Imperious – Tales Of Woe – The Journey Of Odysseus, Parts I + II
Review By David Kerber
Published for the first time in 2015 (part 1) and 2016 (part 2), Imperious are now releasing their Tales Of Woe double strike on an official label. Well, I’m not the biggest Black Metal fan right now (mainly because of the vocals), but what Imperious banned here on record is just terrific.
Epic riffs, bombastic orchestra arrangements and a feeling for fine melodies make every Epic Metal fan jump in the air. Thematically it is about the wanderings of Odysseus, which are told in just under 2 hours.
There are doomy passages, female and male (Kalmesch gives the Mustis (ex-Dimmu Borgir) of Imperious) clear vocals and a narrator, who carries you through the story. But also quiet acoustic interludes and epic instrumental passages loosen up the album and provide atmosphere. The epic is refined by various guest musicians such as Michael Seifert (“German” Rebellion, Wolfchant) or Lokhi (Wolfchant).
Musically, there is nothing to complain about, although you can not highlight any of the 17 songs. As usual with concept albums, you have to see the whole double album as a Gesamtkunstwerk. That’s why you should get both albums (which unfortunately are not available as an official double album but only as two single albums). And then listen to both discs in a row, because half the story is indeed only half as much fun ^ ^. However, those who are overwhelmed with sophisticated music a la Fen or even earlier Opeth (from the song structures) should prefer to keep their hands off this.
IMPERIOUS – The Isle Of The Solar God: https://youtu.be/u70lpFk6lsw
Lineup:
Sertorius – Lead Vocals, Bass, Orchestration
Iluaar – Lead Guitarsn
Kalmesh – Rhythm Guitars, Vocals
Label: Massacre Records
Out: November 17th 2017
Duration: Part 1: 62:31 / Part 2: 56:58
Track list
Part 1:
- At The Shores Of Ilion
- To Abjure Temptation
- At The Cave Of Polyphemus
- The Sharpened Pale
- Insidious Winds
- At The Bay Of Telepylos
- The Feasting Of The Laestrygonians
- Celestial Tunes Of Moral Fraud
- At The Realm Of Hades
- Where Cimmerian Darkness Dwells
Part 2:
- Of Casualties (And The Further Way)
- Sirens
- The Isle Of The Solar God
- At The Shores Of Ithaca
- Scorn
- Bloodbound – The Bow Of Odysseus
- At The Olive Tree
Rating 8.5/10
MHF Magazine/David Kerber
