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The band Pharaoh seems to enjoy a lot of critical acclaim yet they are somewhat ignored by the general metal community, never seeming to get much press. Their new EP, Ten Years, might not do much to change the status quo consisting, as it does, of two previously unreleased songs from the Be Gone sessions, two from a limited 7" single and two covers, but it is another shining example of what everyone not into this band is missing.

Even though the material on Ten Years was presumably not considered good enough for a past or future album, the quality of the musicians is undeniable. Tim Aymar's vocals are huge and commanding, Matt Johnson's riffs fill all available airspace with furious energy and the rhythm section of Chris Kerns and Chris Black seeks to crush everything in its path. Songs like the title track and the Slayer cover, "Tormentor," explode from the speakers. The band flexes their melodic muscles on the choruses in "Nothing I Can Say" and "White Light," a New Model Army cover. There are no killer tracks yet neither are there any fillers, so the EP, as a whole, falls just short of fantastic, landing firmly in the solid category. To pinch a phrase from Manowar; Heavy Metal, loud as it can be.

Longtime fans would probably tell the uninitiated to start with Be Gone or The Longest Night and who am I to disagree? There are, however, a lot of worse things you could drop some dough on besides Ten Years. If you do, be warned: you'll most likely find yourself shelling out more for the rest of the band's discography, as Ten Years is only a taste of what Pharaoh can do.