Vae victis! Woe to the vanquished! IMPERIUM DEKADENZ hail from Germany’s Black Forest, where the Roman Empire clashed, conquered, and finally fell against first Celtic and later Germanic tribes. Its impenetrable, murky, and mysterious fog ridden woods and harsh landscapes have given rise to a dark romanticism that even imbues the works of this band with deep roots in Nordic black metal.
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ have cultivated and advanced an atmospheric style of their own with their highly acclaimed third and fourth studio albums ‘Procella Vadens’ (2010) and ‘Meadows of Nostalgia’ (2013). The dark chasms and steep rises of the Black Forest mountains are echoed within the German duos’ majestic melodies, which are contrasted by interludes of often fragile acoustic parts.
With their new full-length ‘Dis Manibvs’ – a title derived from antique Roman grave markers translating from Latin as “To the Spirits of the Dead” and basically meaning “In Remembrance” – IMPERIUM DEKADENZ take a surprising step in their evolution by adding an expression that is probably best compared to DEAFHEAVEN and DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT. Probably even more astonishing is how well and organically the German veterans integrate this sound with seeming ease into their already existing style, which has also been likened to WINTERFYLLETH and AGALLOCH in its more epic moments and MG┼üA or WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM during harsher parts ÔÇô to drop but a few suitable names.
Founded in the year 2004, IMPERIUM DEKADENZ quickly gained a dedicated following with their debut ‘ÔǪund die Welt ward kalt und leer’ (2006) as well as its follow-up ‘D├ñmmerung der Szenarien’ (2007). Lyrically, IMPERIUM DEKADENZ clad metaphors of human transience, ashes, and shadows into an antique attire with a penchant for the Roman Empire, while declining to deal with genre typical political, religious or misanthropic themes.
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ break new ground with their forthcoming masterpiece ‘Dis Manibvs’, an album that has the potential to unite traditional as well as progressive black metal adherents together in well-deserved praise ÔÇô which would mark an astonishing achievement in itself. Judge for yourself! |
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