Review of Pharaoh - After the Fire

Featuring Tim Aymar previously of Control Denied, Pharaoh is a somewhat generic power metal band. They take the classic power metal approach, no ultra symphonic elements here. Just pure Maiden/Priest riffage and soloing. You've got to love the vocals, anyone who was a fan of Control Denied will enjoy the acid-like flashbacks. They are, however, musically inferior to Control, but After the Fire is without its moments. The production seems a little grainy here and there. I like the bass, it reminds me of good old Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, but the guitars seem a little under-produced. The harmonies sound a little tinny. The bass drums sound muddy as hell, too. This is a shame, because there is some nice guitar work and double-bass drumming going on. The guitars sound so very Maiden-esque, they have that indescribable harmony that just cries out Maiden. I like the straight-forward, stripped-down approach Pharaoh has taken here, now and then it's nice to not be bogged down by too much noise. The focus here is on musicianship and harmony rather than distracting you with too many keyboards or other lavish ornamentations. Pharaoh will probably ride the "star power" of Tim Aymar, which is both good and bad seeing as he's not all that well known, but he's a damn good vocalist. I rather enjoyed After the Fire, 'twas enjoyable. Don't expect Control Denied though, you will be disappointed. Take the Pharaoh for what it's worth and you won't be regretting it. It reminds me a lot of X-Factor-era Iron Maiden. The X-Factor was a great album, but many thought it wasn't true "Maiden". Conversely, the sound is very "Pharaoh". For those looking for an old-skool power metal album, After the Fire is an above average choice. Wrathchild's Choice Cuts: After the Fire - The title track is nice, the riff reminds me of Virus, the final Iron Maiden song released with Blaze Bayley as frontman. Solar Flight - Insert your own generic Iron Maiden comparison here. Good song though.

Release Details

Pharaoh

After the Fire

Comments

Related