LIVE IN SUOMI FINLAND

After getting a taste of what Pharaoh Overlord's music sounds live I didn't hesitated to get their 2007 live album as soon as it got released. But there's something strange about this release. I was expecting another "Battle Of Axehammer" kind of album with raw sound quality ear-damaging playing. Instead what I got is a more psychedelic and less motorik album with special musical guest Hans Joachim Irmler from FAUST!

The first thing one notices listening to Live In Suomi Finland is the drastic change in volume and size of the music when compared to Battle Of Axehammer. In some way this album is more accessible than the other thanks to the newly improved sound quality. Another point in favor are the big amount of psychedelic effects used on this album compared to the other live album which makes the album more enjoyable for fans who aren't necessarily stoner rock fans.

A strange thing about this album is that 3 of the 5 songs presented on this album are already presented on their 2004 live album. It was a bit of a let down for me seeing on the track list songs that I'm already familiar with, but since the change of sound is so drastic from one live album to another the songs take new life and it sounds like different take on the song instead of repeating the same thing over again. A great example of this is Mangrove, this is still the best song both live albums and on Live In Suomi Finland they extend the song from its original 9-10 minute track length to 15 minute of rhythm-heavy stoner rock with swirling and noisy psychedelic flavors. The 2 different songs are a nice thing to see and listen to (I only have both live albums and their debut), even though they still use the same minimalistic formula since their debut (you decide whether it's a good thing or not, I personally love it).

Live In Suomi Finland is a great live album for fans of Pharaoh Overlord as well as fans of Krautrock to a lesser extent. The album makes a great company with their 2004 live album and this is the more accessible album of the two. So people looking for some Pharaoh Overlord live action, but are afraid to dive into the giganticness that is Battle Of Axehammer then feel free to give this live album a chance.

I still prefer the 2004 album by a slight margin...

3.5 out of 5