Pharaoh | Ten Years

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Philadelphia-based traditional metal band Pharaoh’s eagerly anticipated fourth studio album may still be on the horizon, but the band has served up an “odds and ends” EP to keep fans satisfied in the meantime. The new EP, titled Ten Years, contains four studio songs recorded during the sessions for their previous album Be Gone as well as a pair of interesting cover songs.

The new material on Ten Years is very impressive, and while the songs did not make the final Be Gone album, they’re hardly b-side material. The title track in particular is one of Pharaoh’s better songs, and the others are great examples of the kind of thrashing yet melodic traditional heavy metal that this band does so well. The band’s cover choices are somewhat unexpected. The safe choice would have been to go straight to the classics – Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate. Instead Pharaoh took on post-punk band New Model Army’s “White Light” and made a convincing metal anthem out of it, as well as early Slayer thrasher “Tormentor,” which really highlights the vocal talents of former Control Denied front-man Tim Aymar. The only thing missing is the band’s cover of the Coroner song “Tunnel of Pain” from the split 7” they did with Canvas Solaris. Those of us not into vinyl would have appreciated seeing that song on this disc.

It’s not as essential as the average Pharaoh studio album – not that any of Pharaoh’s albums can really be called “average” – but Ten Years is sure to please the band’s existing fan base. If you’re a traditional metal fan but aren’t already familiar with Pharaoh, you should absolutely give one of Pharaoh’s full-length albums a try before grabbing this EP. Chances are it won’t be too long before you loop back around to pick up a copy of Ten Years.

Genre: Heavy Metal

Band:
Chris Kerns (b)
Chris Black (d)
Matt Johnsen (g)
Tim Aymar (v)

Track Listing:
1. Ten Years
2. When We Fly
3. White Light (New Model Army)
4. Reflection and the Inevitable Future
5. Nothing I Can Say
6. Tormentor (Slayer cover)

Label: Cruz Del Sur

Website: www.myspace.com/pharaohmetal

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10

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