Nile’s “Call To Destruction” Enters the Mind of the Zealot
Something that has always pissed me off about religious and political fanatics is their need to destroy art and culture that existed before their insane ideology. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of years of art and history get wiped out, all because a bunch of dudes don’t like the idea that someone might look back and realize that they didn’t always live under this shitty regime. ISIS’s destruction of museum pieces in Iraq was one example of this behavior (even if it was only symbolic), but it has occurred during revolution throughout the ages all over the world (even the black metal arsons were awful in that respect–a 1,000-year-old church is cooler than any Mayhem record).
And you can bet it pisses Nile off. Given that the South Carolina death metallers are obsessed with ancient cultures, specifically that of Egypt, the idea of destroying relics in the name of one’s specific, narrow understanding of God or law is a blasphemy. Their new track, “Call To Destruction”, speaks from the point of view of the people who would cause such destruction. According to the band:
“The inspiration for the song itself comes from news reports in 2012 — when radical clerics were calling for the destruction of Egypt’s pyramids. Most of the lyrics to “Call To Destruction” are actual direct quotes from the words of Abd al-Latif al-Mahmoud — whose eloquence and quote-ability are clearly second to none.”
The lyric video for the new song can be viewed below. The band also makes it extremely clear via a disclaimer at the opening of the video:
“While this lyric video is filled with many images of violence and destruction of historical artifacts culled from common everyday newsreel imagery, its message is to communicate the insanity and futility of war as a tragic result of the clash of ideologies. This video’s sole purpose is to bring attention to the wanton destruction of artifacts in the Middle East.
“None of the members of Nile in any way endorse any political or religious agenda with this video. Nile, as students of Egyptian history, are concerned about the preservation of the cultures of all peoples of our greater global community.”
Smart move. I doubt, given their subject matter, that anyone would consider Nile anti-Islamic bigots or pro-Islamic fanatics, but hey, better safe than sorry.
Check out the new song below. Nile’s What Should Not Be Unearthed comes out August 28th via Nuclear Blast. I’ve heard it, and let me tell you, it fucking rules.
[via]
