Imperium Dekadenz - ...und Die Welt Ward Kalt Unde Leer (2006)

One of the brighter German bulbs to flare up in the new century thus far, Imperium Dekadenz are a black metal band who focus on that rarest of experiences: the experience. As such, each of their works can be said to accommodate and harvest a wealth of potential and dynamics that one does not often encounter when exploring their particular niche. Slow, drawn out, chord-driven compositions are graced with spacious, resonant majesty, and the band makes good use of acoustic piano and guitar interludes and segues within the thick of their glorious excursions to emptiness and regret. The cover fonts might delude one into an amateurish opinion of the band on their debut ...und Die Welt Ward Kalt Unde Leer ("And the World Became Cold and Empty"), which was released through local label Perverted Taste, but make no mistake about it, the Germans were already outgunning many in their class with the somber sensibilities that permeate their powerful expression.

The "Einklang" intro balances ambiance with grim, distorted, leering narrative before the arches of percussion and the bloodied longing of "Glanz der Klinge (The Blade's Resplendence)". This is not an intricate composition, merely a driving hymn of pain with a crude forward melody served with a condiment of cold, tortured vocals. "Halls of Lust" is a far more prolonged distraction, the most epic of the album at 8 and a half minutes, with a repetitive, almost Viking whore sense for sailing simplicity that very well rears a late 80s Bathory influence (Hammerheart and Blood Fire Death in particular). "Of All Ends" collapses into truly punishing territory due to its vacuous, repetitive climate, industrial warfare segue and ensuing increase of pace, while "Fields of Silence" batters a slowly dominant, unforgettable sequence of chords straight into your psyche, leeching out the warmth and sunshine from your emotions.

Other points of interest here are the interludes "For Those Who Sleep Eternally" and "Meine Reise Durch Die Zeit (My Journey Through Time)", lighter fare that gives the exhausted traveler a brief respite through the band's oppressive, depressing journeys. The title track outro is equally desperate, with swelling orchestral synthesizers surrounded by the themes of storm walls rising and rushing through the mountains and across the open air. "Schwarze Wilder (Black Forests)" is perhaps my favorite single metallic track on the record, with a frigid but regal tone to its wending melodies, a simple yet effective power to the chords of the verse. Another of the tracks longer pieces, "Gefrorene Wunden (Frozen Wounds)" is also stunning and consistent, locking in the debut at over 45 minutes of escape that you can sit through on some windy shore with your headphones, or perhaps the onset plague of winter or warfare.

Imperium Dekadenz do not deal in complexity, whether through the individual riffing or the layout of the songs. Most are content with just 2-3 major riffs, perhaps a surge in pacing that occasionally borders on and succumbs to blasted speed, but through all the repetition and attitude the band simply have the capacity to soar over you like a blanket of encroaching night. The vocal presence is magnificent and the production offers ample traction to the guitars without losing the percussion or bass. ...und Die Welt Ward Kalt Unde Leer would be shortly surpassed by the band's sophomore effort Dämmerung der Szenarien, still their crowning achievement to this point, but it stands as an impressive debut for those who like their black metal to express itself clearly, and coldly, with but a hint of beauty.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (driven by a malignant obsession)

http://www.imperium-dekadenz.de/

Imperium Dekadenz - Procella Vadens (2010)

Having been a huge fan of their previous album Dämmerung der Szenarien from 2007, I've been eagerly counting away the days for this third full-length to arrive from one of the more promising German black metal acts. Perhaps I set my expectations a little on the high end, for Procella Vadens does not quite achieve that same level of intense appreciation I found in its predecessor. Having said that, it's still a strong and somber album with a propensity for slower, pensive tracks that follow one glorious, hymnal melody after the next, with a good balance of both its tranquil tides and lamenting, blazing axe rhythms. It just occasionally lapses into a dull moment for which you can only pray that the next will compensate. Fortunately...this is often the case.

"Die Hoffnung Stirbt..." is a fine piano piece, mysterious and dark as the samples of crashing waters shimmer and boil across its surface, before the slowy driving melodies of "Lacrimae Mundi" crash forth under Horaz' snarling. This is an attractive enough piece, with a trailing acoustic climax, but it doesn't resound with anything all that memorable. "A Million Moons" features a stronger central riff, still very simple and still trolling along at the standard pace, but there is a great bite to the rhythm riff that counters the more melodic guitar, and the breakdown with the oozing bass at 8 minutes is interesting, if a little dull. And that's really the issue, is there enough in this song to entertain you for 10+ minutes? I'm afraid the answer is no, 2-3 could have been cut from its length and nothing lost in the transitions. The following track, "Ego Universalis" is stronger still and half the length, and "À La Nuit Tombante" is a wonderful folksy acoustic piece which slowly escalates into a simmering swell of autumn beauty.

Speaking of the fall, the latter half of the album begins with "An Autumn Serenade", pianos morphing into more primal, mid-paced thunder before the glinting acoustics, lightly howling winds and distant male vocal narrative take over. Though it's also pretty long, over 9 minutes, this one never suffers from some of the repetitious drivel that drags down "A Million Moons", and it's one of the album's best. "Ocean, Mountains Mirror" is a solid, regal slab of melodic black metal, while "The Descent Into Hades" is like a marriage of Vangelis and Dead Can Dance, a fascinating and lustrous trip into a non-metal atmosphere which meets with resounding success. Loved this one, and the title track isn't too shabby, a powerful, emotional black metal piece with room to breathe, before the album closes as it began, with another swelling piano piece "...Wenn Der Sturm Beginnt".

Though it's short of an hour's length, there are some areas of Procella Vadens which feel too bloated, in particular the 10 minutes of melancholy that comprise "A Million Moons". Much of its contents are good, though, in particular the moody, non-metal moments, whether they serve as intros, segues or tracks unto themselves. I feel the band can often suffer from a lack of riffing, and their minimal approach (at least on this album) does not always compensate. With a few tweaks, it may have reached the level of its elder sibling, but I was mildly underwhelmed by the end result.

Highlights: À La Nuit Tombante, An Autumn Serenade, The Descent Into Hades

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.imperium-dekadenz.de/

Imperium Dekadenz - Dämmerung der Szenarien (2007)

Riding upon the momentum of last year's debut ...Und Die Welt Ward Kalt Und Leer, the German duo has returned with another work of misanthropic majesty. I hesitate to truly compare their sound to Austrian gods Summoning, since they lack the synthesized percussion, Tolkien lyrics and overall bombast of that outfit, but clearly Imperium Dekadenz is shouting at you from the same place...the distant castle walls and frosted, forested mountainous regions of legend.

Each of the anthems presents a wall of guitars backed by tasteful synths, over which the vocals of Horaz soar with a forgotten grace. The jangling ambient guitars and whispers of "Into Breathless Sleep" immediately part to herald the glories of "Der Dolche Im Gewande", and much of the album alternates between these mid-paced charges over the landscapes of eld, and softer acoustic counterparts. In short, the entire affair seems like a tribute to a lost German kingdom. Perhaps my favorite tune is "Nebelbrandung", unforgettable with its soaring, grim landscape and subtle touches of guitar melody and male choral vocals.

I translated the album title as "The Twilight Scenario" but I fail when it comes to the tongue of my distant Germanic forefathers so take that as you will. This is a solid album throughout, it will certainly appeal to fans of epic black metal, especially those of you who favor a good raw atmosphere over the highly produced battle metal coming out of Europe these days. Highest recommendations to fans of Summoning, Angantyr and Blood Fire Death-era Bathory. I'd also recommend their debut, a killer they have not quite surpassed with this, but certainly equalled.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10]

http://www.imperium-dekadenz.de/