Review IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT “Goldstar”

New York City is not just the city that never sleeps. It is also a creative melting pot where all kinds of art and artists come from – from the MOMA to the Guggenheim Museum to a very vibrant rock and metal scene. Such an environment is perfect for a band like Imperial Triumphant to grow.

The band is the brainchild of Zachary Ezrin, who formed the outfit in 2005 and has released five albums to date. With ‘Goldstar’ the band has a new album in the record stores. Three years after the release of “Spirit of Ecstacy”, the new record is the next big step for the band. “Goldstar” contains nine new songs and Imperial Triumphant will strengthen their special role in Metal.

In a way, the band picks things up where they left off with the previous longplayer. “Goldstar” is a wild ride, combining genres and influences that aren’t obviously connected and equally challenging. Nothing on this album is easy and yet each of the songs is a stunning composition. Black metal, death metal, progressive rock and even jazz, it’s a unique blend. It’s not easy to find a better way to describe the music of this special band, and it’s more important to listen to what Ezrin and his bandmates deliver with their latest effort.

Songs like the furious opener ‘Eye Of Mars’ establish the tone for the album. It is a furious and technically advanced composition with racing speed and dazzling breaks while the avant-garde factor, another element of Imperial Triumphant’s music, is very much present in “Pleasuredome”. The song has a dystopian vibe that slowly builds up with the drums playing a special role in this song, which features Meshuggah‘s Tomas Haake as well as the legendary Dave Lombardo. Having these two musicians on board (Haake also contributed to “Lexington Delirium”) shows the technical complexity of each of the songs as well as describing music that couldn’t be further from the mainstream than what this effort offers.

Although ‘Goldstar’ takes some time, the album is a fascinating experience for the listener already when spinning it for the first time. You are overwhelmed by the versatility and complexity of songs like “Hotel Sphinx”. It’s as if your mind can’t process what your eardrums are pushing forward, and that’s what makes each of these progressive riff monsters so special.

The most brutal track on the album is the frantic “NEWYORKCITY”, which actually describes the unrest of the city musically in less than a minute, followed by the title track, which isn’t much longer, but comes with a completely different approach, as swing is suddenly in the center. Just when you think you understand the album’s approach, the guys add another twist that kicks you back into confusion.

“Goldstar” is a musically rich and technically advanced album, the best and most mature the band has released to date. As with the previous efforts, it takes time to explore the depths of these songs, revealing new details each time you start a song over. “Goldstar” pushes you out of your comfort zone and shows that creativity is endless.