underground_blasphemies: Imperium Dekadenz "Dis Manibvs" Season Of Mist (2016)

Within the black metal realm, Imperium Dekadenz are very difficult to pin down. Their careful balance between German bombast (in the vein of Nargaroth) and ode-to-nature ambience (much like Mgła) is an impressive achievement. In fact, Drudkh is the only other black metal project in my regular roster that really succeeds in this undertaking. "Dis Manibvs", the latest from the German duo, is no exception in their discography: engaging, beautiful and searing, but it is in no way better (or worse) than previous releases like Meadows of Nostalgia, Procella Vadens or anything else in their 12-year back catalogue. What I can say with conviction, however, is that it is the album where they stretch the most boundaries, all the while staying true to what has become a signature sound.

Track list are:

Side A:

In Todesbanden (instrumental)

Only Fragments of Light

Still I Rise

Dis Manibvs

Pantheon Spells

Side B:

Vae Victis

Volcano

Somnia (instrumental)

Pure Nocturnal Rome

Seikilos

This sound is really all about balance: not only the brutal/atmosphere blend mentioned above, but also the balance of tone: ‘Only Fragments of Light’, for example, is perfectly split between menacing undertones via whispered vocals and an uplifting melody [1]. That same menace shines through on the title track – in part due to the band embracing the low end and using detuned 7-string guitars, something of a break with atmospheric black metal tradition! This is just one instance where Imperium Dekadenz show their willingness to expand their arsenal on Dis Manibvs.

As for clean vocals – the choral elements on ‘Volcano’ are a delightful throwback to their 2013 release, Meadows of Nostalgia, particularly bringing to mind ‘Ave Danuvi’. The pacing of this album is on point as well – such as the female operatic coda of ‘Still I Rise’ that completely shifts gears on a listener’s perception, or the incorporation of ‘Somnia’, a short instrumental interlude that sets the stage for the bleakness of ‘Pure Nocturnal Rome’. The open, ringing intro chords breaking into the almost Cure-like riff of this track push it into quasi-DSBM territory – but this melancholy is, once again, offset perfectly by aggression. Perhaps it’s an unexpected side effect of the core band being a duo that gives the album such duality – the personalities of Horaz and Vespasian each bring something different to the table, resulting in this wonderful equilibrium.