This is a beautiful piece of work. I daresay that if Pharaoh had existed in the 1980's, they would now be releasing box sets in elaborate packaging much like Iron Maiden . They are that good. Featuring vocalist Tim Aymar of Control Denied, Pharaoh is a band specializing in pure epic heavy metal. Please note this is not the cheesy European power metal stuff but something with heft and grit. Maiden of course is the closest approximation but I hear some of that old 80's American power metal like Omen and Attacker in here, too. But comparisons are unnecessary when a band is as good as Pharaoh. They have the magic of hitting the right speed at just the right time without sounding forced. The riffing is excellent, but it doesn't hit you over the head...it flows. Aymar's voice is not the typical Dickinson/Halford clone, either, but a rich and full-bodied tone with a bit of a rasp to it. A tremendous vocalist. Matt Johnsen's guitar work is faultless and lovers of twin harmony work will be oozing with orgasmic pleasure after sampling "After the Fire".