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Ten Years is an EP release from US Power Metal act Pharaoh, a band that features the vocal talents of Control Denied’s Tim Aymar. The EP is released to cerebrate the first ten years of the band and contains six tracks; two from the recording sessions of their prior full-length, Be Gone from 2008, two that were previously released only on the bonus 7” that came with the vinyl of Be Gone, and two cover songs, those being New Model Army’s White Light and Slayer’s Tormentor.
First up and the two songs from Be Gone’s recording sessions, Ten Years, and When We Fly. The fact that these songs never actually made it to the Be Gone album raises some warning bells with me, but they’re generally solid Pharaoh material that naturally have the same sort of vibe as that album and wouldn’t have sounded out of place on it.
The first of the covers is up next, but I’ll discuss those last and move onto the tracks from the bonus 7”, Reflection and the Inevitable Future and Nothing I Can Say. Like the first two tracks these songs would have not sounded out of place as a part of the Be Gone album. They make for a nice inclusion on the EP for those fans who bought the Be Gone CD rather than the vinyl. Out of all the original Pharaoh songs on the EP the title track stands firm as the strongest offering with it’s addictive chorus, heavy riffing and melodic leads.
Finally there are the cover songs. White Light, originally by New Model Army is up first. New Model Army is an alternative/post-punk band, so the song choice may seem odd on paper, but it proves a nice addition to the EP, with Aymar shining vocally. The second cover is the sixth and final track. Originally by thrash metal band Slayer there’s a noticeable difference in the riffing style used by the two bands making it the most intense track on the EP but Pharaoh really makes it their own and both covers fit in well with the band’s original material.
Overall Ten Years is a great addition to any prior Pharaoh fan’s collection. If you liked what came before there’s no reason not to like this. Due to the nature of this EP it’s pretty much a fan’s only release, but a very nice one at that and it comes at just the right time to tide people over while they wait for the band to deliver their fourth full-length album. Newcomers are advised to seek out prior full-lengths as an introduction however, especially the 2006 album, The Longest Night.
(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scoring 8.3/10)