Saurian Meditation is the first solo album by Karl Sanders

Karl Sanders

Karl Sanders 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. Karl is endorsed by Dean Guitars, and has two signature models by KxK Guitars...

, the vocalist/guitarist of the death metal

Death metal

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

 band Nile

Nile (band)

Nile is an American death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and art, as well as stories by H. P. Lovecraft.- History :...

. It was released on 26 October 2004 through Relapse Records

Relapse Records

Relapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...

. The music is a full length exploration of the atmospheric interludes heard on Nile's previous albums, and still draws on ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...

ian and Lovecraftian themes for inspiration. The album was well received by metal and non-metal listeners alike.

Track listing

1. "Awaiting the Vultures" – 3:52
2. "Of the Sleep of Ishtar" – 9:35
3. "Luring the Doom Serpent" – 4:00
4. "Contemplations of the Endless Abyss" – 3:43
5. "The Elder God Shrine" – 7:33
6. "Temple of Lunar Ascension" – 3:51
7. "Dreaming Through the Eyes of Serpents" – 6:16
8. "Whence No Traveler Returns" – 5:36
9. "The Forbidden Path Across the Chasm of Self-Realization" – 5:53
10. "Beckon the Sick Winds of Pestilence" – 6:04

Credits

• Karl Sanders
  Karl Sanders
  Karl Sanders 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. Karl is endorsed by Dean Guitars, and has two signature models by KxK Guitars...
  
   -- baglama saz
  Baglama
  thumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
  
  , acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  Electric guitar
  An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
  
  , ebow, guitar synthesizer, keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  , bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Mike Brezeale -- vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  
• Pete Hammoura -- drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
  
  

Special guests

• Shawn Allen -- acoustic guitar on "Whence No Traveler Returns"
• Dallas Toler-Wade -- harmony vocals on "The Elder God Shrine"
• David Vincent
  David Vincent
  David Alexander Vincent , also known as Evil D, is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Morbid Angel as well as the bassist for Genitorturers...
  
  -- narration on "The Forbidden Path Across the Chasm of Self Realization"
• Juan Gonzalez: drums on "Beckon the Sick Winds of Pestilence", lead gong on "Whence No Traveler Returns", harmony vocals on "The Elder God Shrine"