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."
The Spider's Thread
PHARAOH Lyrics
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The stifled choking of sinners is all that I hear
Forever drowning, clawing for life in a bloody sea
But after ages, I feel something new to be near
A thread in the blackness above!
I start the climbing, pulling myself up the thread
Up many miles, the Mountain of Needles is small down below
My arms grow tired, ascending the silk to escape damnation
Looking down, I see a line
A thousand sinners close behind
Return to hell
This thread is mine!
(snap)
Oh! Can I ever hope to recover?
Back into the sea
The heaving depths of my misery
No! Can I hope again to discover
A thread to set me free
To end the torture of history?
The lyrics of Pharaoh's song, The Spider's Thread seems to describe the struggle and desire for redemption of a sinner who finds himself in the depths of hell. The first few lines of the song set the mood for the grim imagery where the singer finds himself in a state of total darkness, breathing in slime, and hearing the stifled choking of other sinners. However, despite being in this hopeless state for ages, the singer senses something new - a thread in the blackness above. This thread represents a ray of hope, a way to escape the eternal damnation of hell.
The singer then starts climbing up the thread, pulling himself hand over hand towards salvation. However, the climb is not easy, and the journey is perilous as the sinners down below try to pursue him. As he ascends, he realizes that the mountain of needles that was once huge now seems small, which shows how much distance he has covered. Despite his arms growing tired, he continues climbing, driven by the promise of escaping damnation. The snap at the end of the song represents the breaking of the thread, and the singer's fall back into the sea of misery.
Overall, the song seems to be a metaphor for the human struggle to redemption. The singer is representative of humans who find themselves in deep suffering but still strive for salvation, while the thread symbolizes the hope for a way out from the misery that life can often bring.
Line by Line Meaning
In total darkness, slime is the air that I breathe
I am stuck in complete darkness and all I can feel around me is a terrible disgusting substance.
The stifled choking of sinners is all that I hear
The only sound I hear is the desperate gasping for air from all the other damned souls around me.
Forever drowning, clawing for life in a bloody sea
I am constantly struggling to stay afloat, surrounded by a crimson sea of the suffering and lost souls.
But after ages, I feel something new to be near
Finally, after an eternity in this horrific place, I sense a glimmer of hope approaching.
A thread in the blackness above!
A line made of spider silk appears in the darkness above me!
I start the climbing, pulling myself up the thread
I begin to ascend the spider silk line, slowly and methodically making my way towards the top.
Unto the heavens, hand over hand to a great salvation
With every hand over hand movement, I feel like I am reaching towards the heavens, closer and closer to my salvation.
Up many miles, the Mountain of Needles is small down below
After climbing for what feels like forever, I realize I have ascended miles up the spider silk line, and the once imposing Mountain of Needles now looks small beneath me.
My arms grow tired, ascending the silk to escape damnation
Despite my exhaustion and fatigue, I continue to climb up the silk thread, determined to escape my damnation and torment.
Looking down, I see a line
As I look down, I see a long line of damned souls following me up the silk thread.
A thousand sinners close behind
There are many other souls who are desperate to escape this place and will follow me anywhere.
Return to hell
The thought of returning to the hellish existence below is too much to bear.
This thread is mine!
I feel a sense of ownership over the spider silk thread, as if I have earned it through my hard work and perseverance.
(snap)
Suddenly, the spider silk thread breaks, shattering my hopes of escape and causing me to fall back into the crimson sea beneath me, where I will drown once again.
Oh! Can I ever hope to recover?
After my devastating setback, I question whether I will ever be able to recover and try again.
Back into the sea
I am forced to return to the sea of blood and sinners below, where I will continue to suffer.
The heaving depths of my misery
I am trapped in a never-ending cycle of misery and despair, unable to break free from my fate.
No! Can I hope again to discover
Despite my failure, I refuse to give up hope of finding another way to escape this place.
A thread to set me free
I am searching for another spider silk thread that will grant me the freedom I so desperately crave.
To end the torture of history?
I hope that finding a way to escape will finally allow me to break free from the cycle of torment and suffering that has haunted me throughout history.
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.