Man, Season Of Mist really are the greatest major metal label going right now, and it's consistently signing bands of the caliber of Imperium Dekadenz that has won them a special place in my heart. This band uses their latest offering, Dis Manibvs, to capture the power of all that black metal can be and makes for some of the most exciting listening you will ever have from a black metal record. This is an album that isn't just triumphant, it is all encompassing, showing you a bit of everything and hinting at so much more to come. Imperium Dekadenz touch on the post-black metal trend, but they also borrow from old school black metal. Sure there are elements of transcendence, but you also get the distinct impression that these guys are going to rip your intestines out. This is a band who could very well be the future of black metal. I know that sounds like pompous grandstanding, but pull apart this record and soon all will become clear.
Imperium Dekadenz don't fuck around with any of the modern bullshit that makes so much modern black metal essentially meaningless. They aren't bothered with conventions and they are apparently willing to do just about anything in the name of their craft. Yet what's fascinating about Dis Manibvs is that it is never out of left field. There is nothing on this record totally alien to the black metal polemic. Rather, the band focus on what makes black metal great and distill those things into ten tracks of pure triumph. This isn't an album that has time to mess around, nor is it one that wastes time on masturbation or being "grim". Instead, this is a record that sees the genre living up to its full potential. Dis Manibvs reminds us not only why we fell in love with black metal, but that their are savage next steps to be made, and these next steps are at once beautiful and symphonic but still as raw as the unsacred flesh of the false savior. In terms of pure songwriting Imperium Dekadenz might be the best thing to happen to black metal since Darkthrone.
It's rare in this day and age that I find a black metal band who I am truly excited by, one who ignite the old flame that made me so passionate about bands like Immortal in the first place. The thing is, this band is only three albums deep and I think they are only going to get better. Their music has an inherent bombast that you can't ignore but also touches on the old evil. Now I just want more. I want to hear Imperium Dekadenz take their high minded musical mastery to the next level and show all of us that not only are they going to be dominating all of our turntables for the next few years but they could shape the direction of the genre. This is black metal taken to the next level but still not achieving its true potential. So get out there and fall in love with me, this will change everything.
Score: 9/10
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