The wait is over! PHARAOH returns with their first album in nine years, The Powers That Be!

Long-running American metallers PHARAOH emerge with The Powers That Be, a nine-song offering of challenging melodic metal featuring a guest solo from Voivod’s Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain!

Nearly 25 years ago, drummer Chris Black (High Spirits) conceived PHARAOH at a party while listening to Saxon. Shortly thereafter, he emailed one his fellow metal ‘zine writers, Matt Johnsen, selling him on the idea. At the time, Black was focused on Dawnbringer; Johnsen was simply excited to be part of an exciting new project. The object was to create a melodic metal band — a certifiably “un-hip” thing circa the late 1990s — that tapped into their deep well of influences. Once Black and Johnsen landed the services of up-and-coming singer Tim Aymar (Control Denied, Psycho Scream) and bassist Chris Kerns, PHARAOH’s permanent lineup was born, embarking on a journey that has produced now five studio albums of unmistakable class and quality, the latest being The Powers That Be.

The follow-up to 2012’s Bury the Light was recorded exclusively by the members of PHARAOH — Black tracked his drums in Chicago, while Johnsen decided to cut his guitars, Aymar’s vocals and Kerns’ bass at his home studio in Eastern Pennsylvania. However, like most bands, PHARAOH’s scheduling fell victim to the global pandemic. Aymar was able to complete his first vocal session right before the lockdown occurred, but the band had to wait several months to resume recording.

The extra time was worth it, though. The Powers That Be is PHARAOH’s most diverse and adventurous effort to date, charting a new, progressive path while maintaining the band’s stylistic traits. Those traits, like they always have, rest heavily upon the spider-web riffing of Johnsen, the air-tight rhythm section of Black and Kerns, and Aymar, whose range and growling rasp continue to make him one of metal’s most identifiable singers. Case in point, “Waiting to Drown,” a song Johnsen calls a “murder ballad” that highlights Aymar’s haunting baritone, as well as “Dying Sun,” where his desperation and fierce resolve emerge as an album highlight.