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Pharaoh is a brand new power metal band from Pennsylvania that sound
like they come from overseas. They have just released their debut album,
"After The Fire". Their sound is very influenced by European style
metal, such as Helloween, so if you're into this style of music, Pharaoh
is definitely a band worth checking out. The guys in Pharaoh are not
newcomers to the metal scene, however. It is interesting to note that
vocalist Tim Aymer once played with the late, great Chuck Schuldiner (of
Death) in Control Denied. Tim unfortunately was unavailable for
comment on his time spend with Chuck, but I was able to have a little
chat with guitarist Matt Johnsen and drummer Chris Black. Here's the
scoop on Pharaoh.
Q: Let's
start with some band history. Tell us how Pharaoh got started?
Chris: Our old guitarist Keith (Barnard) and I were listening to Saxon's
"Unleash he Beast" album one night, and we decided to form a traditional
metal band. I think we decided on the name right then and there. Then
Chris Kerns joined on bass, and Matt Johnsen took Keith's place. For
a while, Pharaoh was just the three of us writing and demoing different
songs. We didn't even really rehearse. Then in 1999, we had an album's
worth of material, so we decided to roll up our sleeves and get cracking.
We recorded a four song promo without vocals and used that as a means
of auditioning vocalists. In the meantime, we went ahead and starting
inching along on the album itself. Tim Aymer laid vocals on two of
the tracks from the four song session, and those became out contributions
to the "Maiden America" (Iron Maiden tribute) release. Once we were
able to circulate the promo with Tim's vocals, even though they were
only on two songs, we started getting interest from labels. The only
one to actually make an offer was Icarus from Argentina. We needed
some dough for the studio, and their offer was quite decent for an
underground metal deal, so we took it. Later the label split and one
half became Cruz del Sur music, our current label. We didn't actually
release anything via Icarus.
Q: "After The Fire" is your debut album. Are you pleased with how
it turned out?
Chris: I am pleased with how it turned out, definitely. We've been
working on this thing gradually for almost four years, and it feels
great and in some ways strange to finally see the finished product.
As far as the content, everyone in the band knows what's working and
what needs improvement. From my end, I'm quite satisfied with the
songs and lyrics I contributed. Next time I intend to outdo the drum
performance considerably, though.
Q: Any favorite songs?
Chris: My personal favorite track is "Flash Of The Dark", but I feel
the drums are strongest on "Never Not Again". Every song has moments
that are favorites.
Q: Your music sounds influenced by classic style/power metal, like
Iron Maiden, Helloween, etc. Who are your influences and favorite
bands? Who did you listen to growing up? Who do you listen to now?
Chris: Iron Maiden and Helloween are two bands that we all agree on.
We're also big fans of Blind Guardian and Gamma Ray. Then you have
the American side of out influence, which includes Omen, maybe some
early Metallica, Manowar, things like this. Matt is a huge fan of
bands like Rage and Scanner, with a thrashier edge, and that comes
through in his writing for sure. We all love Coroner. When I was growing
up, my holy trinity was Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath.
And I still answer to the same three as almighty. I love all types
of hard rock, though. Today I listened to Blue Oyster Cult and Nocturnus,
for example. I was telling a guy in another interview, if you combined
the record collections of the members of Pharaoh, you'd probably have
about 6000 CDs and records. In there, you'd find everything from Police
box sets to Nargaroth LPs. Britny Fox and Bathory. Sadus and Hawkwind.
And so on. We're all massive music fans.
Q: You are an American band but your sounds is very European. I guess
you must be influenced by European metal bands.
Chris: Right. the German bands I mentioned especially. I also love
a lot of British bands, like Venom, Saxon, Angel Witch (first LP),
etc. Diamond Head is huge for me.
A: I understand you contributed a track to the Iron Maiden album "Maiden
America". You must be Iron Maiden fans! Tell us about your contribution,
and what other bands appear on this album. Do you think it does Maiden
justice?
Chris: Yeah, Iron Maiden is basically the musical, imaginative thing
when it comes to metal. The performance and production value of their
albums really gives you a lot as a fan. Then you have all the artwork
and imagery of their lyrics. Just everything about those albums is
really special. For the "Maiden America" CD, we recorded "Aces High".
It was a double CD package, with an original track from each band
on the second CD, and (ours was) the early version of "Solar Flight".
Omen and Sadus also had tracks on "Maiden America", along with some
lesser known acts. Does it do Maiden justice? Well, it's a very elaborate
package, filled with liner notes and fantastic artwork, and backed
up with some killer tracks, both on the tribute disc and the originals
disc. A cool collector's item because of the exclusive material and
artwork. Plus it's rather hard to locate. But does anything do Maiden
justice? Did "Brave New World" or "Rock In Rio"?
Q: Have you ever thought of adding a second guitarist to your lineup.
as many power metal bands use the "twin guitar" sound?
Chris: If Pharaoh were to play live, we would definitely add a second
guitarist. But since we're still in a studio only situation (that
may or may not change), we can have the twin guitar sounds easily.
Or the quintuplet guitar sound! Fuck it!
Q: Matt, who are your favorite guitarists/influences?
Matt: My absolute favorite guitarist is Ron Jarzombek of Watchtower
and Spastic Ink, but when I say that it should be obvious that his
style hasn't rubbed off on me. The truth of the matter is that I'm
not a good enough guitarist to even copy Ron. After Ron. some of my
favorites are Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth), James Murphy (Dream Theater),
whose lead work actually has shaped the way I play, Andy Summers of
the Police (who inspired my love of 9th chords, which litter the Pharaoh
album), Mike Wead (especially his work in Memento Mori), Tommy T.
Baron of Coroner, Jim Dofka of Psycho Scream, Jason and Paul from
Cynic, and Rafael and Kiko from Angra (the best twin axe attack in
the history of metal). Lately I've come to admire Mattias Eklundh's
unique and bizarre playing. I could go on and on listing the players
I like, but I think this is a good sample of my favorites. I've never
spent a great deal of time, though, trying to learn other players'
solos. I'm probably a worse player for it, but in my case, the stamp
of my influences is probably not so easy to read in my playing.
Q: How has your relationship been with your label, Cruz Del Sur Music?
Have you had any offers from other labels?
Chris: Our relationship has been great. We're a small band, they are
a small label, and together we are doing big things. They have been
very patient and supportive during the recordings, and now that the
album is finished, their energy for promoting it has really impressed
me. We haven't had any offers from other labels, other than Zenor
in Brazil. Zenor is actually licensing the album for certain territories,
but that was between the two labels. We weren't part of that.
Q: You guys hail from Philadelphia. What's the metal scene like there
these days, and in Pennsylvania in general?
Matt: It's terrible. In the past few years, we've seen an increase
in the amount of national tours coming through, and there are a few
good venues for established acts, but there is very little local metal
in Philly. The best metal band (if they can be labeled as such) is
definitely Dysrhythmia, who recently signed to Relapse, and Single
Bullet Theory, who just put out an album on Crash Music (the label
formerly known as Pavement) are not bad, but that's about as high
profile as it gets, unless you count some of the Jersey bands like
Tapping The Vein. As far as unsigned bands go, there are a few crappy
death/thrash outfits, and there's a palatable true metal act (whose
name I forget) that opens some of the local shows, but that's it.
There isn't even a great shop in Philly, so there's no natural place
where metalheads would congregate. Still, I'm sure it's worse in other
cities (It is! If you think Philly's bad, try Wilmington, NC! Don't
get me started on this shithole!-Jumping Jon Flash), so I'll try to
stop complaining...Now!
Chris: It's much more metal friendly in Chicago where I live. We have
all kinds of metal bands here, from death metal like The Chasm and
Disinter, raw black metal acts like Cult of Daath and Nachtmystium,
more progressive metal bands like Ion Vein and Ablosiher...Usurper,
Cianide, November's Doom. The Rauchous Brothers, there are a lot of
bands here. Not to mention the older generation of Master, Trouble,
Sindrome, etc. There's a killer metal store called Metal Haven (www.metalhaven.com)
that gives the maniacs exactly what they want. Plus there are a lot
of people living here from Mexico and Eastern Europe, and those guys
are fucking serious about their metal. So I have to think it's as
good as it can get in any American city. Portland Oregon struck me
as a metal compatible city as well when I visited in 1998. And I heard
Sepultura and Pentagram (US) on the stereo at a burrito place in New
Orleans recently. But Philadelphia, no action. Just today in Chicago,
I saw a guy walking down the street in a Deceased shirt, and I had
never seen the guy before in my life. When I lived in Pennsylvania,
the only metal shirts I saw were on people knew.
Q: Do you have any concert/touring plans? Do you ever play live in
your hometown/state? Have you played with any other metal bands? Any
you'd like to play with? Have you managed to gain a local following
in Philly?
Chris: We haven't done any live work as of yet? I'd love to do it
with a full production: pyro, lights, marks on the stage to stand
on, etc. But I'd also love to do it ramming all our gear into sweaty
club filled with maniacs and seeing what happens. It's a totally unrealistic
notion from either side though. We're not very organized geographically,
we don't have the necessary personnel, and we don't have enough material.
Hypothetically, though, I think we'd fit on a bill with just about
any band that has some of the same traditions as we do. Out kind of
metal is universally understood.
Q: Where do you get inspiration for your music and song lyrics?
Chris: Musically speaking, it's just a matter of having that first
"hook" kind of pop into your head, like a seed. Then you pick up an
instrument either a minute later or a month later, and the see just
takes on its own life within a few other parts. Musically and lyrically,
the best inspiration is just everyday life. I always have metal riffs
in my head, whether they're my own or someone else's. It's a matter
of selecting the good original ones to be these "seeds" that I was
talking about. And as you know, the world is filled with fascinating
characters, plots, and setting. Conveniently enough, these are the
exact elements you need to make a good narrative lyric.
Q: Do you have plans for a second album yet? Have you started writing
anything?
Chris: Yes, we plan to have it finished by the end of the calendar
year. At least, that's what Cruz del Sur wants, and at this point
it's realistic as long as we take advantage of the time. Matt and
Chris Kerns have actually been working on some new material, but I
haven't heard any of it yet. And I'm waiting until I do so that I
don't start writing from the left field and end up with stuff that
won't fit. But I plan to contribute 2 or 3 songs and hopefully a share
of the lyrics. Time will be more of contributor this time as well,
and that can only help.
Q: What do you think of today's metal/music scene?
Chris: Same as always, a bell shaped curve. There are brilliant albums,
there are atrocious albums, but most of it is a huge clot of averageness.
This is the part the press should ignore, in my opinion. It's easy
to say that metal isn't what it used to be, but that's not true. It's
the exact same thing, fundamentally, it's just more stratified now
and you're not the same person you were when you first heard it. Life
changing albums don't come along as often as they used to for me,
true, but I'm far less impressionable than I used to be. So there's
no telling whether Susperia would have blown me away if I was 13 when
I heard it. (That's just an example). As far as current bands I like,
I'd have to mention Turbonegro, Nifelheim, Tad Morose, Metalucifer,
Zeke, Deceased, Wolf, Boulder, December Wolves, Rotten Sound, Enslaved...Shit
man, it's a pretty long list once I get rolling! I love music!
Q: I'd like to ask you about a couple of items that have been making
headlines in the news. First, the war in Iraq. have you been following
it? What are your feelings about it? For it or against? What do you
think about people who speak out against the war and get crucified
for it? (IE, The Dixie Chicks)
Chris: I should preface my answer by saying that it is a personal
answer, and someone else in the band might answer differently. I think
people are having a hard time grasping what "patriotism" really means.
A patriot loves his country. Period. A patriot may, at the same time,
and at any time, hate his government. To say someone who hates the
current government is "unpatriotic" or "un-American" is a fucking
joke! That's like saying you can only be religious if you love Jesus.
This should tell you how I see the situation with the Dixie Chicks
(although they spoke out against the president, not the war, specifically.)
This country has a good system on paper, but our current government
should be ripped out at the root and replaced with new people. And
I'm not just talking about the Republicans. The Democrats are just
as corrupt. They are not an acceptable alternative. "A two party state
is only one party better than a one party state, especially when they
look the same and say the same shit." Wise words paraphrased from
(Motorhead's) Lemmy. As for Iraq, I see it as an investment that the
US is making, only to help the rich get even richer. And as long as
our consumer culture is thriving, money indeed equal power. It's not
hard to see the economic motivations. Hospitals and schools are looted,
for example, while the oil fields have been diligently secured by
American soldiers. But the fact of the matter is, that there is also
a religious motivation to the invasion, and that makes me sick. Sometimes
I feel the only such thing as evil is religion itself. Zealots with
money will naturally attack each other, I suppose. All in all, I don't
give a flying fuck, but since you asked...
Q: The other thing I wanted to ask you about was the fire at the Providence,
RI, nightclub where Great White was playing, that was caused by their
pyro. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think the band should
face criminal charges?
Chris: That's a very sad, sobering incident. Sad for everyone involved.
I think that the emphasis should be on helping people out and being
good human beings, rather than seeing who gets the blame and subsequent
lawsuit colonic. Obviously no one wanted that to happen. No one did
it on purpose. Let's just cry together and move on, if you ask me.
Blame is such an important part of every American tragedy and that's
bad for all of us. The band absolutely should not face criminal charges.
Did you see how fast that sucker went up? Was that place built out
of newspaper or something?
Q: OK, back to Pharaoh...How was the wild and crazy world of rock
and roll treated you so far? Any wild and crazy/Spinal Tap-like stories
to tell?
Chris: Last year on tour in Jamaica out trombonist OD'd on Tylenol
PM. You should have seen him turning blue, man, that was hilarious!
Oh well, another write off.
Q: What are your hopes for the future of Pharaoh? Have you received
any feedback (from critics or fans) about the album? How has it been?
Chris: I hope to record a handful of new Pharaoh albums, and maybe
in the semi distant future take it to the stage. We've gotten some
great feedback on "After The Fire", mainly from critics at this stage
because the CD has only been released for about a month. I am looking
forward hearing what the average headbangers think of it. But the
feedback from the press has been very satisfying to say the least,
and I thank you for being part of that feeling.
Q: You're welcome! What advice would you give for anyone who dreams
of playing in a metal band?
Chris: Concentrate on quality first, and let originality follow.
Q: This will be my last question...Any final thoughts?
Chris: Shouldn't I be having my final thoughts on my deathbed?
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