Dämmerung der Szenarien

Riding upon the momentum of last year's debut ...Und Die Welt Ward Kalt Und Leer, the German duo has returned with another work of misanthropic majesty. I hesitate to truly compare their sound to Austrian gods Summoning, since they lack the synthesized percussion, Tolkien lyrics and overall bombast of that outfit, but clearly Imperium Dekadenz is shouting at you from the same place...the distant castle walls and frosted, forested mountainous regions of legend.

Each of the anthems presents a wall of guitars backed by tasteful synths, over which the vocals of Horaz soar with a forgotten grace. The jangling ambient guitars and whispers of "Into Breathless Sleep" immediately part to herald the glories of "Der Dolche Im Gewande", and much of the album alternates between these mid-paced charges over the landscapes of eld, and softer acoustic counterparts. In short, the entire affair seems like a tribute to a lost German kingdom. Perhaps my favorite tune is "Nebelbrandung", unforgettable with its soaring, grim landscape and subtle touches of guitar melody and male choral vocals.

I translated the album title as "The Twilight Scenario" but I fail when it comes to the tongue of my distant Germanic forefathers so take that as you will. This is a solid album throughout, it will certainly appeal to fans of epic black metal, especially those of you who favor a good raw atmosphere over the highly produced battle metal coming out of Europe these days. Highest recommendations to fans of Summoning, Angantyr and Blood Fire Death-era Bathory. I'd also recommend their debut, a killer they have not quite surpassed with this, but certainly equalled.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

With this album, Imperium Dekadenz unleashes unforgettable and perfect black metal. At the core of their somber tone are crunchy guitar riffs that range in style but mostly plod along in mid-tempo groove and sorrow. The distortion they use gives the album a unique sound in that it is much heavier than other black metal albums yet still just as crunchy. Floating above these rhythm guitars are passionate lead-lines and great medium-high black metal vocals. The lead lines are recorded in a slightly different fashion—a little cleaner—which helps them stand out from the rhythm guitars because your ear can pick them up even in their slightly lower volume.

Some songs like “Nebelbrandung” have strange-sounding keyboard melodies that add nicely without taking over, and the regular accompanying keys are always soft enough that they do not distract from the guitars.

The undistorted sections of the album really bring it up a notch. They are filled with excellent atmosphere—sometimes more folky and at other times more classical sounding. The acoustic song “Harmatia” serves as a nice intermission from black metal but it still feels connected to the rest of the album because of the other acoustic sections.

The album never dives into evil or nightmarish black metal which I appreciate a lot. In the end the album feels like a sorrowful folk excursion. The album draws to a close with the great song “The Night Whispers to the Wise” which ends with an extremely peaceful section that serenades you in sadness. The last minutes of the album are taken by a beautiful piano piece called “Waiting” which allows you to reflect on how great the album was.