#pharaoh of gods

i’ve been spending all this time trying to keep up with the new shit that i ain’t uncovered too many overlooked gems. overlooked by me, i mean. i don’t know what the fuck you’ve heard.

anyway, i came across this recently. i was immediately drawn in the by the album cover design, which is even worse that what The Chasm has been bringing to the table the last 20 years or so. i’m not sure where to start with this as it is all so very very good. first, the font choice just hits you right in the cornea. before you can fully digest their green logo, you’re drawn to the Papyrus 2 (the sequel to Papyrus) font at the bottom. good lord. then, of course, the 1999 photoshop work that brings our cosmic pharaoh blowing a kiss to the top of a pyramid. man, this is something i absolutely had to hear.

this album has no business being as good as it is. for a seemingly out-of-nowhere album, it sounds spectacular. the sounds are layered beautifully, and the goofy additions to the regular drum/bass/guitar dynamic actually blend really nicely. it may seem striking at first, but you’ll find that the choices these guys make work perfectly.

these boys are awesome songwriters. the songs are flat-out good, and were well balanced and interesting throughout it’s probably too-long runtime of 54 minutes. the ancient egyptian influence in the music never came off as gimmicky, despite these dudes being from canada. they time nigh-operatic female singing and other unconventional for the genre instruments in a way that they don’t become anachronistic or awkward. i don’t know, but they’ve totally sold me on this approach.

as mentioned, there is a distinct ancient egypt preoccupation, but don’t get them confused with Nile. it’s not the brutal death metal that Nile adds into their sound - this is a different animal altogether. i see this album as having the “technical death metal” label here and there, but don’t let that lead you to believe it’s all wank and pinch harmonics. it’s just complex, well-written, and perfectly executed death metal with a lot of ideas.

i love this fuckin album. check it out.