I don't think I've come across a band that fits so well into the Prog Metal mold (and all it's implied cliches) than Imperium. Once you get past the "pitchy" vocals, nonsensical lyrics and geek-tastic cover art you'll find plenty of satisfyingy potent music. For me, it's always the instrumental section that makes anything "Prog" worth while, and Imperium definitely deliver. This album contains some of the best rhythms and rapid-fire picking I've heard in ages. The guitars have an amazingly clear, yet meaty tone. The overall production is masterful, considering how little-known this band is. They've achieved the ideal balance of tone and clarity, with only slight cymbal harshness to complain about. Sure, some parts are a bit "overblown", but that comes with the territory. If you've even read this far, I'm sure you're more than accustomed to bombast. If you're into this sort of thing, you know what to do. And thanks to "Anonymous" for recommending this!
No probs mate, glad you dug it! What about Realm? Not as obscure as this lot, I bet you know them actually.
ReplyDeleteI checked out Realm. They didn't really tickle my fancy, thanks for mentioning them though! Out of curiosity, are you from New Zealand?
ReplyDeleteFair play, they're not for everyone! Nah mate, from good old London in the UK! Keep these thrashy posts comin!
ReplyDeleteI'm having some trouble with the download link, have you got another one? By the way nice blog man, I'm finding a lot of cool bands here.
ReplyDeleteI don't. Try searching google, filestube, or filetram. There should be a good rip floating around. And thanks!
ReplyDeleteFrom 2005, I played in the band Sphere of Souls with two (intially three) of the guys from Imperium. They're currently doing a reunion in the original line-up and have done a couple of shows, with another lined up in January 2015. I saw the reunion show they did in Hellendoorn last October and they were on fine form, playing the album in its entirety, plus some unreleased material from their final demo.
ReplyDeleteBTW, if you're downloading the album make sure you select the European version, which contains the original tracklisting as it was intended by the band. The US and Japanese versions have a different tracklisting, which was used without their knowledge or consent.