Imperium Track By Track Rundown of Exodus Unknown

Imperium Track By Track Rundown of Exodus Unknown

UK thrash outfit IMPERIUM just can’t be stopped. The band’s debut album, Exodus Unknown, lands on Friday 17 July via Heavy Metal Records, and it’s a real statement piece. We caught up with vocalist Ben Porter, who takes us through the album in this exclusive track-by-track breakdown.

Exodus Unknown: The title track! Hardip hit the ground running as we finalised our last EP, creating a really dominant set of riffs and a clear step up, it’s important to know that all our songs start with guitars, drums, then I come in with vocals. So when listening to this track, it screamed two solos, and Hardip did three!

But I got in the mood with this one, took my mind back to a theory my dad once kept on about, we came from mars! Haha. I took the direction of what I would have been like near the end of that planet, to get it to the state it was if we did have to leave it… and that’s what your hearing… absolutely bedlam and every day I feel like we’re getting closer to that scenario… on to the next planet then.

Reap What You Sow: Well, this song’s working title had been ‘Skull Crusher’ for over ten years, a riff Hardip, Scott and James made back in school… it was destined for the album really. We got into this song and let it choose its own direction, it became something quite melodic and catchy instantly. I got the lyrics from closer to home this time. It feels as though I wanna shout this at more people face more and more each day!

Hangman: Ah! This is one of those quick we need something thrashy songs that people will get into straight away. Because of that we disregarded it a bit, until we recorded it and realised how fucking insane this track is!

The throat tugging riffs really make that neck tight! Lyrically I chose to make a song for a pal of mine, he didn’t even know it, but he was chastised for something that happened, and what felt like the whole world went against him. They strung him up to dry, but couldn’t kill him, because they could never defend themselves against the final truth! And even after the dust settled people on heard about his hanging and not his triumph of justice. Fuck ’em!

Hell And High Water: Yes! Guitars on this ripper created by our best bassist! Jean-Raphael! You can hear the different influences in the riffs, the guys got vision for hard melodic thrash. The whole thing is pulling its own story from the ground up.

Mental health themed, I don’t like going on about mental health to be honest but I can’t stop making music about it, hidden behind the story of a gladiator in the Colosseums, made to do battle every day, broken, beaten and on his knees! Does he get up and fight or let the waters drown his ever blurred existence.

Tread The Serpent: Keeping up with the theme of shit we go through. Getting stabbed in the back by snakes is up there with the best of the piss takes!

The track entered the writing room later than most of these songs, yet became a single in the first few days. Lyrically taking a stance against the fucking snakes we find out, charging fully into battle and standing on their necks! It could not be the song it is though without Tony Dolan (Venom Inc) bringing his ruthless ability to the song! Truly, one of the greatest men we’ve met. After a few encounters, I couldn’t help but approach Tony about a possible feature on our album, he said yes instantly, we chose this track as it fits our experiences lyrically, in many ways than I think we’ve even spoken about! He was a diamond in the studio, a true asset and friend! Tony to us, is Lemmy to most of you.

The Gun: Probably one of the first tunes Hardip threw together for this album. With only going one better every time as his overall musical attitude, he threw a lot into this one. Lending the album an opportunity to really separate itself from the kids. This tune is relentless, you don’t realise it’s as long as it is, it fucking sinks its claws deep into you as you listen.

I had a really really hard time living up to this song vocally, I think I wrote this song five times before I really had a set of lyrics I could really live by when singing it. It’s cool as fuck, it’s some of the most skilful vocals I’ve done. Themed on putting faith in the devil to get one up, and the final realisation that you think you can control your destiny and what happens around you, you’re just the trigger, to a gun you’re not even aiming.

Unstoppable: This is a wildcard if we ever had one! A song that had no energy and direction, until James came through with the DRUM AND BASS! Picking the songs pace up really changing it completely, the life was kicked into it instantly, but at what cost!? We don’t know! Will the listener like it? Do we care? no! But man did it help me with lyrics…

Something we’ve been aiming for, a record deal, gives me exactly the same feeling of this song! With all the horror stories this industry has to offer it’s quite something to be fully gullible with record deals and so on! This songs about my views on a record deal! Whatever the deal, we just wanna be unstoppable! And all we can see is the green lights so far.

The End: Closing the most powerful set of songs you’ll hear in the last few minutes of listening. Something you probably didn’t expect. Hardip’s had this in his back pocket a while but we didn’t expect to create this rollercoaster of emotion. It’s such a beautiful, yet haunting story from the minuet the clean guitars kick in.

I couldn’t get my mind into this for a while, so out of my territory, then I sat with a cigar in my garage and a scotch. Full cliche! Not denying it, I’ve never had to do that before, but I just needed to immerse myself. By the time I had to finished both, I’d asked myself, through all you push yourself through, ambitions, struggles, victories, anger, love and glory. What happens at The End?

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