PHARAOH OVERLORD

[Originally published at The Progressive Aspect]

I came to this album with some reservations. Pharaoh Overlord have a larger discography than the title of their latest release might suggest, and that discography is quite varied. The band is one of Jussi Lehtisalo's many offshoots of Finnish band Circle (who themselves have probably released upwards of 50 full length albums by now), and has changed in sound considerably since their first release ? while somewhat paradoxically keeping much of it, too. (In 2015, just to further confuse things, Circle released an album called Pharaoh Overlord, while Pharaoh Overlord released an album called Circle.) As to my reservations, they came largely from knowing that Aaron Turner (Isis, Sumac, Old Man Gloom and several other bands) was taking a larger role, having provided some sparse guest vocals to the previous album, 5 (which I think may actually be Pharaoh Overlord's 10th studio album, and 15th overall!).

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Aaron Turner's vocals (and the Sumac album released the same year as 6 is absolutely fantastic, I highly recommend it). In addition, I loved 5, and I didn't mind Turner's vocals on that either ? but they were used minimally for impact, rather than being a main attraction, so to speak. What I was worried about was how well the music of Pharaoh Overlord and the vocals of Aaron Turner might mesh when they formed the basis of the album, rather than a small part. Even after listening to the album several times, my mind is still melting, trying to get my head around the two quite disparate sounds. As well as working with Pharaoh Overlord previously, Aaron Turner has also collaborated with Tomi Leppänen and Jussi Lehtisalo in Split Cranium. Furthermore, Turner is no stranger to Krautrock and electronica, and has stated that both forms of music were influential in the sound of Isis (probably his most famous band), so it should make sense that he is happy to put his vocals to Pharaoh Overlord, who quite obviously enjoy Krautrock and electronica themselves. And yet?.

6 begins with the fantastic beat of Path Eternal, and swathes of melodic synth textures. Turner's initial vocalisations are not too incongruent, and then he starts singing (or growling, if you prefer), and it's like listening to two different songs playing at the same time. I wouldn't go as far to say I hated it when I first heard it, but I certainly wasn't enamoured. But strange things happen over repeated listening. The thing is, the music is just so damn addictive and enjoyable, that soon I find myself able to ignore the vocals. And that's where I'm unsure how to review this album. I'm enjoying it in spite of the vocals, which I'm sure are meant to be a key part. Ultimately, how much anyone enjoys this album may come down to how much they are able to tolerate (or even enjoy) harsh vocals.

But the music is worth persevering through, if you're not necessarily a fan of the vocals. I admit I might not have done so were I not aware of the previous output of Pharaoh Overlord, and I would have been missing out. So if you take just one thing from this review, it's don't give up. Don't even bother reading further. Just listen, and listen again. Let the music crawl under your skin and make itself at home. Let it caress you, and cover you in a blanket of warm fuzziness. Fall into the Arms of the Butcher, which is strangely enchanting. Be woken up sharply by the introduction to Without Song All Perish (lead single, but my least favourite track on the album). Try, try and try again. Don't give up. You're not beaten yet. Don't give up. I know you can make it good.

So, if we remove Aaron Turner from the equation for just a moment, what do we have? Well, some classic Pharaoh Overlord, with fuzzy drones and electronic tones ? psychedelia via a mangled mix of stoner and Krautrock, techno and industrial. Prying open space rock's third eye, and final front ear, with kosmische musik and a healthy dollop of post rock and post metal. Kraftwerk and Hawkwind duelling with Isis and Skinny Puppy, in pursuit of an '80s synthwave pop hit. Pulsating, repetitive riffs and beats, that are far more explorative and interesting than you might expect. I can't compliment Tomi Leppänen and Jussi Lehtisalo enough for the glorious soundscapes they create, and pound continuously until they've made a permanent imprint. The music needs no further ornamentation in my opinion, and this is possibly why I had such difficulties with the vocals initially.

But boy, do the vocals come into their own. Even without repeated listens, it becomes apparent by the end of 6, that the harsh and human voice of Turner can fit to the programmed automation of the metal machine musik of Leppänen and Lehtisalo. Tomorrow's Sun works well, and Blue Light Hum blows everything that came before out of the water. It's an enormous, triumphant near quarter hour epic, and the vocals inarguably match the music. Even if I hadn't grown to love the remainder of the album, which I have, I would argue that 6 is worth purchasing for Blue Light Hum alone. This may well be the single greatest creation of Pharaoh Overlord. In fact, it was this track, more than anything else, that made me listen to the whole album again immediately. I still was unsure of the first half of the album on second listen, but the second hearing of Blue Light Hum blew me away again. Now it's not uncommon for a song to be incredibly impressive when you first hear it, but it's far rarer for it to evoke the same emotional response on subsequent listens. Blue Light Hum does just that. I'm glad, too, because 6's cover art is easily one of my most favourite from 2020, so it would be a shame if the music didn't live up to it. Rest assured, it does. It may just take some getting used to for some listeners. Don't give up.

Pharoah Overlord from Finland (founded in 2000) started as a side project for another band called "Circle". It was founded by the trio of Janne Westerlund (guitar), Jussi Lehtisalo (bass, guitar), and Tomi Leppanen (drums). Since then, the Psychedelic/Space Rock band has had fluctuating line-ups and have introduced various forms in their mostly improvised music. The album "5" is interestingly enough, their 10th full length studio album, released in October of 2019. The original trio is now a duo on this album, consisting of original members Tomi and Jussi. However, the duo isn't just bass and drums now as layers and layers of synths, Moog bass and electronics have been added to their music.

"Ideal Flower" (5:40) proves that style right away as an upbeat percussion and keyboard layers accompany growling vocals. The vocals don't last very long as the synth waves overpower the music, making for a different sound for the project, remaining in dark overtones, but with a more industrial, and/or electronic style that just sounds a little too automatic, not organic. The space rock feel is still there, but it just doesn't seem as authentic now. "Kalanchoe" (6:45) increases the noisy, industrial tone with a dark fuzziness. The beat is aimed more for a moderate tempo and spacey effects are utilized to a greater extent. Before the 2 minute mark, the music backs off a bit but it adds more attention before the fuzzy synths come back in. This track is more interesting and dynamic with exploration and improvisation based off of two different themes. There is a slight Hawkwind vibe here. Low layered vocals come in after the 5 minute mark giving the impression of dark monks singing a repetitive line.

"Transgenic Papaya" (6:22) begins with a fuzzy drone and electronic tones bouncing and swirling around. Sustained notes establish a repetitive riff of 3 notes as percussion bring in the drums, again sounding pre-programmed. Other layers are added in slowly as the tempo picks up including the bass, guitar and stylized piano. Each layer repeats its own individual riff. There are no real developed melodies here as much as there are short riffs and repetitive motifs and the track continues adding and taking away layers. "Abscission" (9:58) is introduced by another fuzzy tone and then strangely happy sounding synths come in almost sounding like "Kraftwerk" but with a lot of fuzz behind it. It's almost of mix of the Berlin School sound and post rock. It makes for a strange combination, for sure. The lack of chord changes here suggest a Krautrock style, mixed with monotonous feel of space rock. Growling and howling vocals from guest Aaron Turner come in after the 6 minute mark as the music continues on its unchanging course. The track is way too long and a bit annoying as screaming guitars and dirty vocals bring it all to a noisy conclusion finally.

"Soil Horizons" (9:31) slowly forms off of a pulsating note and synths playing a riff made up of fast repeating notes. Drums finally join in on a fast paced tempo with bass also coming in creating a foundation. Repetition is the key, and again other effects and treated instrumental motifs come in including the treated piano effect. The beat suddenly solidifies as it nears 4 minutes as the tempo moderates, then it returns to the original patterns again as effects go squealing off into space.

So, the band goes for the electronic and synth filled sounds of space rock, but without any real developments among the tracks. Probably the best track here is Kalanchoe, but even it has all of the elements that you have heard before, but this time with a more automatic feel then the traditional space rock, more of an electronic sound. This might have worked okay if there was a more organic feel to it all, and if it wasn't so repetitive. There is a lack of ingenuity here, and just adding layers to a constant unchanging pattern just doesn't cut it, there has to be some other development there to keep things interesting. So, overall, it is ok music, but nothing really stands out much, even with the EBM experimentation in a few of the tracks. It all still comes across as pretty average techno-industrial electronic music.

For me the finnish group PHARAOH OVERLORD is quite difficult to get into. Their instrumental and psychedelic stoner rock usually comes in long track forms, which together with a minimal progression within compositions may result as a boring and frustrated listening experience. This far I have listened to only three albums; in my opinion this one's clearly better than the heavier Horn, or the three-tracked Siluurikaudella.

'Rodent' (10:43) is more or less built on one riff, but the intensity grows gradually. The brighter sounding 'Palmyra Cali' reminds me of EKTROVERDE, which - just as Pharaoh Ovelord also (and several other acts, not all included in ProgArchives) - is blood-related to CIRCLE, one of the longest living of Finnish prog-minded bands and a household name in Finland's psychedelic field. Of these P. O. is the least suitable to my personal taste, being rather dryly and monotonously guitar dominated. On this album however there's Hans-Joachim Irmler (from the German legend FAUST) on keyboards, making the sound richer and more... cultivated, if you like.

'Cardinal' (4:09) is atypically not a second too long. It is spacey, dreamy, freely flowing (ie. non-rhythmical) music full of ambience. 'Black Horse' starts with a 4½-minute intro of hectic drumming and improvisational sound making that doesn't in itself seem to be going anywhere, followed by painfully overstretched slice of riff-based stoner rock. Interestingly the problem of getting bored is less present on the massive, nearly a half an hour closing track 'Cave of Hair'. Like 'Cardinal', it is free flowing, and very meditative. Once it takes the listener into a hypnotic state, the question of length becomes irrelevant. Here Irmler's contribution is at its most valuable while also the electric guitars play long spacey notes with a feeling. This is like vintage Kosmische Musik almost at its finest.

Pharaoh Overlord is not going to enter the long list of my regular listening, but I do believe that this particular album has much better chances to raise some interest among new listeners than P. O. music in general.

This album synthesis in quite interesting way the early acid rock drone minimalism, more sinister riff tones of the heavy metal experimentations, and also the industrial dirtiness of open wanderings of "Siluurikaudella" album. The tensions are built with devoted patience, allowing experiences of monolithic sanctity in abstract levels, allowing subjective meditation on emotional level. There are some calmer jazzy phases in the powerful maelstrom of sound, rolling with the power of nature's forces from the stereos. The conclusion on "Cave of Hair" certainly escapes to very divine levels of power. A wonderful highlight for me on the various discography of the band, which still contains clear curves of artistic development.

This album dives most further to studies of eighties heavy metal riffs and songwriting, mimicking the stylistic nuances of groups like Judas Priest, Ronnie James Dio and late 1980's Black Sabbath. The album covers remembering the teenage flags of the time give correct signal of the material. I personally am not very fond of this kind of music, but listening this record carefully though made it evident for me, how well the material is performed and captured to the album. So if you have appetite for elevating hard rock / heavy music with really powerful riffs, this chapter of the Pharaoh Overlord's artistic progress certainly offers it with fine quality. Those interested of more meditative recordings might enjoy other albums of the band more, f.ex. "#1", "Horn", "Siluurikaudella" or "Lunar Jetman" based on my own listening encounters.

Pharaoh Overlord's fourth album ventures to the brutal realms of 1980's oriented heavy metal riffs. The compositions still have the philosophies of menacing repetitive hypnotics, but instead of first record's vintage acid rock aesthetics, these stoner riffs are dressed upon the easy riders flying on their choppers towards the sunset. If you like later records of Budgie, classic Motörhead and open heavy jam music like Earthless, this side of Pharaoh Overlord's production phases might please you. Compositions, production and playing are all done in very professional manner, so the enjoyment is a question of taste preferences certainly. I personally liked their more sacral live performances I had seen and more traditional stoner / avant-garde recordings.

This Pharaoh Overlord album carries a title referring to ancient visions of Silurian ages, but instead of trilobites the line-up of several guitars and a rhythm section craft more modern industrial meanings to this concept with their archaic and atonal sculptures of avant-gardist free rock visions. The epochs of this imaginary interpretation of quasi-ancestral history is divided to three ages; All starts calmly with subtle string pickings, preparing for the mighty elevation of "Water Tower". Patient improvisations create intense feeling, bringing visions of water drips randomly running down huge concrete pillars surface, drips glimmering on the light of dawn. I personally felt this autistic focus to rhythmless exchanging of musical ideas as comforting alternative for the group's other records, often dominated by heavy rock or stoner riff patterns. These motives are also flowing by pleasant logics, escaping the risks of falling into complete random chaos without listening of other players, how unconventional the sonic environment ever should be. The anticipating tension on the final moments of the first song gives hint of the cacophonic assault occurring on "Casting Festival", celebrating the now erected tower trough furious bacchanal of drum and guitar maelstrom. In the middle part of the song the aggression settles down, instruments wandering each other with curious caution, still engaging momentarily to short skirmishes with each other. The drummer leads the group wonderfully with his freeform timings, proving his skill on melodic playing approach to his instrument. He also finds convincing channels to other musicians, who together close the song with sharp mutual strikes. Last tune "Diagram 3" has some shades of bluesy stoner music, but from quite alienated perspective. Maybe the concept here could be being observed as a process of people drawn building's construction blueprint diagrams without any plans about the end result. With time, fast but still quiet rhythm starts to gather the guitars together. Instead of blowing up a familiar riff passage, the process however tames down. From the subtle hours of void the guitars learn themselves the strait of monolithic note repetition, escaping to the grandiose void of astonishment left behind. One reference for this album's music could be Pat Metheny's "The Sign of Four" experimentations, if implemented to the psychedelic heavy sound familiar from Pharaoh Overlord's other recordings, but not getting lost as far as the referred project did. The difference seems to be the choice between total rejection of basic human emotions in their aggressive chaos versus confusion still relating to common subconsciousness. A really fine experimental record from the Pharaohs of mythic rock codexes, certainly recommended.

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

Your sound system's worst nightmare

The Battle Of Axehammer... I still remember the first time I heard the album and the impression it left on me as well. My only previous encounter with Pharaoh Overlord before listening to this album was their debut and while it left a positive impression on me it wasn't going to be an album that I was going to play it constantly. I've been quite skeptical about live recordings, but I was curious as to how this kind of music will translate on a live setting and that curiosity really paid off.

Have you ever witnessed a band improving their sound only because of a bad quality recording?

Yes, it's a weird thought and it's something that's very hard to imagine, but in Pharaoh Overlord's case it's true! The enjoyment of this music owes a lot of debt to the actual sound quality. The music sounds dirtier, rawer, more aggressive, noisier and larger than life! Every note sounds so massive and real that one feels like the band is playing right in front of you. This is how Stoner Rock suppose to sound like. There's no need to polish the sound if you're going to try and sound as dirty as possible, right?

Pharaoh Overlord's Stoner Rock is centered on repetition until their hearts content, this gives out their Krautrock influences (all the members are part of the band Circle, after all). The huge bass sound start most of the songs giving them groove and melody right from the start. The earthquake-like drumming is slow, but it complements the bass' groove and vice versa. The massive guitar riffs will keep you head banging all the way through those 8-12 minute songs without any mercy. There are some slight psychedelic effects, but they're not the main attraction on this album, you'll need to listen to their 2007 live album for that. The downer of this album is that it isn't intended to be played thoroughly. The album can get a bit tiresome after a couple of listen so it's best to keep this band for special occasions or when in the need to head bang your head out of your body.

The Battle Of Axehammer is NOT recommended for everyone. The repetition of the songs will put many people off and the horrible sound quality will make things even worse if not prepared. People who want to get into Pharaoh Overlord's music should check out their debut first, but be sure to listen to this album before throwing them aside. If you're a stoner rock fan and enjoy this raw, groovy and unrelenting type of music then don't miss out on Pharaoh Overlord's The Battle Of Axehammer

As I had read a praising review of this vintage styled record, I went to buy it from the local record shop specialized in old progressive music. The shopkeeper warned me when I gave him the money, that he personally didn't understand this stuff. I believe that an appreciation to minimalism and the state of trance are required to be able to like this record, which has six ca. ten minutes long simple improvisational runs on different rhythms, varying from very slow beat ("Alcohol (Blue Flame)") to faster grooves ("Mangrove"). The album's sound is dominated by a low fuzz stoner rock guitar, and mantra like static musical vision, evolving carefully and with strict discipline. Though this music might be labeled as underground and hard to get into, I would question its accessibility's difficultness. At least those of my friends who are interested of electronic trance music liked this album very much. I think it could be seen as an organic version of some kind of trance techno music, like the sounds of another hypnotic Finnish band Hidria Spacefolk. I had liked to listen this whilst driving long distances on the motorway, as it's then easy to meditate this record from the beginning to the end. If this monotonic transcendental music is your cup of tea, I recommend this album for you warmly, as I consider it as a release of high quality.