Album Review: Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville
Reviewed by CJ Claesson
Ever since their debut full-length record ‘Abominamentvm’ (2012), this godless New York City outfit have been carving out their own path in the extreme metal landscape. The path runs through the well-treaded regions of black, death, and even blackened death metal, but the avant-garde approach takes long, cunning excursions into the intriguing world of jazz. Unable to be held within the rigid confinements of black metal, Imperial Triumphant pushes the boundaries even further on ‘Alphaville’.
For avid 80s pop fans – Alphaville comes with a different set of connotations. But instead of wishing for eternal youth, Imperial Triumphant aim to take the listener on a challenging auditory journey immersed in blasphemy… and class.
Coloured by the art deco aesthetics of the cover, my mind goes straight to the ritzy galore of gentlemen’s clubs in 1920s New York City. Throughout the record, this image stays with me. However, the opulent ambience is shattered by the polarising soundscapes, and chaos ensues.
As expected, I’m presented with challenging progressions and rhythms from the moment I hit play. Increasingly prominent jazz elements appear already in the second track ‘Excelsior’. Indicative of the title, I’m surrounded by a certain level of warmth, class and sophistication which is a rare occurrence in the otherwise cold image of black metal. The band is exuding talent and finesse and the bass work by Steve Blanco is enthralling.
The band states: “it is a very dense and challenging environment we place you in”. Complete with a bongo drum solo, ‘City Swine’ gives a first glimpse of an ever more distressed and challenging environment. With aggressive undertones, the dramatic piano performance over beefy guitar chuggery combined with Kenny Grohowski’s frantic drumming, encapsulates the organised chaos.
As mentioned, there’s a lot of finesse on this album which I find serves the purpose of fully engulfing the listener in the experience. Specifically, in ‘Atomic Age’ where additional attention to the panning of the stereo field puts the listener right in the eye of the storm. The intermittent anguished female screams opposing Zachary Ilya Ezrin’s deep vocals adds to the overall theatrics of the album. Imperial Triumphant doesn’t do conventional, which becomes apparent on ‘Transmission To Mercury’ where they unapologetically introduce trombone into the mix. Black metal and trombones, I never thought I’d live to see the day! The inclusion of traditional jazz instruments might not come as a big surprise, but Ezrins experimental guitar playing brings another interesting dimension to the record which couldn’t be achieved by simply including more Big Band instruments.
Following the bombastic title track ‘Alphaville’ and technical heavy hitter ‘The Greater Good’, the band throws a curveball by closing the album on two covers. The covers, ‘Experiment’ by Canadian heavy metal legends Voivod and ‘Happy Home’ by Louisiana avant-pop collective The Residents, are of course put through a thick Imperial Triumphant filter making them one with the rest of the album.
According to the band, ‘Alphaville’ is a record “designed to be slowly and sensationally unfurled by the listener”. Indeed, this album craves your undivided attention and focus. It’s undeniably a luxurious and complex piece of music which I’m sure will attract avid true black metal fans and avant-garde leaning individuals alike. Being a fan of what’s considered True Norwegian Black Metal and not really engaged in the avant-garde side of black metal myself, I found this album challenging. But that’s good, because that’s what the band was aiming for. After multiple listens I still find it challenging, but nevertheless fascinating and mesmerizing.
‘Alphaville’ out via Century Media Records on July 31st
ICYMI - Check out our interview with Ilya of Imperial Triumphant here.
