The Time Before Time

While poorly known to this day beyond Vader and Behemoth, Poland had quite a few death metal bands active in the early 90′s. The likes of Betrayer, Nostradamus, Hazael, Dragon, Ghost, Magnus, Violent Dirge, and Cryptic Tales showed a surprisingly diverse sound that was influenced heavily by the Americans but often with a much rawer and primal edge. Imperator are one of the relatively better known of these bands. Dating back to the late 80′s, their sound was an indicator of the transition period death metal was going through as it was starting to progress past the raw chaos of the 80′s into the more structurally defined approach of the 90′s. It was both primitive and progressive for its time, uniting the feral strands of primitive extreme metal with the refinements made with the visionaries of the American death metal community. While externally its aesthetic is quite dated, in this new age of revival metal, when artists attempt to create a voice for themselves from established sounds, The Time Before Time stands tall as a benchmark for how to reunite the past with the present.

The sound on this album is most easily described as a mixture between Morbid Angel’s Altars of Madness and Sarcofago’s I.N.R.I.. Their frenzied riffing and thrash tinged rhythms clearly derive a large part of their heritage from earlier South American hordes but it’s wrapped up in a sense of cryptic structure that is more in line with more ambitious Floridian death metal. The album is built around pairs of riffs operating in conflict against one another, using sudden pauses of staggering rhythm to build up a sense of tension and through which deviations from the primary conflict escape. These hint at a larger revelation around halfway into track, using a melodic motif to break through the thematic stalemate and serve as an explanation of its premises. This sense of expansive elaboration serves as the conclusion and finale the songs build up to, riding upon the wave of momentum with which it enters and storming through multiple iterations of its core idea before returning to the crushing initial riffs that started it all. This keeps the compositional style surprisingly clear while letting structure imply an occult narrative, with violent conflict between primordial forces serving a sort of higher and more insidious power.

Instrumentation on this album is solid and while not technical, coordinates well and prioritize mood and function over any sort of technicality. The guitar work is rife with palm mutes and choppy strums in comparable quantities, using a carefully selected variety of riffs to generate and alter momentum and motion. Slivers of lead guitar appear as melodic shades over conflicting rhythms while soloing dwells in the post Slayer realm of chromatic and disorderly mayhem. Drumming utilizes heavy doses of blasting but unlike other bands tends to go for shorter and more orderly bursts, often interrupting itself for sharp stops before shooting off again. A large number of marching beats appear which add a sense of militarist cadence while fills and rolls are sparsely employed, played mostly for dramatic emphasis on a rhythm as it builds up momentum. Vocals are a half-uttered “spoken growl” that strictly barks orders, akin to a satanic drill sergeant, working in tandem with guitar to further emphasize their savage advance. Production is a bit thin and bass is nearly buried, but this gives it a grainy feel akin to an old black and white horror film, with the guitar in particular sounding like a dusty old basement in terms of how dry it is.

The Time Before Time was likely not very well known outside of the local Polish scene after its release and even with the advent of the internet, it still remains only a cult name in the country’s history. However, it serves as an excellent conditional signifier of the direction death metal was going. Its production job and idiosyncratic style is what will likely keep it from being more widely accepted but more oldschool metalheads will find much to savour in its union of first wave blackened aggression with 90′s death metal structuralism. It’s a reminder that if one wishes to be distinctive and legitimately progressive, they don’t need strange time signatures or a smattering of external influences as much as they do strong songwriting and compositional talent. Many of the more supposedly “atmospheric” and “okvlt” blackened death metal bands of today could learn a thing or two from this little known Polish obscurity. It stands tall alongside releases by Darkthrone, Ripping Corpse, Morbid Angel, and At The Gates from that same year and it’s about time it started to get recognized for it.

Originally posted on The Metal Observer

This is by far one of the most classic and cult death metal albums from Poland. And I don’t really mean the fact that “The Time Before Time” was so close to be released by Deathlike Silence… Sure, it is also an important fact and something Imperator can be proud of, but at the same time it’s secondary, more so because it never happened. More significant is the fact that it is one of the first Polish death metal records, also one of the most characteristic and original works that have ever been created in this land. Being formed behind the so called Iron Curtain and struggling with all difficulties, which bands / metallers in Poland had to fight with in the 80’s, Imperator managed to create something individual and unique. Obviously “The Time Before Time” has this kind of specific early Polish death metal charisma, something what such bands as Dragon, very early Vader, Betrayer or Merciless Death shared. But at the same time it is way different to all these other bands.

“The Time Before Time” is a difficult album. Firstly, because there is this rough and obscure production, which I think is the weakest side of the whole album… I suppose that these songs would have a bigger influence and effect if they sounded more brutal and powerful. Not that the production is bad; it is fine, but it’s just lacking something, maybe if the guitars had sharper, more crushing sound…? All in all I can say that if someone says that the album didn’t age well, then it is its sound to be blamed for it. Production aside, but songs on “The Time Before Time” do not make the listening easier as well, as they’re chaotic, with more complex structures than your average simple and straight forward death metal band from the old days. The riffing is quite specific, so it may take several listens, before you’ll discover the essence of Imperator. And that also includes the characteristic vocals of Bariel and the arrangements of the vocal parts.

Yeah, definitely if you pick these sometimes weird riffs and all the stuff, which is going on here then you may realise that it is not an album, which will hit you in the face from the first listen and will let you get through it easily. It will spill you some blood first! It is not catchy or memorable, but it is chaotic, obscure as hell and furious. The whole music invokes a strong evil and morbid feeling, reminiscent of the very early works of such Morbid Angel, Order From Chaos and Necrovore, maybe even a little bit of the prehistoric era of Possessed and Slayer, but at the same time it is different, just because Imperator definitely had their own style. There are many technical, thrashing parts on the album with crazy, sick guitar solos, but just like the debut LPs of such Possessed and Slayer, it sounds way darker and more evil than the usual thrash metal album. And more so, “The Time Before Time” is often incredibly fast, has many tempo changes, variations or something else what makes it sound quite special… but also sloppy in too many moments. It never gets close to being memorable and catchy, it always is very obscure, harsh and chaotic, but that I suppose will be an advantage for many maniacs.

But “The Time Before Time” is not just the music. The lyrics – based on Necronomicon, Sumerian myths, etc. - also give it a special feeling… of something evil, indescribable, terrifying, mysterious… Taking all these ingredients together, I must say that I do like “The Time Before Time” and have a strong respect for Imperator for being there at the time and for recording such a morbid piece of death metal in so early days. But at the same time I do admit that “The Time Before Time” is not a perfect record and there are some moments, when it is just too messy or simply not quite as good. Sure, such songs as “Eternal Might” – with this brilliant opening theme, “Abhorrence” and “Necronomicon” are great; but on the other hand such “External Extinction” is kind of mediocre (at least some of its fragments). As I mentioned before, this is not an easy album, it is not as memorable and effective as say “Abominations of Desolation” or “The Ultimate Incantation”. You may feel thrown away by some of these sick riffs and solos or Bariel’s yells. Despite that, it is a classic LP and surely it must be in everyone’s collection!
Standout tracks: “Eternal Might”, “Abhorrence”, “Necronomicon”
Final rate: 75/100

It feels bad to have experienced the ultimate thing at the mere age of 14 years. To have heard the one thing that makes life worth living. Haha, not quite, but this album seriously kicks major ass. Fucking shit this is a good album! One of the greatest death albums to come from Europe and definitely the best from eastern europe, no question about it. This album is not very known, even in the metal community, and its a fucking shame that it is that way. Every one who calls themselves death metal fans should at least have heard of this, and its a shame that it's so obscured and overlooked by the big mass.


As soon as I found out that there were another review on the mighty "The Time Before Time", I had to check it out; and I was rather dissapointed. This previous reviewer accused the record for being "uninspired" and boring, opinions that I find just as correct as an Islamic sharia. The music sounds dated, he said. Well, thats kind of true, cause it sounds like every one of these ultra-violent riffs predates god damn Prekambrium! They sound so ancient and moldy, covered with festering slime left behind by the great old ones, when visiting this forsaken planet. This sure is death metal; the kind of death metal that never gets old! The use of morbid, Sumerian/Babylonian-themed lyrics and imagery, the thrashy guitar tone, Bariels original but asskicking screams and yells.


Now, "Eternal Might" opens this masterpiece of obscurity, and what a kick ass song to open with! The whole step-by-step build-up of the track is really effective for an opening track, and that ancient sumerian chant in the beginning sets the mood right away. The song slowly metamorphosing into the definitive incarnation of primordial chaos:


"The voices of the rites of ancient Sumer
Are deeply summoning in immortal minds
The abyss of knowledge is open and close
It's path to perfection but not to be sought"


"Abhorrence" next, just as mindblowing as the opening track. Bariel is full of aggression and darkness, characterizing his vocals. Drums are furious and fast, just as on every track. The lyrics on this record contributes to the high rating, as they are occult, dark, evil, full of obscure and undescribable words, just as lyrics should be, and a song paying homage to the Book of the Black Earth itself, is track number 3: "Necronomicon". "Necronomicon" may be the best song on this. Beginning VERY much alike Mortem's "A Demon Tale" (Im am not accusing Imperator of ripping off Mortem, i know exactly fine that Imperators song was released in about 6-or-so years before Mortem's), with a very great riff thrown in. The song soon evolves into a grotesque audial nightmare, coalescing with Bariels once again marvellous vocal work. There is no need to go through every songs, as every song on this is fucking masterpieces in their own right. Great musicianship (in my ears anyways), kickass riffing and drumming, even more mindblowing vocals and a clear and almost perfect production.


I can't see how someone can rate this under 90%, as it is definately on my top-10 of Death Metal. Get it or live a much more boring life.


Essential to my ears.

‘The Time Before Time’ is such an apt title for a release which documents the time before Vader emerged as everyone’s favourite band from behind the Iron Curtain. If anything was ‘cvlt’ in late eighties’ Poland it was Imperator’s demo tapes, which my older and more discerning mate wouldn’t lend me, the sefish elitist bastard that he was. Then their debut album was released in 1991 and I managed to get hold of a copy of the original pressing. I remember being so excited about the LP that I nearly failed to notice how great ‘Morbid Reich’, which I laid my hands on at roughly the same time, was.

So you cannot blame me for how elated I was on noticing that I’d be the first to review such a gem. But only until I downloaded the album and listened to it a couple of times to jog my memory (what with the vinyl having been borrowed by some thieving bugger long ago, never to be seen again). How come I was so impressed by something so average and on the whole uninspired? I guess it was a case of having been enchanted by the packaging rather than the product itself. After all it was a self-financed album and Imperator were one of the first bands to prove it was actually possible to put out a quality release without selling out to Metal Mind Productions, which to every seasoned Polish metalhead was what Babylon is to Rastafarians. They made many of us believe our scene was being noticed elsewhere, nearly getting the album released by Deathlike Silence (but for Euronymous’ death…who knows?). Then there was the wicked black cover with the silver ornaments, the pentacle and the lyrics about all things dark and primordial…

So why does the music not live up to the band’s legend? Because it has aged really badly. It sounds dated even for 1991 and there isn’t enough to redeem it. The genre description in Metal Archives says ‘death metal’ but if you’ve never heard Imperator, imagine a cross between early Sarcofago and really early, ‘Abominations of Desolation’-era, Morbid Angel. Thus if I was to accept the label, I would have to add ‘proto-‘. Surely, there are some blastbeats and stop-start riffing but the guitar sound is unmistakably thrash metal and the vocals wouldn’t be out of place on early Sepultura releases. Don’t get me wrong , I love each of the aforementioned bands, it’s just that Imperator cannot better them in anything. They have less fire and spite than Sarcofago and Sepultura and less memorable riffs than Morbid Angel. I have never seen myself as having short attention span but after ‘Eternal Might’, which is admittedly a really good opener, marred only by the weird let’s-slow-down-to-recharge-the-batteries bridge, there are two or three half decent tracks I can just about remember and then…Snooore….er, what was I saying?

Yeah, most tracks are quite wearisome and seem overlong. However, there is some good news. The sound of the album is quite nice – murky, cold guitars and vocals have a lot of air around them, which makes them really menacing. Other bands from £ódŸ, like Pandemonium or Dark Opera used a similar sound to a great effect with much slower, doomier music. If you picture hell as a huge desolate space of ice and snow rather than a fiery pit, you might find the tone of ‘ The Time before Time’to your liking. Two last tracks which were recorded in 1993 and added on the CD re-issue sound considerably more latter-day death metal, but at the same time the drumming is sloppier and the overall sound less selective.

In conclusion, you probably should listen to it at least once, if you haven’t heard it before, just because it is a historic release. The chances you’ll fall in love with it are however slim, unless you are a tedious, dull and boring person yourself.