German black metallers Imperium Dekadenz are back with their fourth full length release Meadows Of Nostalgia. The duo possess the unique ability to make traditional BM sound polished and modern without skipping down the path of ‘post-whateveritis’ that causes so many purists to groan and turn their backs.
Meadows… is certainly no exception to this rule; rasping, sinister vocals, buzzing guitars and blast beats galore but with added audible bass line and even the occasional burst of acoustics. The album title hints at something almost on the depressive side of the genre and certainly doesn’t disappoint; the first half of this record is soaked in an atmosphere of despair and despite the vocals being entirely in German, the loneliness and dread seeps through the language barrier to make itself painfully apparent.
It’s a sad state of affairs that Imperium Dekadenz seem to be overlooked by the vast majority of metal press, as they have so much to offer in terms of sound and style. However, if there is an album that they’ll break the industry with, this is not it. Whilst tracks 1-4 are an impressive display of power and melody at play with one another, the latter half descends rapidly into repetitiveness and fails to hold up to the high standards this opus began with so promisingly.
6/10
Angela Davey