German Death Metal meets Ancient Egyptian religion...
The Ancient Egyptian Religion was much concerned with death, so it should come as no surprise to find modern Egyptomania in the musical expression of death metal.
Now, one can easily point to several reasons for this. First and perhaps foremost, heavy metal music itself has long risen out of the burnt offerings of horror movies and weird fiction. The mummy is of course a staple of the horror genre, and Egyptomania certainly informed various horror writers whose work influenced darker threads of modern musical culture. One also certainly sees a genuine interest in Ancient Egypt -- perhaps arising from these influences -- in certain artists. But then there is a lot to say for tradition -- and, form the first time I perused the metal section in a Camelot Music store back in the 90s, the Ancient Egyptian touch was there.
The main example that comes to mind is Iron Maiden's 1984 album Powerslave, which featured the band's skeletal mascot Eddie as an a statuary pharaoh enthroned at the base of a golden pyramid. The cover stems from the title track Powerslave, which invokes the god Horus in its lyrics.
Now, I could be mistaken, but I wonder if Powerslave is patient zero for the injection of Ancient Egyptian elements into heavy metal? Already a hot bed for interest in the occult and esoteric, the genre was a perfect fit. Numerous other metal bands would go on to produce Egyptomaniacal tracks, including Dio's Egypt and Metallica's Creeping Death -- both released in 1984 as well!
Over the years to follow, numerous other bands would invoke Ancient Egypt in their tracks and album covers -- but then some musicians would take things even further by taking on band names and concepts entirely rooted in Ancient Egyptian themes. In the same way that Egyptian Lover took on guise of an 80s hip-hop pharaoh, so too did numerous metal bands entomb themselves in a Kemetic likeness. For instance, there's the American death metal band Nile, founded in 1993, which has consistently invoked Ancient Egyptian motifs in its album art and lyrics. More recently, there's even an actual Egyptian death metal band in Scarab, founded in 2006 and based out of Cairo.
I'm currently enjoying the music of the German band Maat, which is also heavily steeped in Ancient Egyptian religious themes -- including band member monikers like Horus and Thot. Formed in 2009, the band has released two albums: 2014's As We Create the Hope from Above and 2017's Monuments Will Enslave. The 2014 album has especially wonderful album art, which reminds me of H.R. Giger's use of Egyptian motifs. The music itself is fittingly brutal and guttural, with just the right level of Middle Eastern and South Asian musical vibes to give things a vaguely Ancient Egyptian musical vibe. Have a listen:
You can follow Maat on Bandcamp, their website or wherever you get your music.