by Mike DaRonco 　　Combining the extreme speed and nihilism of modern death metal with the ancient styling of Middle Eastern music, Nile formed in their hometown of Greensberg, SC, in 1993. With their self-proclaimed trademark of "Ithyphallic Metal," Karl Sanders (guitar/vocals), Chief Spires (bass/vocals), and Pete Hammoura (drums) debuted with their Festivals of Atonement album in 1995, leading Nile to a southwestern tour in support of other big metal acts such as Obituary, Deicide and Broken Hope. Viscera Productions was responsible for Nile's follow-up EP Ramses Bringer of War in 1997 and was going to release their second album Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka -- that is, if they hadn't gone out of business later that year. However, Relapse Records was more than happy to put it out in early 1998, giving Nile a wider distribution and a chance to hit the road with Incantation and Morbid Angel. The follow-up, Black Seeds of Vengeance, was released in late 2000. A collection of remastered, hard to find recordings, In the Beginning was released later the same year. By 2002, the highly anticipated In Their Darkened Shrines was dropped and the buzz around it led to mainstream coverage the band had never experienced before.