When we are talking about US Metal, we can say that this title is to name an ample range of musical expressions of North American Metal bands. But we're always speaking of bands that have deeper musical roots on JUDAS PRIEST, but evolved using the same elements that THE RODS, QUEENSRYCHE, OMEN, VICIOUS RUMORS, RUTHLESS and many others used. It's not Thrash Metal, and not like the conventional traditional Heavy Metal. This musical genre in special is the inheritance on bands as LAST PHARAOH, from Hudson Valley/Westchester, New York, and that is releasing their first album, "The Mantle of Spiders".

We can say that they are in the same vein of bands like VICIOUS RUMORS and QUEENSRYCHE but taking inspiration on JUDAS PRIEST as well. Although my words could point to something that isn't new (and let's be honest: their musical way isn't really new at all), it's very good, done with excellent melodies, a strong and solid instrumental work, excellent choruses, and all the songs are filled with that same charming energy that we are used from US Metal bands. Yes, hear it and you won't regret! We can hear on "The Mantle of Spiders" a very good sound quality. It was built to make them sound aggressive, epic, progressive and heavy at the same time. It could be better worked in some moments, especially on the instrumental tunes, and the vocals could be better as well (it's not his voice that is bad, it isn't, but be better worked). Obviously, they weren't such purists to look for something old and moldy as many bands like, and this made the difference, because their musical work sounds great.

Although their work isn't something new, it's truly lovely. And we can point to the silk aggressiveness of the melodies on "Into the Darkness" (very good charming guitar riffs), the savage and heavy tempos of "Jekyll and Hyde" (the vocals are doing a good work here, but these tunes could be a bit more aggressive than we hear here), the melodic grasp of the heavy weight "Deadly Dreams", the catchy rhythm of "Desert Dreams" (it's an instrumental song with great guitar solos, and a good work from bass guitar and drums), and the Progressive Metal touch on the technical parts of "Mantle of Spiders" as their finest moments. A very good band, indeed, and fitting the vocals tunes on the next time (I'm not saying to expel the vocalist, just he can make better than that, because his voice is good enough to make something really great), LAST PHARAOH can be a very good name in the future.