Formed in 2004 in Baden/Wurttemberg, Germany, the illustrious and mystical Imperium Dekadenz has steadily risen among the ranks of Melodic Blackened Metal bands, proliferating to the tune of six full-length albums. Now in 2023, they release their seventh overall studio album, Into Sorrow Evermore. Released on January 20th to us via the eclectic Napalm Records, it looks to build on what is fast becoming a legacy of lush, underappreciated music of darkness and poetry.
Consisting of eight tracks, the sprawling, speedy drama of “Truth Under Stars” is underpinned by a fierce melancholy, with the growled rasp of Christian Jacob, aka Horaz, a baleful near-whisper riding over music as beautiful as December graves under snowfall.
With much more to offer, depressive odes such as “Aurora” border on Shoegaze, a morose guitar lead arcing over the proceedings like vultures across white skies. On the other hand the title-track, which opens the album, begins like a tale read to us in our deepest memories. Though up-tempo and bonded in fury, pain cascades from the speakers in magnificent drum fills by multi-instrumentalist Pascal Vannier, aka Vespasian. This song grips you, demanding that you know that you are part of the baring of a soul and not just plodding through another album.
There are many bands who are playing similar sonic waters these days, but Imperium Dekadenz seems to manage their pacing with a bit more care. The songs are not drenched in speed anymore than they are pulled back by intentional slowdown. The compositional balance the band strikes makes for more effective songwriting, ensuring the listener is stimulated throughout.
Furthermore, a pounding epic such as “Awakened Beyond Dreams” is made all the more so by the quietude of the song’s center. When the Metal crashes back in, the payoff is immense. “Forests in Gale” is another example of how Imperium Dekadenz relies upon the sacred power of the riff and is therefore a legitimate Heavy Metal band and not just noodling for emotional points. The riffs the song returns to throughout, augmented by Horaz’ powerful rasp, make this one of the best songs on the album. This is while “Elysian Fields” has more of an ethereal quality to it, slower and more considered. Imperium Dekadenz seems best suited for the inclusion of a bit of that fury, though, as album closer “Memories . . . a Raging River” attests masterfully.
In a world where too many Shoegaze-y bands want to be included in the Heavy Metal temple, but leave their Heavy Metal guitar riffs at the door, Imperium Dekadenz provides this kind of melancholic Dark Metal with the right kind of metallic riffage. The difference in the power of the songs is palpable, and one can easily tell that Horaz and Vespasian come from the right side of the musical lineage of the genre. For this reason, Cryptic Rock gives Into Sorrow Evermore 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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