PHARAOH (PA) — Bury the Light (review)

PHARAOH (PA) — Bury the Light album cover

Album · 2012 · US Power Metal

4.5/5 · 2012-01-17
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Bury the Light is the fourth studio album from US power metal act Pharaoh. The 2012 album is the band’s first full-length since 2008’s Be Gone, although there was an EP, Ten Years, released in 2011. While the EP was a solid effort it’s Bury the Light that the fans will really have been waiting for. And the wait, I assure you, is totally worth it.

What I like about Bury the Light the most is that it not only retains the high level of quality song writing and musicianship that I’ve come to expect from a Pharaoh album, but it also sees Pharaoh pushing the boat out a bit more when it comes to what they’re including in their sound, which admittedly is pretty much intact from Be Gone, but with a little more variation. Be Gone, in my opinion, is an essential USPM album, but much of it sticks to the tried and tested formula. Bury the Light on the other hand, while still very much a USPM album in Pharaoh’s distinct style, has more in common with the band’s 2006 masterpiece The Longest Night not so much in overall sound but the fact it’s not as one-dimensional as Be Gone. Here we have plenty of quality USPM on offer that’s sure to please the fans, but the music also strays into other genres as well, resulting in some nice surprises.

A notable example of this would have to be the album’s fourth track, The Year of the Blizzard, which includes influences from retro hard rock, but also of note is The Wolves, which sees Pharaoh playing at their most aggressive, compared to their usually melody driven music. Every now and then throughout the album we also get some parts that stray into progressive territory. For the most part though the album is, if anything, typical Pharaoh, a sound that isn’t really as aggressive as some USPM can be, but doesn’t fit the Euro PM mould either, instead sitting somewhere in between. Melodic USPM would be an appropriate tag for Pharaoh’s music I guess.

As with all Pharaoh releases the four-piece band is a tight unit. The instrumental work from Matt Johnsen (guitars), Chris Kerns (bass), and Chris Black (drums) sounds great behind Tim Aymer’s powerful vocals. The album also features a guest guitar solo from regular Pharaoh collaborator Jim Dofka and also features a guest solo slot from Mike Wead (King Diamond). Album highlights would be Leave Me Here to Dream, Graveyard of Empires, Castles in The Sky and The Wolves. There are no weak tracks though, in fact the only negative thing I have to say about Bury the Light is that for some parts of the album the production work is a bit lacking. It’s certainly not a terrible production job and in itself manages to give Bury the Light a little bit of a different feel to it than Be Gone in particular, but there are definitely some parts to the album that seem to demand the polished and clear production of Be Gone rather than the occasionally rawer production values to be found here. This is fitting enough for an aggressive track like The Wolves, but don’t sit as well with me for the melodic numbers.

The production is a minor issue though, as it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment that I get from the release, and speaking as a fan of the band instead of a reviewer, I’m not disappointed in this release at all, although ultimately, even though it’s another exceptional effort from Pharaoh, I have to say that Bury the Light doesn’t quite manage to stand up to The Longest Night and Be Gone. Although after two masterpieces this is a more than satisfactory release from the band, which I’d rank the third best out of their four albums to date.

9.0/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))