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 Year of the Blizzard
PHARAOH Lyrics
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We will rest tonight
I am your shelter
From the storm outside
There is no sadness
In our song tonight
So until tomorrow
Say goodnight
At dawn, all I see is darkness
Deep snow surrounds the house
And there's no getting out
For days, we're trapped inside this fortress
The doors are frozen locked
The windows icy blocks
I know we won't get out tomorrow
It seems our freedom’s taken
Replaced by desperation
And as the weeks go by in sorrow
We watch each other starve
And I prepare to carve
At a month's demand
Our supply surpassed
My secret plan
A grim repast
A chance to stay alive
In this world of frozen light
Hate to see the hunger
In your eyes
Take a piece from me
Even though I'm weakening
You will be alive
Another night
It might be insane
But there's no other way
Only one can survive
So I'll keep you alive
Ignoring the pain
I try to sustain
I hope you don't see
That I'm feeding you... me
Sleep now my child
I will keep you warm
Don't let your spirits
Be buried by the storm
Just close your eyes
Don't want you to see
Why you keep living
How much I bleed
So with this knife
I give you life
This is the last time
Come take my heart
Just as the sunshine
Comes to melt the dark
Last meal is given
The child is fed
Now the sun is risen
And I am dead
A chance to stay alive
In this world of frozen light
I took away the hunger
From your eyes
It was all in secrecy
But in piece by piece of me
I have given you
Another life
The Year of the Blizzard by Pharaoh tells a story of a parent and child trapped by snow after a furious blizzard. The opening verse communicates a sense of protection and care, with the parent reassuring the child that they will be safe through the night. However, the following verses become progressively darker, expressing the frustration and desperation of being trapped for days with no chance of escape. With dwindling supplies, the parent eventually resorts to cannibalism to ensure the survival of their child. The lyrics convey the guilt and grief of the parent, who ultimately sacrifices themselves to save their child.
The strong emotions depicted in The Year of the Blizzard are haunting and melancholy. The way the song unfolds illustrates a gripping narrative that is both disturbing and touching. The theme of desperation under impossible circumstances is one that many people can relate to, with a message that resonates with humanity’s instinctual drive to survive at all costs. The song presents an uncomfortable truth that shines a light on the moral and ethical choices one might make when pushed to the brink of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep now my child
Go to sleep, my child.
We will rest tonight
We will sleep and take a break tonight.
I am your shelter
You can seek refuge and protection in my care.
From the storm outside
From the cold and harsh weather beyond our shelter.
There is no sadness
We will not feel any sorrow.
In our song tonight
In the melody we hear and sing tonight.
So until tomorrow
Until the next day comes.
Say goodnight
Bid goodnight to each other.
At dawn, all I see is darkness
When daylight comes, all I can see is the bleakness of snow and ice.
Deep snow surrounds the house
The snow piles up high on all sides of the house, leaving us trapped.
And there's no getting out
There's no way to leave or escape the snowstorm.
For days, we're trapped inside this fortress
We're stuck within the house for days, with no way out.
The doors are frozen locked
We cannot open the doors since they are frozen and sealed shut.
The windows icy blocks
The windows are covered in thick ice blocks that we cannot break through.
I know we won't get out tomorrow
I understand that we won't be able to leave tomorrow.
It seems our freedom’s taken
The storm has taken away our freedom to leave and experience the world outside.
Replaced by desperation
Our freedom has now been overrun by our growing desperation to survive.
And as the weeks go by in sorrow
As we spend weeks in agony and sadness.
We watch each other starve
We see each other go hungry and suffer from starvation.
And I prepare to carve
And I contemplate rationing food and cutting into our own flesh to survive.
At a month's demand
After a month has passed.
Our supply surpassed
Our food supply has run out.
My secret plan
My hidden strategy.
A grim repast
A dismal and unpleasant meal.
A chance to stay alive
An opportunity to remain alive.
In this world of frozen light
In this world covered in snow and ice.
Hate to see the hunger
I hate seeing you suffer from hunger.
In your eyes
In the way you look at me.
Take a piece from me
Consume some of my own flesh.
Even though I'm weakening
Despite the fact that I am growing weaker.
You will be alive
You will be able to stay alive for longer.
It might be insane
This might be crazy or irrational.
But there's no other way
There is no other option.
Only one can survive
Only one of us can make it through.
So I'll keep you alive
So I will help you stay alive, even though it's at my own expense.
Ignoring the pain
Overlooking the discomfort.
I try to sustain
I attempt to maintain our survival.
I hope you don't see
I hope you are unaware of what I'm doing.
That I'm feeding you... me
That the food you're eating is actually my own flesh.
I will keep you warm
I will do my best to prevent you from getting cold.
Don't let your spirits
Do not allow your mind and emotions.
Be buried by the storm
To be consumed by the negative atmosphere of the storm.
Just close your eyes
Simply shut your eyes.
Don't want you to see
I don't want you to observe.
Why you keep living
The rationale behind your survival.
How much I bleed
How much I suffer and sacrifice for your survival.
So with this knife
Using this sharp tool.
I give you life
I provide you with the substance that will sustain your life.
This is the last time
This is the final instance.
Come take my heart
Consume the last bit of me, my heart.
Just as the sunshine
Similar to how the light of the sun.
Comes to melt the dark
Melts the darkness away and brings warmth and light.
Last meal is given
The ultimate nourishment is provided.
The child is fed
The young one is given sustenance.
Now the sun is risen
Now that the sun has come out.
And I am dead
And I am no longer among the living beings.
I took away the hunger
I eliminated the hunger that you had experienced.
From your eyes
From the expression on your face.
It was all in secrecy
It was all done in private, unbeknownst to others.
But in piece by piece of me
But through bits of my own flesh.
I have given you
I have provided you.
Another life
Another chance at life in this world of frozen light.
Contributed by Abigail J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.