• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
• Illusion Force: Halfana
• Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

• Sunstorm: Restless Fight
• Storace: Crossfire
• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

• Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
• DGM: Endless
• Daytona: Garder la Flamme
• Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
• Frost*: Life In The Wires
• Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
• Fans Of The Dark: Video
• Radioactive: Reset
• House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
• Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

• Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
• Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
• Eclipse: Megalomanium II
• SteelCity: Reverence
• Hydra: ReHydrated
• Heartwind: III
• Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
• Find Me: Nightbound
• The Nail: The Nail
• Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
• Stryper: When We Were Kings
• Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
• Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
• Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

• Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
• Paralydium: Universe Calls
• Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
• Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
• All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
• Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

[ More Music Reviews ]

Pharaoh: Bury the Light

Heavy/Power Metal

4.0/5.0

Website Facebook
Cruz del Sur Music
by Craig Hartranft,  02.20.2012

American traditional metal band Pharaoh returns after a four year drought with their fourth album, Bury the Light. This album follows on the strength of the previous Be Gone: solid classic melodic metal with tight arrangements featuring strong vocals and brisk guitar solos. Fans, myself included, who liked the former disc may be hard pressed to pick between the two.

Above, Pharaoh: promo shot done on the cheap ...

Yet, Bury the Light seems a bit more lush, more dense, in character, while being equally streamlined. Pharaoh wastes no notes once more as everything is abundantly well-composed. You hear both the depth and clarity on Graveyard of Empires and The Year of the Blizzard. One might also conclude the some songs offer a little more haste, notably on The Wolves, In Your Hands, and Graveyard of Empires. But, while technical maturity avails itself here, Pharaoh never forgets the power melody and metal accessibility. Burn With Me, to some extent Cry, but certainly Castles in the Sky display Pharaoh skill.

I've listened to Bury the Light several times now, and considering the aforementioned conundrum above, can say that this album is as engaging and powerful as Be Gone. Don't miss it. Recommended.

More Ways to Share This Review

On Bury the Light, Philadelphia metallers Pharaoh deliver another solid and engaging album of well-crafted traditional melodic heavy metal.

Alphabetical Index

The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]