NILE drummer George Kollias took the time out to speak with Pyromusic.net ahead of their second Australian tour. The interview includes plenty on the new album, Ithyphallic, Nile's recent label change, the band's planned appearance at Ozzfest, what Aussie fans can expect from the tour and more. A few excerpts follow:

Pyromusic.net: Fans are eagerly awaiting the new album in July- what exactly can they expect?

George Kollias: "You can expect the most powerful Nile album ever, everything is much stronger this time, we worked harder to be able to deliver a great album and I am pretty sure we did. The new songs are so heavy it's not even funny! (laughs) This album is faster and doomy at the same time, with a variety of tempos which gave a new dimension to our songs, plus the fact that musicianship got out of hand this time. There are many new elements in our music but we definitely have the Nile mark on each song. We are extremely happy with this album, Neil Kernon also did a fantastic job, and the album sounds fantastic! I am pretty sure that our fans will love this one more."

Pyromusic.net: Choosing the right producer was important this time around. You went with Neil Kernon - how was that experience?

George Kollias: "Wait till you hear the new one, it may be hard to believe but Neil did an even better job there! Working with Neil is a trip, the first time I was very nervous but after just a few days during the 'Annihilation' recordings we became good friends and we had great time in the studio. Neil knows the band, he knows what we want and will give it to us better than we want it. It's very important the fact he will suggest things about our music, most of times we'll go with that and that's one more thing that makes him one of the best in the world!"

Pyromusic.net: What do you think this new album will offer Nile fans that they've never heard from the band before?

George Kollias: "Well, somebody has to be into extreme death metal to be able to understand this album. I don't expect somebody who listens to emo bands to be like 'wow!' (laughs) Like all the Nile albums, it's all about heaviness and not only blasts beats, brutal vocals etc., there some huge epic songs in there which you just can't not like them! We write songs, that's what people get from Nile."

Pyromusic.net: You've also been announced to play the second stage at Ozzfest 2007. What are your thoughts on playing such a festival?

George Kollias: "It's gonna be fun, this year is free for the fans as well so I am happier about it. This is also an opportunity for some people to see Nile and get into our music. I know we are the first death metal band to get on Ozzfest and that's an honor for us, we will do our best there and I hope everybody will be there!!! Can't wait!"

To read the entire interview head to this location.

Ithyphallic, due for release via Nuclear Blast in Germany on July 20th, and elsewhere in Europe on July 23rd. The album will feature the following tracklisting: 'What Can Be Safely Written', 'As He Creates So He Destroys', 'Ithyphallic', 'Papyrus Containing The Spell To Preserve Its Possessor…', 'Eat Of The Dead', 'Laying Fire Upon Apep', 'The Essential Salts', 'The Infinity Of Stone', 'The Language Of The Shadows', 'Even The Gods Must Die'.