adg211288 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))

optisailor2002 USA's Pharaoh this year releases their fourth full length album, Bury the Light. Having already released 3 overall pretty well-received full length albums and almost 15 years of playing experience, this band is certainly not one that is new to the metal genre, containing members that have been involved in bands like Nachtmysticum and famed Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner's Control Denied, leaving me with high expectations despite this being my first encounter with Pharaoh.

Unlike their 2010 EP Ten Years, Bury the Light opens strongly, with catchy and high-energy riffs on Leave me Here to Dream, and the band also does not hesitate to show off the members' talents on their instruments, with bassist Chris Kerns immediately given a short lead spot. The vocals of Tim Aymar is immediately recognisable, strong and raspy, and it sounds almost as if he hasn't aged and his voice has not deteriorated even by a bit since his works with Control Denied, and this remains as one of the personal highlights of the album as evident on tracks like Castles in the Sky where he pushes his vocal limits, despite its relatively low mix in the album compared to the other instruments. Softer moments on the album such as the acoustic section on The Year of the Blizzard also lets Aymar's vocals shine. The music on the album is mostly a melodic style of heavy/power metal, and suffice to say, Tim Aymar's vocals certainly fits the bill on an album like this, backed by a competent instrumental section.

Unfortunately, despite containing numerous outstanding musicians, the band falters on the songwriting aspect, and while many tracks contain a number of different styles and could have been a good idea if executed nicely enough, they tend to get slightly overused at times and easily bore the listener by introducing too many different elements on a single track, making this album to be slightly difficult to digest on the first few listens despite its melodic qualities. Even softer tracks like The Year of the Blizzard can get pretty hard to listen to. At times, the transition between different styles also end up sounding awkward, such as the transition between heavy and more melodic moments on tracks like Leave me Here to Dream and The Wolves, making it sound as if the band were unsure about which direction they want to take. There are also moments when the different instruments sound slightly incoherent and out of pace with each other, and this definitely affects the flow and enjoyment of the album.

Bury the Light is perhaps one of the more unconventional power metal albums that I have listened to of late, and while the inclusion of numerous styles could border the band on progressive metal territory, this album is certainly not for the casual power metal fan looking for a catchy power metal album, and could instead be more satisfying for someone looking for something slightly more technical and progressive than your everyday power metal.

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