the Catacombs
(2007)
Ithyphallic
(2007)
Those Whom the Gods Detest
(2009)
Singles from Ithyphallic
  1. "Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who Is in the Water"
    Released: June 22, 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[1]
Blabbermouth.net8.5/10[2]
Chronicles of Chaos8.5/10[3]
Ultimate Guitar[4]
Metal.de8/10[5]

Promotion

Throughout June and July, Nuclear Blast Records held a special contest to allow several fans to be able to listen to Ithyphallic. The rules were that they would have to be able to decipher a secret hieroglyphic message. If they won, they were given an email containing a link to a website where the album was posted for the free listening. On July 7, the contest ended, and the answer was revealed to be "papyrus."

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Karl Sanders

No.TitleMusicLength
1."What Can Be Safely Written"8:15
2."As He Creates So He Destroys"4:36
3."Ithyphallic"
  • Sanders
  • Kollias
4:40
4."Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water"
  • Sanders
  • Kollias
2:56
5."Eat of the Dead"
  • Sanders
  • Kollias
6:29
6."Laying Fire Upon Apep"
  • Sanders
  • Kollias
3:25
7."The Essential Salts"
  • Toler-Wade
  • Kollias
3:51
8."The Infinity of Stone" (Instrumental)Sanders2:04
9."Language of the Shadows"
  • Toler-Wade
  • Kollias
3:30
10."Even the Gods Must Die"
  • Sanders
  • Kollias
  • Toler-Wade
10:01
Total length:49:47
Limited digipak edition bonus tracks
No.TitleMusicLength
1."As He Creates So He Destroys" (Instrumental)
  • Toler-Wade
  • Kollias
4:50
2."Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water" (Instrumental)
  • Sanders
  • Kollias
2:56
Total length:57:33

Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water

"Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water"
Front cover of the music download version
Single by Nile
from the album Ithyphallic
B-side"Laying Fire Upon Apep"
ReleasedJune 22, 2007
GenreTechnical death metal
Length2:56
LabelNuclear Blast
Songwriter(s)Karl Sanders, George Kollias
Producer(s)Neil Kernon

Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water is Nile's second single, originally released only as a music download through Nuclear Blast's website. It contains the title-track, a rehearsal of "Laying Fire Upon Apep", and a video featuring a drum session from Ithyphallic.[6]

In April 2008, Night of the Vinyl Dead Records announced the release of what they call as "the first-ever brutal death metal-shaped picture disc".[7] The 7-inch version of "Papyrus..." features the title-track on the A-side, with "As He Creates So He Destroys" and an instrumental version of "Papyrus.." as B-sides. It was limited to 500 copies hand-numbered on backing card.[7]

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water"2:57
Side B
No.TitleLength
2."Laying Fire upon Apep" (Rehearsal)3:32
3."Drum Session" (Video)16:50
Total length:23:19
2007 7" Vinyl Track Listing

Side A

No.TitleLength
1."Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water"2:57

Side B

No.TitleLength
2."Laying Fire upon Apep" (Rehearsal)3:32
Total length:6:29
2008 7" Vinyl Track Listing

Side A

No.TitleLength
1."Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water"2:57

Side B

No.TitleLength
1."As He Creates So He Destroys" (Instrumental)4:50
2."Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water" (Instrumental)2:56
Total length:10:43

Historical and fictional references

  • "As He Creates So He Destroys", "Eat of the Dead", "The Essential Salts", "The Language of the Shadows" and "What Can Be Safely Written" are taken from Canadian occultist Donald Tyson's Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred,[8] itself a tribute to the fictional mythology of H.P. Lovecraft.
  • "Ithyphallic" means "to have the penis erect."
  • "Laying Fire Upon Apep" is a reference to one of the methods described in the Books of Apophis that Ra would use to overcome the Fiend Apep in their nightly duels.
  • "Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who is in the Water" is a reference to a spell from The Book of the Dead. The spell is intended to protect those in the afterlife from being eaten by crocodiles.
  • "The Essential Salts" is also a reference to the salts used to preserve the corpse of a Pharaoh in mummification, natron, although the term itself is from Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.[9]

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
2007 Finnish Chart #13
2007 German Charts #76
2007 Billboard Top 200 #162
2007 Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart #4

Personnel

Additional musician
  • Chris Lollis – additional vocals
Production
  • Neil Kernon – producer, recording, mixing
  • Bob Moore – engineering, drum tuning
  • Davide Nadalin – artwork, design

References

  1. Bowar, Chad. "Nile - Ithyphallic". About.com. About.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  2. Alisoglu, Scott. "Review of Ithyphallic". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  3. Smit, Jackie (2007-10-06). "Nile - Ithyphallic Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  4. Munro, Tyler (2008-03-29). "Nile - Ithyphallic Review". ultimate guitar. Archived from the original on 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  5. Munro, Tyler (2008-03-29). "Nile - Ithyphallic Review". metal.de. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  6. "Nile: Japanese Version of 'Ithyphallic' to Include Bonus Tracks". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. July 4, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  7. "Nile: 'Papyrus Containing the Spell...' Picture Disc Now Available". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. April 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  8. Archived February 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "There had, it seems, been some truth in chimerical old Borellus when he wrote of preparing from even the most antique remains certain "Essential Saltes" from which the shade of a long-dead living thing might be raised up." The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Chapter V
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