1. Though its earliest ech… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists named Pharaoh.
1. Though its earliest echoes ring back to 1997, American heavy metal act PHARAOH released its debut album via the Cruz del Sur Music label in 2003. Paradoxically entitled After the Fire, the album’s robust and resilient songwriting caught the ears of selective metal fans worldwide. Three years later in 2006, The Longest Night fell and was an immediate underground favorite. As modern and hi-resolution as it was pure and orthodox, The Longest Night also boasted a substantive production that allowed all ten songs to resonate in full splendor.
Once again inspired by the fans’ response to their hard work, the songwriters of PHARAOH laid plans to make yet another leap forward, and by the middle of 2007, a third album was ready for production. Returning producer/engineer Matt Crooks and the band set to work without hesitation, starting in July and continuing for the remainder of the year. The band had already agreed on titling the album Be Gone several months before entering the studio, because a singular theme emerged early in the songwriting process. Songs such as the radiant "Speak to Me" and the bottomless epic "Buried at Sea" examine the inherent flaws of mankind, pitted hopelessly against the seemingly omniscient and unwavering power of nature. Similarly, the soaring strains of "Dark New Life" and sinister waves of "Telepath" offer narratives from a world where the human race is blazing paths to literal and emotional extinction. The inevitable disappearance of mankind is the overarching theme embodied in Be Gone’s musical storytelling.
Musically, Be Gone features songwriting that is at once complex and compact. Matt Johnsen’s now-trademark layering of guitars creates a rich and fertile backdrop for master-vocalist Tim Aymar’s powerful and arresting expressions. The rhythm section of bassist Chris Kerns and drummer Chris Black keeps the momentum high, deftly supporting all of the multi-layered melodic invention happening at every turn. Always mindful of not only the genre’s traditions but also its own, the band this time invited Riot guitarists Mark Reale and Mike Flyntz to contribute hard-cutting solos to "Dark New Life", and regular guest guitarist Jim Dofka performs a dazzling spot on "No Remains". Because the four bandmates form various songwriting combinations, PHARAOH’s albums have a characteristic diversity and depth that few other bands achieve.
PHARAOH’s songwriting and studio performances have reached greater heights with each successive album. Grandiose and inviting, Be Gone out-classes its predecessors, and few heavy metal groups have ever sounded as erudite as PHARAOH does, ripened from a decade of intense work together. Like the albums before it, Be Gone is the band’s invitation to all free-thinking heavy metal loyalists to join them at the edges of the genre’s collective imagination. PHARAOH’s steadfast dedication to its album-making craft has delayed its live debut, which will finally come in the form of select shows during 2008. Aiming high as always, PHARAOH will deliver every bit of its majestic energy onstage, performing songs from its entire history. Indeed, 2008 may deliver PHARAOH unto the heavy metal mainstream, thanks to the band’s long-awaited live debut and of course the release of Be Gone, a future classic of American heavy metal.
Mid-2010 PHARAOH released a 7" split single along with Canvas Solaris as a Tribute To Coroner, featuring a melodic rendition of Coroner's "Tunnel Of Pain", a new E.P. being slated for early 2011 celebrates 10 years of Pharaoh with several special renditions of cult favorites and various PHARAOH-esque arrangements fans would normally not expect.
2. A doom/sludge metal band from New Jersey. Since 2009, Pharaoh have been playing and touring throughout the East Coast and Southern United States. The Demonstration was released in 2011 on A389 Recordings. This spring, Pharaoh releases This House is Doomed, our 2012 7". They are for you. They are going to be available for digital download when you purchase a copy as well.
3. A sleaze rock/glam punk band from Washington State released in 1991 EP "On Your Knees".
4. Russian hip-hop artist representing Dead Dynasty coalition. He used to be part of YungRussia, a association created by Boulevard Depo in 2014, which ceased to exist in 2016. In the past, he adopted other pseudonyms, like Leroy Kid and Castro The Silent. He is very influenced by Rammstein, Kid Cudi and Kurt Cobain, and has been described as a mix of "Justin Bieber" and "Kurt Kobain". About this, he said: "if I'm being compared to Kurt Kobain, it means I'm doing everything right."
Fighting
PHARAOH Lyrics
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A generations plow
Will never be missed
They reap their fruits in hell
Or on a slave ship
It would be just as well
Our shaking death grip
As we break and burn, we'll never learn
We've wasted all these years
We fight and die to drown the lies
That echo in our ears
In tears or chains
You never dreamed of this
An insane mind game
Although it must be true
For all that you've done
And all that's done to you
You never did run
And when you do
For a sin, for a shame, we recite the names
Awakened from our trance
For down below, you'll never know
If you had stood a chance
We're fighting by the dawn
We're fighting after sunrise
We fighting for a chance to see our life to be
And you won't take us alive
We're fighting in the dark
We're fighting after midnight
We're fighting for a fantasy reality
In case our dreams are right
On we fight!
Forever fighting by the dawn
We're fighting after sunrise
We fighting for a chance to see our life to be
And you won't take us alive
We're fighting in the dark
We're fighting after midnight
We're fighting for a fantasy reality
In case our dreams are right
Pharaoh's song "Fighting" is a powerful commentary on struggle and resistance. The opening lines "The hollow harvest, A generations plow, Will never be missed, They reap their fruits in hell," suggest that the past has been filled with pain and suffering, a time of laboring without reward, and that the memories of that time persist in the present, a legacy of trauma that has yet to be resolved. The singer goes on to compare this trauma to being on a slave ship, suggesting that there is no escape from the pain and suffering.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the futility of the struggle: "As we break and burn, we'll never learn, We've wasted all these years, We fight and die to drown the lies, That echo in our ears." The repetition of the words "fight" and "die" underscores the sense of hopelessness, as if the singer is struggling against inevitable defeat. Yet the final lines of the chorus suggest a glimmer of hope, that perhaps the struggle has not been in vain: "For down below, you'll never know, If you had stood a chance."
The final verse of the song is a call to arms: "On we fight! Forever fighting by the dawn, We're fighting after sunrise, We're fighting for a chance to see our life to be, And you won't take us alive." The repeated use of the word "fighting" suggests that the struggle is ongoing, a constant battle against oppressive forces. The final lines of the song suggest that the struggle is not just for survival, but for a better future, for the chance to see a life that has not yet been realized.
Overall, Pharaoh's "Fighting" is a powerful meditation on the nature of struggle and resistance, and the complexities of fighting against oppressive forces. The song is a reminder that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, there is always hope, and that the fight for a better future must continue.
Line by Line Meaning
The hollow harvest
The emptiness of what we have sown
A generations plow
The labor of our ancestors
Will never be missed
It will be forgotten quickly
They reap their fruits in hell
The consequence of our actions will lead us to suffer in the end.
Or on a slave ship
Our existence is equivalent to a slave trapped on a ship
It would be just as well
It would not make a difference
Our shaking death grip
We have a tenuous hold on life
It tightens still
Our grip on life continues to weaken
As we break and burn, we'll never learn
Despite the destruction and consequences, we refuse to change our ways
We've wasted all these years
We've squandered our time and resources
We fight and die to drown the lies
We struggle and lose our lives in order to silence falsehoods entrenched in our reality.
That echo in our ears
That linger painfully in our hearts and minds.
In tears or chains
Whether we're crying or in bondage
You never dreamed of this
This isn't what you wished for or envisioned
An insane mind game
A game that tests one's sanity
Although it must be true
It is a realistic portrayal of current situations
For all that you've done
Despite everything you've accomplished
And all that's done to you
And all that's been inflicted upon you
You never did run
You never surrendered or retreated.
And when you do
But if you suddenly change course
For a sin, for a shame, we recite the names
To atone for our wrongdoing or embarrassing behavior, we confess our flaws.
Awakened from our trance
We finally pull out of the stupor that immobilized us.
For down below, you'll never know
You will never understand what's going on below the surface.
If you had stood a chance
If only you had a fighting chance
We're fighting by the dawn
We are constantly battling against impossible odds
We're fighting after sunrise
We persevere and never give up
We fighting for a chance to see our life to be
We're struggling for a glimmer of hope in the future.
And you won't take us alive
Our spirit will never be broken.
We're fighting in the dark
We are tackling hidden challenges and overcoming obstacles.
We're fighting after midnight
We don't stop, even in the dead of night
We're fighting for a fantasy reality
We're striving towards an imagined, perfect world.
In case our dreams are right
In case our ideal reality turns out to be true.
Contributed by Tristan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.