TIM AYMAR: "These have been the most productive Pharaoh sessions to date, and the results are also the best ever."
US METAL band PHARAOH is once again in the studio, for the recordings of their third album “Be Gone”, which is going to be released shortly before their first European appearance (and first show ever!!!) at the Germany’s KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL taking place on April the 5th, 2008 at the Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen.
What follows is a brief studio-report with some anticipations on what to expect from “Be Gone”…
- Hello guys, what can you tell us of the state of the recordings of “Be Gone”? Matt Johnsen (guitar): The drums, rhythm guitars, and bass are all recorded, and Tim is about halfway through the vocals. Most of the melody guitars are done and at least half the leads are recorded, but there are still a few noodly bits to record. When Tim is done, [producer/engineer] Matt Crooks and I need to find amp tones and re-amp all of the guitars. This is a highly technical procedure which involves drinking a lot of beers while we play the songs back over and over.
Chris Black (drums): Recording drums was a similar process, though far less technical.
Tim Aymar (vocals): We're going to be finishing my tracks next week, and we'll be going back to the first couple tracks we did and adding a few artistic touches. These have been the most productive Pharaoh sessions to date, and the results are also the best ever. I've had a much easier time with these tunes, and even found it strange at times that there were not any major obstacles or technical problems. Oddly enough, no beers were involved in the vocal recordings. Coffee, lots of water, Matt's special throat tea, and black licorice were my choice of weapons. After a couple sessions, we did have a few beers though. This record has been the most productive yet for me with Pharaoh.
- Musically speaking, what have we to expect from “Be Gone”? People ask for a new "By the Night Sky", will we find another epic suite like that one on the new album? MJ: You can expect more action from shorter songs! In general, the arrangements and riffs themselves are more complex, but we went out of our way to craft songs that don't waste any time.
TA: There's a lot more singing going on with this one, more musical substance without superfluous repetition. One song, which at first seems like it might qualify as epic is "Cover Your Eyes and Pray", which lands at only about four and a half minutes.
CB: I agree. Our arrangements are very economical this time around, and the songs are therefore generally more sophisticated and articulate. All of our trademark strengths are still present. You could say that they’re all the more emphasized by the way we approached the songwriting. The album as a whole is very dense and quite challenging, but I’m not sure what particular song might qualify as epic.
MJ: Only one song, "Buried at Sea" could qualify as epic, but it's very much a different sort of song from "By the Night Sky," even if it was mostly written by Chris Kerns. If nothing else, it's one of the most dynamic songs on the new album. I think it will turn a few heads.
Chris Kerns (bass): It’s often a challenge to shorten song lengths, and limit repetitions of parts that you’re really happy with, but if done efficiently then the end result is a better listening experience. I guess it’s a matter of trying hard to think objectively with the material, as much as possible.
- Once again French artist JP Fournier will be working on the cover and on the artwork of the album and Matt Crooks is again behind the recording and mixing console. Can we say that both JP and Matt are part of the PHARAOH mystique already? CK: That’s definite, I’d say we already have a signature look in terms of our artwork, thanks to JP. And, without Matt Crooks, it’s very difficult to imagine what Pharaoh would be sounding like today.
CB: You can be sure. I see Pharaoh as inclusive of the talents of these folks. I have to also mention our label, Cruz del Sur, which has always been a vital organ in the band’s anatomy. We’d probably never have even made our first album without the encouragement and unwavering belief that Cruz del Sur has given.
- You are preparing for your first show ever, at the German KEEP IT TRUE festival in April 2008, what are your feelings about it?
MJ: With any luck we won't embarrass ourselves! It's going to be a special experience, to be sure. None of us can wait to take Pharaoh to the stage, and if all goes well, KIT will not be the last time Pharaoh makes noise in public.
CB: We’ve set aside 2008 as a year when we’ll focus only on live shows. No new songwriting until 2009, and no new album until 2010. As for Keep It True, we’re sorting out the setlist at the moment, so fans should get in touch with their requests. Now is the time!
TA: It will be a first for all of us to perform together, and also to play outside of the U.S., so I look forward to it enthusiastically. Performing has always been my strongest suit, and I enjoy it more than anything. I know that Germany loves metal, so I anticipate a very exiting show. I hope it will turn out to be a rewarding and memorable experience and not just a flash in the pan event. Everyone involved will be putting forth a great deal of effort to bring Pharaoh together on stage for the sake of the fans. It means a lot of planning, sacrifice and a leap of faith from the band. I hope the fans will appreciate all of this, because it's for them, not us. This is what they want.
PHARAOH has a community/street team open to anyone who wants to help spreading the name of the band and its music as well as chat about the band and other issues not necessarily related to the band. If interested, sign up at: http://pharaohstreetteam.com/
Features
:
BATTLEROAR: new on CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC IGNITOR : release of “Road of Bones” ICARUS WITCH: release of “Songs for the Lost” PHARAOH: studio update CRESCENT SHIELD: studio update SLOUGH FEG: North American and European tour WEBSTORE: where to buy RECOMMENDATIONS: what to listen
It’s been a while since this website has been updated, not because there were no news to share with you, but simply because at our level, time is never enough! And the restyling of the site has postponed over and over the news-announcement, ending in no re-styling (until the beginning of the new year we hope!) and no news.
But let’s stop the apologize-paragraph and start with the news concerning the late activity of Cruz Del Sur Music.
We announced a new signing some weeks ago, the Greek epic Lords BATTLEROAR!
We are pleased to welcome them on our label for the release of their third album, “To Death and Beyond”. BATTLEROAR land on Cruz Del Sur after two successful releases "Battleroar" and “Age of Chaos”, being unfortunately involved in the closing of their previous label, Black Lotus Records.
As previously stated, the recordings of “To Death and Beyond” will start in December for an April 2008 release.
In September (October in Europe), we have released the IGNITOR CD “Road of Bones”, another release that was critically acclaimed: Keith Bergman on Blabbermouth wrote: "(IGNITOR) doth indeed verily fucking rock!".
Featuring Stuart Laurence, the original guitarist of AGONY COLUMN, the album is a concentrate of pure and true Heavy metal, played by musicians who lived and breathed Heavy Metal for years. IGNITOR’s "METAL IS THE LAW" t-shirtswill be available soon, in girlie size as well!
By the end of October we will also release the new ICARUS WITCH album “Songs for the Lost”, for which we have acquired the rights for the European edition: “Songs…” was released in September in US, by Cleopatra Records.
What you will find in this album is a classy hard rock sound, with some reminiscences of Queensrychehere and there, and a very personal interpretation of the genre, getting inspiration both from the history of hard rock/heavy metal (especially in the cover of Def Leppard’s “Mirror Mirror” featuring J.L. Turner on vocals!!!!) and their usual delivery of magickal and glamorous atmospheres.
Produced by Eric Klinger(of Pro-Pain fame, who also play the drums on “Songs for the Lost”), this album is destined to be considered a classic release in a few years, the time the get on a major label.
If 2007 has been so far the most intense and successful year in our short history, 2008 promises to be even better for many reasons, or better, for the quality of the release we are working on.
Pharaoh are currently in the studio, busy with the recordings of their third album “Be Gone”. What initially was planned for a late 2007 release, has been postponed to March 2008 for the usual kind of delays that happen…
Will we (Cruz and Pharaoh) ever release an album on the scheduled time? I guess the answer is NO!
Anyway as said, “Be Gone” will be completed before the end of the year, drums, bass and guitars have been already recorded.
The cover artwork will be once again delivered by JP Fournier, who has worked out all the previous Pharaoh covers as well as on Superchrist’s “Headbanger”.
For those who aren’t aware Superchirst features Pharaoh’s Chris Black on bass and vocals (in 2007 Chris has been also busy with his old band/project Dawnbringer, a band that has released a very interesting album such as "In Sickness and in Dreams”).
Crescent Shield are working on their new material. They have released an official press release, that goes like this:
“US melodic metal band CRESCENT SHIELD is excited to announce they are nearing completion of songwriting for their sophomore record. The album, as yet untitled, promises the same high quality songwriting, tight musicianship, and true metal spirit as their worldwide critically-acclaimed debut THE LAST OF MY KIND. However, this time the band promises a more complex record with more intricate riffing, a powerful speedier approach, and more epic song structures while maintaining the strong melodic hooks and passionate delivery their fans have come to expect. Some of the song titles follow:
Lifespan Under Cover of Shadows 10,000 Midnights Ago The Grand Horizon Temple of the Empty Tides of Fire
Five of the songs have been recorded in demo form at the band's home studio. The band plans to record the album sometime early next year with well respected metal producer Bill Metoyer. The record will once again be released on Italian label Cruz Del Sur Music.
CRESCENT SHIELD is also slated to play KEEP IT TRUE X Saturday 5. April 2008.”.
We have had a chance to listen to the demo-songs and expect an ever stronger and more intense performance than on “The Last of My Kind”. Songs like “Tides of Fire” and “Temple of the Empty” have the potential to be among the most epic songs of 2008.
If you have read the CRESCENT SHIELD news you have also read about the KEEP IT TRUE X festival, possibly the greatest traditional heavy metal festival in the world.
Just a reminder that both Pharaoh and Crescent Shield will play there their exclusive European shows.
For Pharaoh it will be their first show ever and they’re announced with a special line-up with two well-known metal-musicians as guests .
News from the SLOUGH FEG camp, as reported on their myspace blog.
“Yes we are going on a tour of the USA in November. Yes we do have a new drummer. Yes we will be playing material from Hardworlder. Stay tuned for more details...we just may be coming to your town...”
So far the tour-dates are as follows:
11/07/07 Elbo Room, San Francisco CA
11/08/07 The Vista, Eureka, CA w/The Thrones
11/09/07 Mt Tabor Theatre, Portland OR w/Dark Black
11/10/07 Comet Tavern, Seattle WA w/Slave Traitor, Skelator
11/11/07 ___TBA Boise/Missoula
11/12/07 Burt's Tiki Lounge, Salt Lake City UT
11/13/07 ___TBA Denver CO
11/14/07 ___TBA Lawrence KS
11/15/07 ___TBA Omaha NE
11/16/07 ___TBA Minneapolis MN
11/17/07 Annex, Madison WI w/Bible of the Devil, Skintones
11/18/07 Quencher's, Chicago IL w/Bible of the Devil, Cocaine Wolves
11/19/07 Mac's Bar, Lansing MI
11/20/07 Jigsaw Saloon, Cleveland OH
11/21/07 ___TBA New York NY
11/23/07 ___TBA Washington DC
11/24/07 The Milestone, Charlotte NC w/Poontanglers
11/25/07 ___TBA Asheville NC
11/26/07 The Dregs, Memphis TN
11/27/07 The Dart Room Fayetteville AR
11/28/07 ___TBA Texas
11/29/07 ___TBA Austin TX w/Black Cobra
11/30/07 ___TBA Albuquerque/El Paso
12/01/07 Vaudeville Cabaret, Tucson AZ
12/02/07 ___TBA Los Angeles CA
SLOUGH FEG coming to Europe? YES!!!
Not as early as we would like to, SLOUGH FEG will be for three weeks in Europe by mid April.
Shows shall be announced soon, confirmed by now is their participation to the UP THE HAMMERS festival in Athens, Greece on the 11th / 12th of April 2008! Expect other shows in Germany, UK and Italy!
Did you knew that we are offering special deals on our web-store? You can get value-packs, cds for as low as 2,00 euros, t-shirts.
Besides CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC online store is the place where you can pre-order at a special price all our releases, before they get to stores or to distributors.
Worldwide delivery is fast and secure, usually within 24/4 hours and our system is user-friendly (there’s an answering machine oh yes, but we check every message you send).
You can also build your own value-pack at the price you think it’s worth paying so why don’t you just visit it?
LEGAL DOWNLOADING
Cruz Del Sur Music titles are available for legal download through 83 retail partners.
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