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Pharaoh is a new band on the scene even though this album was actually recorded throughout 1999. The recording was sporadic through the year and then when it was finally completed they ended up having problems with their original record label and the album was put on the shelf. In 2002 Cruz Del Sur Music offered them a deal and the album was finally released.

The first thing that really stood out for me on this album was that Tim Aymer was on vocals. Some of you may remember his excellent work with Control Denied and Psycho Scream. At first his involvement was only going to be a temporary thing but it seems he has changed his mind and thrown his hat in the ring full time. Pharaoh's style is American power metal very reminiscent of Iced Earth mixed with Virgin Steele. This style really fits the vocals very well and the more aggressive approach of Aymer’s voice. The songs themselves are all extremely well written with a lot of variety and some riffs that really catch your attention. The songwriting is reminiscent of Iron Maiden and in my opinion is a very good thing. The album does have its drawbacks but it is nothing that can’t be corrected on their next effort. The main problem I had with this album was simply the production work. It sounds as if it was recorded in somebody’s basement. The dynamic range is not there and this leaves the album sounding kind of flat or muted. Maybe this is all due to the problems they had recording the album since it was done whenever somebody in the band had some free time. It does come across as being disjointed at times.

Overall the album is actually very good if you can get past the production of it. I would have actually given it a better rating if the production would have been better since the songs on display here are all quite good. This actually bodes well for the future of this band since this is something that can easily be fixed. I would still say however as far as this album is concerned you may want to listen to it before laying down your money. If the production doesn’t bother you, you will actually be getting a pretty damn good American power metal album.