Review: Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar
Gold (star), always believe in your soul
Seeing the journey that Imperial Triumphant have taken and how they have evolved has been very interesting—starting off as goofy fun Immortal worship to then evolve into their own avant-garde take on the blackened death style. Once they started mixing in Americana-type elements as well as some technical hints in their music, they found the style they thrive in with strong releases such as Abyssal Gods and Vile Luxury. Their American Utopian-style look also separates them as their own personality as well as their live shows in full gear being great to watch. The New Yorkers now cruise out with their 6th album, Goldstar, three years after their last album followed by a curious EP of covers.
Goldstar opens with a thunderous bang with “Eye of Mars,” showing off their strongest traits. One of the few unexpected curveballs with this album comes at the start of “Gomorrah Nouveaux” that throws gnawa music into the mix. You’d expect this to be a conflict with Imperial Triumphant’s music, but it blends so well you just expect it to be fitting for them. The track also shows off some of the impressive bass guitar work from Steve Blanco that he delivers throughout the album.
The Americana side of the band is more present for the lyrical theme of “Lexington Delirium” which is based on their passion for New York City’s architecture. “Hotel Sphinx” is a very fun track that displays the band’s versatility, from nice tremolos to a mix of tightly executed riffs and grooves. A duo of surprises are thrown at you next in “NEWYORKCITY” which is just a randomly placed grindcore song that continues their tradition of Yoshiko Ohana’s guest inclusions in their discography. This is followed up by “Goldstar”, a barbershop quartet-style interlude that is perfectly fitting for Imperial Triumphant’s vibe and reminds me of the intro to “Atomic Age” from Alphaville (which I really liked too).
The heaviest track on the album comes in the form of “Rot Moderne;” it thrives off their strong execution of the blackened death side of their music. The drumming on this track is great, plus it includes a nice fitting breakdown that doesn’t feel trite. More of the band’s technical aspects are on display with “Pleasuredome” as well as another surprise with the use of maracatu music from Brazil. This track also features Dave Lombardo on the drums and Thomas Haake from Meshuggah; honestly, Haake’s guest contributions here (and in “Lexington Delirium”) have felt a bit non-existent and I wouldn’t have noticed unless I was told. Goldstar closes off with “Industry of Misery,” again displaying their versatility with a dissonant sense to it as well as having some big lyrical kicks like “Bring down the guillotine.” It’s a very fitting end to an album like this.
Goldstar is overall a big improvement on their last album, Spirit of Ecstasy. While it still carries on the style that Imperial Triumphant has been doing for a long time, it feels bigger and more bombastic on this album, making it a refreshing listen. Also, the shorter length of this album compared to their last two releases makes it easier to digest, especially for a sound that that can feel rich like with this band. It probably still doesn’t reach the heights of Vile Luxury for me, but it’s still another pretty enjoyable effort from the band. They did a good job in keeping what makes them thrive and threw enough curveballs that somehow worked which gives Goldstar its own identity in Imperial Triumphant’s discography.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Goldstar releases March 21 via Century Media Records.
