Year : 2021
Style : Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 184 mb
Bio:
Together we stand on the edge of chaos, as people everywhere wake up to the reality that our leaders have failed. Those entrusted to bring light to the world instead have draped it in horror. Now, they are turning the common man against himself, attacking the defenseless, and declaring it just. It is a dramatic moment in human history and in human lives everywhere. Yet in the shadows of our planet, ordinary men and women are summoning extraordinary courage, bonding together against the sickly glow of false goodness.The new album from American metal group PHARAOH is an affirming cry to those who know that things are not what they seem. Entitled Bury the Light, the album centers musically on the darker undertones of the band's previous output, emphasizing as always the elegant and vigorous guitar work of Matt Johnsen and the unmatched power of vocalist Tim Aymar. These elements combine to invoke compelling, radiant melodies, which in turn lure the listener to experience the album's deeper dynamics and complex corners.Bury the Light may require some patience from a listener more attuned to PHARAOH's tradition of rousing, brilliant heavy metal, as found on its 2003 debut, After the Fire, and on the 2006 follow-up The Longest Night. Nevertheless, the new album's musical and lyrical threads have clear ties to fan favorite Be Gone. Released in 2008, Be Gone found the bandmates experimenting with different song forms, collaborating as different combinations of songwriters, and together with longtime producer/engineer Matt Crooks, adapting recording techniques that would best suit the band's unique geographic circumstances and work style.Knowing that Be Gone was a success, and that the writing and recording phases had both been optimized in the process, the band members were free to concentrate faithfully on the songwriting for Bury the Light. As composers, the members of PHARAOH combined in still more different ways to create several songs, yet they still retained their individual and perhaps now-recognizable authorship in the case of others. The result is an album with a familiar core but with unexpected pathways to new moments in the PHARAOH sound. As always, the album features lyrical contributions from all four band members. Their protagonists confront a host of villains both real and imagined. Some come away victorious, and others must accept defeat.As tensions escalate and infrastructures around the world begin to deteriorate, the impassioned and ingenious among us will rise to rebuild, reinvent, and recast all of our lives in truth. The entire human race will soon discover that the light shining on us has been draining away our goodness, and that we must now rush to protect our sacred spaces, and together create new ones while there is still time. Bury the Light is a call to PHARAOH fans and to heavy metal fans everywhere to accept this challenge, raise your voices, and stride into action. A new light glimmers in the distance, but it will not shine on us before we pass through the salvation of darkness.
Album:
PHARAOH is an American Power Metal band from Pennsylvania. Formed in 1997, their primary influences are 80s and 90s European Power Metal bands. "The Powers That Be" is the bands fifth full-length album and their first in nine years. The record will be available through Cruz Del Sur Music on June 18, 2021.The record starts with a nice galloping riff and an intense rhythm for the title track. The vocals have just enough grit, added to some good range, to make the tone interesting. They aren’t growls, just have a little bit of a rough edge. The guitar solo is slower than I would have thought it would be. The drums were moving faster, which is an interesting contrast. All this shows the band can add some nuance to the songs. It all works well together.“We Will Rise” is more melodic at the onset. When the verse kicks in, the tempo and tone speed up and get right into the power metal realm. The chorus drops back to a more subdued rhythm and using some layered vocals to add a lot of depth. “Waiting To Drown” starts slow and gloomy. It reminds me of LEDFOOT, a dark, bluesy artist who uses nothing but a guitar and a stomp box. The tones are really similar. The music of both is dark and enticing.We get back to more of a power metal sound with “Lost In The Waves”. This song feels pretty epic, seeming to cover the endless battles of humans against the forces of evil or darkness. “Ride Us To Hell” has a really nice, fast-paced riff with some killer hooks. All of the songs are catchy and well-written. The guitar fills are on point and both the bass and drums stand out as being able to not only support the tempos, but to lead the song all the way along.I love the intro to “When The World Was Mine”. That guitar tone and the vocals hanging out, waiting for the kick that you feel coming build the anticipation. When the kick happens, you almost jump for joy. The bass fill adds a nice bit of spice to the song. This is one of my favorites on the record. The whole song just works. It’s well-written and performed even better. This is the song I want to close the show. It highlights all the members of the band and their individual talents.“Freedom” is a fun song with a smooth riff and jaunty rhythm from the onset. The drums make me want to air drum along with him. The pace of the song is awesome. This is the song that leaves me sweating from jumping around. Then “Dying Sun” drops back to a much slower pace, trudging along, placing the emphasis on the melodic elements, not the speed of the song.Wrapping the record up is “I Can Hear Them," another rapid-fire song with a killer riff and a rhythm that races along at a fantastic pace. The guitar work is excellent. The way they payer it in builds the wall of sound really well. The variable tempo for the chorus is a great offset for the rest of the song and the solo fits the song perfectly. I love how there are two themes to the solo, almost like having two different guitarists a la JUDAS PRIEST or IRON MAIDEN.This is a solid album. The musicianship is really good. The writing is also quite nice. There are elements of power, progressive and epic metal all over this record. The lyrics tell tales, not just say stuff. The ability of the band to go slow and be methodical highlight the other side, when they take off at a sprint and leave you in the dust. PHARAOH can do both with equal skill. This is a well-rounded group with talent for days. Definitely worth listening to more than once!
Line Up:
Tim Aymar - Vocals (1998-present) - See also: Angband, Helios, ex-313, ex-Control Denied, ex-Xthirt13n, ex-Psycho Scream, Aymargeddon, ex-Triple X, ex-Vicious Cycle, ex-Act of God, ex-Aladdinsane, ex-Axis, ex-Dr. No, ex-Jet Screamer, ex-Overlord, ex-ReCoiL, ex-Running with Scissors
Chris Kerns - Bass (1997-present) - See also: ex-Dawnbringer
Matt Johnsen - Guitars (1997-present) - See also: Metalusafer, Fool's Game, Aymargeddon, ex-Superchrist, ex-Morbid Fear
Chris Black - Drums (1997-present) - See also: Aktor, Dawnbringer, High Spirits, Metalusafer, Professor Black, Superchrist, ex-Professor Black & Gezol, ex-Sculptured, ex-Spiral Wheel, ex-Final Prayer, ex-Nachtmystium
Tracklist:
01. The Powers That Be
02. Will We Rise
03. Waiting To Drown
04. Lost In The Waves
05. Ride Us To Hell
06. When The World Was Mine
07. Freedom
08. Dying Sun
09. I Can Hear Them
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
