New power metal scarcely interests me, and thus I approached Pharaoh's ''Bury The Light'' with a slight bit of trepidation. Now, these guys have been around for more than ten years now, and since I had never encountered them before, I must admit that the only reason I got this album in the start because it was highly praised for everything it contained and I thought that some variation would never kill. And right now, I completely content with decision because Pharaoh's fourth album kicks heaps of asses while it swaggers elegantly with its raging, dizzying brand of power metal that can even have a tough fight with the originators. This not exactly the old school sound that purists may be looking for, but once all the aspects are put into consideration, none of that really matters. This is just a damn solid piece of power metal.
The riffs are obviously the main highlights of the album, they're very sharp and decisive and their delivery is very technical yet deadly. The greatest thing about ''Bury The Light'' is that Pharaoh can incorprate thrash influences into the stroming power metal riffs, and thus garnish them with passionate solos. The music can be frenzied and flurry and the energy prevails no matter what, because with so many spikes striking the listener, it's impossible not to deliberately focus on the mere strenght of the music. The technical prowess and musicianship here is amazing, the guitarists can display confusing and volatile guitar tricks with either the frenzied solos or proggressive riffage and colliding melodies manipulate the sound. The melody section on the album is also stellar and the melodies I'm talking about are real tunes, written and played perfectly, not any artificial sound created by the computer or any distruptive guitar pedal tone. Riffs on this album are surprisingly thrashy, which renders the album fresher than it is sufficient, and the compelling force of the thrashy rythms and hefty melodies hits hard every single time. So sharp that the force spawning from the riffs are enough to clean all your ear wax within just one decisive blow of the acuminated blade that they create.
Admittedly, I didn't enjoy the vocals at first. They put me off because of their style and because of muffled tone that enshrouds them, though soon enough, I got used to them and as the album proggressed, the vocals became an absolute imperative for me. Even now, as I listen to the frantic melodies of ''Cry'' the vocals sound distinguished in their own way, but they only some up as a positive factor. It's true that the vocals are strong yet the vocalist doesen't tend to scream his lungs out very often and on verse and bridges he tends to sing quite normally, with a perticularly erosed voice, that is until the album reached one its many climaxes with energetic melodies bursting from every side and the vocals soaring with and over-the-top tone, capable of even shattering windows. I love how acoustic medleys dive in randomly into the album and alternate the atmopshere in almost an instant. Acoustic guitar medleys show prominence especially on ''The Year Of The Blizzard'', sice half of the song is altered by these acoustic guitar arpeggios and the soft, mellow tone of the vocalist, telling stories.
On ''Bury The Light'' moods and feelings vary as much as riffs and melodies. Epic and heroic moments boil the listeners blood while soft, even miserable moments dominated by acoustic guitar passages chill the listener. With an album drawing influences, or atleast being a remiscent of melodic thrash legends such as Paradox or Artillery, I found absoluetely no reason not to love this album. The land on ''Bury The Light'' is extremely fertile in terms of riffs, the music is like a turbulent yet harmonious tempest, constatly assaulting the listener with intense melodies. If you're a resident power metal nerd, or if you are into the more technical/proggressive side of frantic thrash metal then get this, because its likely to be the best power metal abum of the year--little doubt about that.
Highlights:
Castles In The Sky
Cry
Graveyard Of Empires
Rating: 89%
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