Death metal was either invented by Possessed in 1985 with their Seven Churches album or by Death in 1987 with their Scream Bloody Gore album. And while that remains up for debate, Nile frontman Karl Sanders is coming at things from a whole different angle.
In an interview with Jorge Fretes of Goetia Media, Sanders puts out his own theory that modern death metal wouldn't be what it is today without Slayer's sophomore 1985 record Hell Awaits or Kreator's sophomore 1986 record Pleasure To Kill.
"I think you have to talk about the pioneers, you know? Chuck Schuldiner and Death wrote the books. Morbid Angel [and their debut] Altars Of Madness wrote the book. As far as pioneers, Possessed [and their debut] Seven Churches wrote a new book. If we think a little back further on pivotal things in the development of death metal, [there are the] first couple of Slayer records. Everything up to Hell Awaits and Reign In Blood became a Bible upon which extreme metal was built.
"Obviously Slayer was kind of thrash metal, but they wrote a Bible with their music. I think no death metal today would be what it is without Hell Awaits or early Kreator [and their second album] Pleasure To Kill. That's a fucking masterpiece."
Sanders also touches on if his solo career will ever eclipse Nile, saying "Nile is a death metal band, so as long as I'm still able to play death metal – I don't know what the age limit is for death metal, we will find out though and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Though we find it much easier if we don't think about a world without Nile in it. Sanders and the gang are way too talented to hang it up.
