Pharaoh Overlord, “Louhi”
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July 30, 2025
For all the bold fusions that have occurred in the history of musical experimentation, rarely have gravelly “Cookie Monster” vocals been used by non-metal artists. If somebody is growling as angrily as Cerberus when the mailman arrives, it makes sense to do it over mountainous riffs, thundercrack distortion, and blast beats aplenty.
Since 2019’s 5, Pharaoh Overlord have enlisted the roaring vocal services of one of heavy music’s most accomplished vocalists, Aaron Turner of ISIS, Sumac, and Old Man Gloom fame. But to classify Pharaoh Overlord as a metal outfit would be reductive. Formed by members of the Finnish group Circle in 2000, and now led by core duo Jussi Lehtisalo and Tomi Leppänen, the band straddle several styles, but their approach could best be categorized as krautrock or space rock.
In the first few minutes of Louhi, a droning, repetitive, and hypnotic groove is established, with accompanying guitar string scratches and squealing feedback—then Turner starts snarling something barely decipherable, which could well have an apocalyptic theme. At this juncture, conservative kosmische fans might feel bamboozled or even repulsed. Others will be amused or even thrilled. The combination does seem incongruous, as if the vocal track has been copied and pasted from an entirely different recording. It’s absurdly comical, too, which must be part of Pharaoh Overlord’s intentions. Humor has never been far from the agenda of this band or Circle’s.
Once the ear acclimates, the partnership begins to make more and more sense. Louhi’s music is influenced by Outside The Dream Syndicate, Tony Conrad’s 1973 recording with Faust, a masterpiece of drone minimalism, with which Louhi certainly shares a spirit. Its intensity is sustained and adjusted by both the rigidity of repetition and the instrumental flourishes that come and go: a relatively brief synthesizer line here, a new lead guitar part there. Turner’s contribution becomes another recurring element, albeit the most conspicuous one, with which to sustain interest, excitement, and variation.
It’s likely that more traditional listeners will yearn for an instrumental version of this record, which might be provided later down the line as it was with Pharaoh Overlord’s previous outing with Turner, 2020’s 6. However, Turner’s presence is a crucial part of the fun and also part of the point. The final result is a bizarre, immersive, and above all, unique experience that no other band could deliver.
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