PHARAOH (PA) — Ten Years (review)

PHARAOH (PA) — Ten Years album cover EP · 2011 · US Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
adg211288
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)
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed