Defying convention and expectations once again, Pharaoh Overlord‘s “7” rides in auspicious, possessed of the gleaming high octane euphoria that transforms a dreary everyday into a triumph-over-adversity movie montage, swaggering in with high-saturation Synth-Rock, dressed in a custom satin bomber jacket for euphoric big-screen moments that never existed, salvation narrated by the death growl of Aaron Turner (Sumac/Neurosis/Old Man Gloom) and guest falsetto from Richard Dawson.
“7” also proudly boasts the mighty Oranssi Pazuzu‘s Juho Vanhanen on production, and Niko Lehdontie on mixing duties.
The number “7” is a cross-cultural signifier of good luck and divine completion, and if this promises much, “7” delivers, as Jussi Lehtisalo and Tomi Leppänen‘s self-proclaimed “dream album.”
“This is, finally, the real Pharaoh Overlord,” promises Jussi, “I can generate demos easily, but working with a producer, it’s reached a destination we really wanted.”
Watch the video for “Arms Of None,” the first single to be released from the album via the YouTube player below:
Pharaoh Overlord are consistent in one field: nailing the joyful thrill of being utterly unpredictable. Reliably unreliable when it comes to sticking to a genre, they are magpie-like music heads without a care for the stultifying brand-building best practice of dullard music industry proscriptions, describing their process as “like playing the Oblique Strategies but without the cards”.
Possessed as it is with timeless electronic pop moments, “7” is perhaps the best place to begin that Pharaoh Overlord have ever released, infused with the positivity and enthusiasm that douses every project from this particular Finnish set: “What is relevant now, it will be dead tomorrow,” says Jussi, “We don’t have a destination, we’re just trying to do something interesting with the everyday, so that life can be just that little bit happier.”
Preorder “7” now on ltd edition ‘Under a Distant Sun Yellow‘ vinyl via Rocket shop.
Or you can pick-up a ltd edition ‘Clear‘ vinyl version via all decent record shops.
Tracklist:
01. Matriarch
02. Arms of None
03. War of Habit
04. The Man Laid Low
05. Under Distant Sun