Pharaoh – After the Fire
Cruz del Sur
2003
1. Unum
2. After The Fire
3. Flash Of The Dark
4. Forever Free
5. Heart Of The Enemy
6. Solar Flight
7. Now Is The Time
8. Never, Not Again
9. Slaves
If WOLF have taken ownership of cloning the NWOBHM-era MAIDEN outputs, PHAROAH have moved into the mid-80’s period. Think Powerslave-thru-Seventh Son worship and you get the general idea of what PHAROAH are all about. Of course, with them being from the US, they have that distinct darkened flavor to them that prevents from the obligatory Euro-catchy pop choruses and instead focus more on razor edged riffs. Certainly not apparent on the first few listens, but after having this spinning in my CD deck for the last couple of months, I now recognize better the intensity of their playing and often wish that MAIDEN could sometimes fall back into that same ‘balls to the wall’ songwriting.
Going into this listening experience with a certain expectation – that is, following a ‘nobody can surpass MAIDEN so let’s look at the next best thing’ type approach – I get the feeling that PHAROAH are going to be a band to watch out for. Most of this material was written back in 1998, and not released until last year by Cruz del Sur (a label that seems to have a knack of finding demos that are criminally overlooked by bigger labels wanting to play it safe), and I get the sense that a follow up could be quite outstanding.
Musically, there are two things to look out for: (a) the dual guitar track wizardry, and (b) the lead vocalist - some of you may recognize the name Tim Aymar - previously having sung for CONTROL DENIED. What an excellent vocalist, and certainly a highlight of the album. This is a solid heavy metal album, and reminds of a time when innovation was still at large. Here’s hoping to a follow up.
8/10
Cruz del Sur
2003
1. Unum
2. After The Fire
3. Flash Of The Dark
4. Forever Free
5. Heart Of The Enemy
6. Solar Flight
7. Now Is The Time
8. Never, Not Again
9. Slaves
If WOLF have taken ownership of cloning the NWOBHM-era MAIDEN outputs, PHAROAH have moved into the mid-80’s period. Think Powerslave-thru-Seventh Son worship and you get the general idea of what PHAROAH are all about. Of course, with them being from the US, they have that distinct darkened flavor to them that prevents from the obligatory Euro-catchy pop choruses and instead focus more on razor edged riffs. Certainly not apparent on the first few listens, but after having this spinning in my CD deck for the last couple of months, I now recognize better the intensity of their playing and often wish that MAIDEN could sometimes fall back into that same ‘balls to the wall’ songwriting.
Going into this listening experience with a certain expectation – that is, following a ‘nobody can surpass MAIDEN so let’s look at the next best thing’ type approach – I get the feeling that PHAROAH are going to be a band to watch out for. Most of this material was written back in 1998, and not released until last year by Cruz del Sur (a label that seems to have a knack of finding demos that are criminally overlooked by bigger labels wanting to play it safe), and I get the sense that a follow up could be quite outstanding.
Musically, there are two things to look out for: (a) the dual guitar track wizardry, and (b) the lead vocalist - some of you may recognize the name Tim Aymar - previously having sung for CONTROL DENIED. What an excellent vocalist, and certainly a highlight of the album. This is a solid heavy metal album, and reminds of a time when innovation was still at large. Here’s hoping to a follow up.
8/10
