Karl Sanders

Karl Sanders
Karl Sanders performing live
Background information
Born	June 5, 1964 (1964-06-05) Greenville, South Carolina
Genres	Technical death metal, death metal, southern rock, ambient, thrash metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitars, bass, bağlama, saz, bouzouki, keyboards, guitar synthesizer, percussion, drums, ebow
Years active	Since late 1980s
Labels	Anubis Relapse Nuclear Blast
Associated acts	Nile Morriah

Karl Sanders (born June 5, 1964) is an American musician, most widely known as the founding member of the American Egyptian-themed death metal band Nile. He was born in California, and lives in Greenville, South Carolina. Sanders is endorsed by Dean Guitars, and has two signature models by KxK Guitars. He is ranked 4 in the Decibel Magazine ranking of the 20 best death metal guitar players of all time.^{[citation needed]} He has a vast knowledge of Egyptian mythology, which heavily influences his work.

Early life

Before creating Nile, Sanders was in a thrash metal band during the late 1980s called Morriah and played local shows with the young Morbid Angel and other US death metal bands.^{[citation needed]}

Other projects

Sanders began his own solo side project in 2004. Much of the music that he plays includes similar elements of his band Nile, however presented in an ambient/Egyptian folk format, rather than death metal.

His first solo full-length album, Saurian Meditation, was released on October 26, 2004 under the Relapse record label. A second solo album, Saurian Exorcisms, was released on April 14, 2009.

Equipment

According to Karl Sanders himself in the official Nile forum, the following is the equipment Sanders uses to perform.

Guitars

• Dean V Nile Custom
• Dean 79 V
• Dean ML
• KxK Spear V
• KxK Double-Neck V
• Godin Glissentar
• Godin ACS Slim Solidbody Classical
• Handmade Turkish bağlama saz

Pickups

• Seymour Duncan Invader

Strings

• SIT .070 .050 .038 .017 .012 .010

Picks

• Dunlop Tortex Sharp 1.35 mm

Amps

• Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 heads
• Marshall 1960 a/b cabs with Celestion G12K-100 speakers

Other Equipment

• Roland GP-8
• Lexicon Digital Reverb
• Roland GR-1 Guitar synth
• Roland PK-5 Midi Pedals
• Customized Dell Vostro *Sonar and Kontact software
• M-audio Interface
• Glyph Porta Drive
• Motu interface
• Radial Tonebone Plexi Pedal
• Radial Direct Boxes
• Radial JD-7
• Monster cable

Personal

He has a son named Zachary Kael Sanders.^{[citation needed]}

Guest appearances

Sanders guested on Behemoth's 2004 CD release, Demigod, playing a guitar solo on the track "XUL". He also performed a guitar solo at the end of the track "God of Our Own Divinity" by Morbid Angel, on their 2003 album Heretic, as well as a solo on the song "The Final War (Battle of Actium)" on Ex Deo's 2009 album Romulus. Karl also played on Grave's 2010 album Burial Ground on the track "Bloodtrail", and provided guest vocals for Nervecell's song "Shunq (To the Despaired... King of Darkness)" on their 2011 album Psychogenocide.

Discography

Release date	Album details	Label	Format
October 26, 2004	Saurian Meditation	Relapse Records	CD
April 14, 2009	Saurian Exorcisms	The End Records	CD

With Nile

Main article: Nile discography