• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The Powers that Be is the fifth album from Pennsylvania's Pharaoh and comes over nine years since their excellent Bury the Light album. That's the album that won me over after not being terribly impressed with previous releases, so I was happy to see this one show up in my review queue.

Fear not, fans, Pharaoh's sound has not changed, and it still features powerful vocals, thick, meaty riffs and thundering rhythms throughout The Powers that Be. It is hard not to be swept up in the metallic power and sing/shout/yell along chorus of songs like "Lost in the Waves" or "Freedom". Pharoah know exactly what they have in the band members' individual skills and they take full advantage. I particularly like the short, simple "Waiting to Drown," with its somber, introspective lyrics and minimal instrumentation. It reminds of how some of the stripped-down songs on the second disc of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti sounded so different from the bludgeoning bluesy hard rock of the first disc. I don't think the songwriting as a whole is on par with Bury the Light and I dislike the disjointed title track that opens the album but, other than that, it is all solid Pharaoh metal.

Despite a nine-year break, Pharaoh prove they've got their sound dialed in on The Powers that Be and even though it isn't at the level of their best work, this is a band at the top of their game.