Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy

Golden towers built upon human bodies.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on December 20th 2022) 

There’s always a feeling of apprehension whenever an extreme metal artist is covered by a major outlet. Sometimes it’s genuinely worth the extra attention (even if a band has already produced quality material before) like Blood Incantation, or it’s something that has already been done by other musicians better but inexplicably gets pushed to the forefront, as seen with Deafheaven’s Sunbather. Imperial Triumphant is among those bands that enjoyed a surge of popularity after the release of Vile Luxury, thanks to reviewers like Anthony Fantano, but they mercifully enough don’t fall into the category of “quirky music for outsiders who think metal has stagnated”. The group’s music is inventive and unorthodox without being pretentious, their mix of avant-garde, black, death and jazz being a combination that you don’t see often. 4 years and one album later, we’ve arrived at Spirit of Ecstasy, the newest addition into their musical journey, a release that definitely goes into some new directions, to say the least.

For one, this album has a much more pronounced free jazz influence. Whereas their previous work felt structured and more coherent, there’s a stronger element of improvisation here, as seen on the almost grating stop-start solo on “Chump Change”, whose jagged flow is an acquired taste, to say the least. The problem here isn’t so much the fact that these moments are bad, they’re actually pretty great in and of themselves, as seen on “Death on a Highway”, it’s that these moments feel divorced from the avant-garde metal chaos around them. It feels less like a successful implementation of the style and more like “We’ve got this sick free jazz part, let’s throw it in this song”, without much in the way of direction, leading to some jarring moments. The only case where the free jazz stuff works completely is on the instrumental “In the Pleasure of Their Company”, which to no one’s surprise, is pure free jazz without any diversions. Truth be told, it’s hard to combine two genres that are so diametrically opposed from one another in terms of how they’re structured, and the attempt itself is admirable, even if it didn’t completely stick the landing.

Outside of that, we get more of the inventive and out-of-the-box performances that Imperial Triumphant has accustomed us to over the years, without losing any steam. The slinking basslines and the ferocious “Build! Build!” chanting of “Metrovertigo” and the absolutely bonkers layered guitar/saxophone (courtesy of Kenny G) soloing on “Merkurius Gilded” show that all is well with the band and they haven’t missed a step. Obviously though, since we’re talking about metal, more specifically a death metal hybrid, there need to be some riffs worth noting, and thankfully there’s no shortage of those. Whether it’d be the slow grinding of “Chump Change”, or the explosive and almost blissful release of “Tower of Glory, City of Shame”, they manage to produce memorable sections across different tempos, all of which manage to stick with me long after I’m done listening to the album.

Even the vocal performances here are top notch, both from Ilya himself and from the obligatory guests. There’s Yoshiko Ohara, one of the band’s most notable collaborators, whose performances never get any less exciting, despite being “The lady who screams her head off on an Imperial Triumphant album”, and you have Voivod’s Snake providing his exuberant warbling shout on “Maximalist Scream”, making for an exciting climax. As for Ilya himself, he provides his churning guttural voice, and it sounds as potent as it ever did. The lyrics also continue tackling the themes of urban decay and class divide, all wrapped up in the aesthetic of futurism. They’re well-written, with just enough abstract imagery so as to make them interesting and not a direct recital of political text.

As for the production, it’s flawless, to no surprise. The Century Media budget has yet again been put to good use, providing us with a sleek and full sound that doesn’t sacrifice power or clarity. The guitars are crunchy, their playing being always discernible, all while being supported by a very textured, grumbling bass, while the drums’ intensity cuts through the mix, enhancing the music’s pummelling nature. As for the mixing, it’s just what music this layered and complex needs. It’s well-spaced, resulting in every single detail being audible for the listener to pick apart over repeat listens, which albums like this need in order to be properly digested.

Spirit of Ecstasy is yet another chapter added to the Imperial Triumphant canon, and like the works that came before it, it tries new things. Some of them land, while others sadly don’t. Nevertheless, it shows us a band that isn't inclined to rest on their laurels, instead opting to try something new, all while not losing sight of their own identity and what makes extreme metal interesting. While this album may not be as good as Abyssal Gods or Vile Luxury, it’s still a solid release in its own right, and I’m definitely curious to see where the group takes us next.

Highlights: Metrovertigo, Merkurius Gilded, Maximalist Scream

Rating: 76%