Be Gone

Pharaoh are one hugely under-appreciated American power metal band. No, they might not have quite the same level of musical chops as some bands, as they lack Dragonforce's muscular blast and thrash beats, and also are missing the excellent (and highly contagious) riffs of a group like, say, 3 Inches Of Blood. But dang it, the Pennsylvania-based quartet do have chops aplenty. So while they might not riff as well as some bands and aren't as brutal as various others, they can solo with the best of them. (And that means they solo as well if not better than every power metal bands out there -- and that is not just counting new millennium ones or American ones.) As is found out upon repeat listens to their third full-length album, 2008's "Be Gone," Pharaoh craft songs that are filled with irresistible and outrageously infectious guitar harmonies and air-guitar-worthy solos that are every-bit-as memorable as the songs' choruses. In fact, the listener even finds him or herself looking forward to hearing the guitar interplay (which comes courtesy of six-string ace Matt Johnson) more than anything else. It is always well-on par with the classic power metal records kicked out by, say, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Cacophony. Of course, Pharaoh has worked with Chris Poland (of Megadeth fame), and King Diamond guitarist Mike Wead, and the influence from both of those bands shines through on "Be Gone," too. (And a handful of other, obvious sources of inspiration include Iced Earth, Cynic, Edge Of Sanity, In Flames, and Accept.) All told, the above-named guitarist might have an extremely common name, but his guitar work is anything but average. In fact, to put it simply, it is positively outstanding. But even though the fact remains that this record is home to some of the best guitar pyrotechnics that is available for purchase, it should not take anything away from Pharaoh's vocalist, Tim Aymar, a frontman who is perhaps best known for his work with Control Denied. Splitting the difference between Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, and Ronnie James Dio, Aymar displays an accomplished and confident-sounding performance behind the mic. His vocals are largely of the clean/melodic variety, but they are also gritty and throaty-sounding-enough to be distinguishable from the throngs of other power metal frontmen out there. "Speak To Me" begins the album on an aggressive note, with its chunky, busy guitar licks and energetically thumping drum beat iced with soaring, Rob Halford-worshipping vocals. And top it all off with some lovely melodic soloing and divine harmonies, and the end result is an "Images And Words"-era Dream Theater-esque song, and a strong album opener. It is immediately followed-up by "Dark New Life," a blistering and bruising near speed metal anthem with a swift, stomping rhythm and some nicely jazzy soloing. "No Remains," then, is an even faster and heavier speed metaller backed by furious riffing. The tune does make plenty of room for melody, though, as it incorporates some excellent, and often soulful clean singing into the mix, as well as some more terrific, back-to-back, trade-off solo flights. It is on track four, "Red Honor" that Aymar really comes into the spotlight, as his the warm, upper-register vocals harmonize perfectly well with the melodic guitar leads, and do so to excellent effect. And, of course, there is plenty more deliciously epic, harmonic and twiddly soloing, heard here, as well. Two ballad-esque numbers are also heard during the latter half of "Be Gone," those being "Buried At Sea" and "Cover Your Eyes And Pray." Both of these laid-back and docile tunes begin with a beautiful introductory string arrangement and miles of gorgeous melodic guitar leads. But "Buried" and "Cover" are interspersed around the record's heaviest cut, "Rats And Rope," which storms onto the scene with a blistering and commanding ferocity that recalls Eighties thrash metal. Its non-stop succession of barn-burning buzzsaw guitar picking is also reminiscent of vintage thrash. And following this, the set then concludes with two more traditional power metal cuts in "Telepath," which has an insanely hooky, galloping rhythm, twangy-sounding bass lines, and wailing solos; and the title song which is filled with multi-layered, near siren-esque-sounding guitar harmonies. (And the latter song is also highlighted by a bit of propulsive and grumbling bass soloing.) What else needs to be said? Pharaoh are easily one of the best traditional metal outfits to emerge this side of Iron Maiden. And albums have rarely sounded this shred-happy (but not masturbatory) and air-guitar-able this side of Megadeth's 1990 opus, "Rust In Peace." Then, top it all off with decent, workmanlike drumming, consistently solid bass work, and a crystal-clear-sounding production job, and the end result is easily one of the best and most promising and memorable traditional metal albums not only of the year it was released, but also of the decade.

I bought this CD because I was familiar with Tim Aymar's vocals from Control Denied, and I was curious to hear what he's been up to lately. Be Gone turned out to be a very enjoyable CD, and one of my best "blind buys" ever. I'd classify this as Power Metal, but it doesn't have the high, clear vocals and constant high-tempo common to a lot of European power metal bands. The music on this album remains varied and interesting from beginning to end, featuring tempo changes, powerful rhythms, catchy melodies, and tastefully applied solos. Finally, the vocals, while powerful and understandable, are just raspy enough to meld with the music and complete the package. This is a good metal album, and I'd recommend it to fans of Savatage, Iced Earth, Manowar, and other American-style power metal bands. I'll definitely be buying more Pharaoh in the future.

What drew me in, personally, was the cover art. The lush vegetation growing favorably with the classical stone structures adjoining the sea and sky paints a perfect, peaceful picture. The music itself flows naturally, without a care in the world while still following the same formula as before. The album isn't as epic as the previous album, but it definitely has more substance than the debut. The atmosphere is more refreshing than before, and the production hasn't changed much, but it's still the Pharaoh I love at heart. Aymar for the third time straight wails perfectly with that distinct, grainy voice of his. Most power metal vocalists are high in style, but Aymar truly gets the manly wail down. His dryness keeps the music more on the deep end, provided that the bass is doing its job properly. The Longest Night featured some fantastic grumbling, and here its much of the same, really. It adjusts itself to the atmosphere of the album, so it's more noticeable than the debut, for sure. Bass follows the guitar riff, but that extra sandy layer makes the grumble worth the effort. For the third time in a row, you have to give it up for Black, who still manages to play with smashing briskness while still not being able to complain about having low drum bass mixing. Honestly, how can he just sit back there and go through all the trouble of annihilating on the drum bass when you can just barely hear it? If they don't get this problem fixed by the next album, then I'll complain to Aymar my goddamn self. Guitars are especially cool in lead and rhythm departments - moreso than before, actually. There is a cool factor in effect where the guitars are like waves crashing against the earth ferociously, supreme over nature as it spits out catchy, innocent lead harmonies to hold your head up high. Once more, the general emission is much of the same heard on the previous albums, but there are twists in the atmosphere and tone that set them apart, sometimes reminding me of modern W.A.S.P. more than Maiden (like with "Buried At Sea"). The invigorating feeling is still there, particularly in the solos, but something about the guitars makes them more carefree this time around, which you'll love in a different way than before. So despite being a third outing with changes only on the rim, Pharaoh still manages to rack up something with character of its own. This band can't stay within their comfort zone for too long, even though we know the trend has worked thus far. It's the small subtleties that bring about the natural order of things, and this one's the more organic of the trio. I'm used to these ones now, so let's hope the band strikes home with a different kind of album soon enough!

Respekt, Respekt, da höre ich schon so lange Metal und stosse auf eine Band, die ich bis dato noch nicht kannte und die mir den vollsten Respekt abverlangt. Im alten Maiden-Stil (Kompliment), wird Metal im Stile der NWoBHM geboten. Die Truppe um Wahnsinnssänger Tim Aymar, dem genialen Leadguitaristen Matt Johnsen sowie der nicht minder starken Bass- und Drumarbeit liefert mit 'Be Gone' in diesem GEnre DAS Metal Album des Jahres ab. Alle 9 Songs überzeugen durch abwechslungsreiche Songstrukturen im Stile der frühen Maiden Scheiben (jeder der diese Scheiben liebt kann bedenkenlos zugreifen) sowie der schon von Götz im Rock Hard genannten Musiktruppen (s.o.). Die Produktion ist rauh, manchmal ein klein wenig verwaschen (klar kein riesiges Budget), trotzdem insgesamt reicht es hier für ein 'gut'. Viel muss eigentlich nicht mehr gesagt werden nur Eines,..... diese Truppe wird ganz GROSS werden. Also...holt euch diese Hammerscheibe ihr werdet es definitiv nicht bereuen. ...unterstüzt die Jungs

...und das zugehörige Sprichwort kommen mir in den Sinn, wenn ich die Rezensionen lese, die sich vor Euphorie nahezu überschlagen. Natürlich ist "Be gone" eine wirklich gute "klassische" Metal-Scheibe (irgendwo zwischen Iron Maiden und Iced Earth), die man Genre-Anhängern bedenkenlos empfehlen kann; sehr positiv fallen mir zum Beispiel das druckvolle, abwechslungsreiche Gitarrenspiel und die filigranen musikalischen Details auf; ebenso punkten kann der leidenschaftliche Gesang. Andererseits fehlen mir zum Klassiker-Album aber die ganz großen Hymnen und Spannungsbögen sowie eine unverkennbare eigene Handschrift. Kann aber alles noch kommen; bis dahin verdiente 4 Punkte.

Ich persönlich kann die Euphorie um "Be Gone" von Pharaoh überhaupt nicht verstehen. Auch nach mehrmaligem Hören wollte sich kein Song nachhaltig in meinem Kopf festsetzen - zu hektisch und planlos wirkt das Drumming, zu dünn und ausdruckslos präsentiert sich die Stimme des Sängers. (Diese wurde meiner Meinung nach einfach zu schlecht abgemischt, denn sie wird andauernd von den aggressiven Gitarrentönen überlagert.) in puncto Songwriting fällt vor allem auf, dass ständig nach vorne geprescht wird und sich beinahe keine ruhigen, melodischen Teilpassagen auf dem Album befinden - ein wenig mehr Dynamik hätte dem Werk bestimmt nicht geschadet. Man kann die CD durchaus nebenher laufen lassen und sie sich evtl. während einer Autofahrt anhören, aber beim bewussten Zuhören tritt schnell Langeweile ein. Letzendlich bleibt ein hörbares aber nicht unbedingt überwältigendes True Metal Album übrig. Wer sich ein richtig tolles, modernes Album in dieser Stilrichtung zulegen möchte, sollte meiner Meinung nach eher zu Aufnahmen wie beispielsweise "Hell Destroyer" von Cage greifen.