ALBUM REVIEW: “Goldstar” by Imperial Triumphant
Imperial Triumphant was formed in 2005 by Zachary Ezrin in New York City. They’ve released five albums to date from 2012’s debut “Abominamentvm” through to 2022’s “Spirit of Ecstasy”. Their latest album “Goldstar” comes out on 21st March 2025 via Century Media.
Imperial Triumphant…. Well, where to start….? They’ve been described as everything from avant-garde to blackened death metal via jazz fusion. Since their formation, their style has changed but constant is their embrace of the musical and lyrical influence from their home city of New York. Commenting on the release of Vile Luxury in 2018, Ezrin described the record as "our most refined and metropolitan release to date” continuing “the New York City influence that shaped the world, embraced the aspect of our sonic pyramid that at its core comes from jazz, and applied it to black metal".
The city becomes the sound of a human engine that throbs like an atrophying heartbeat; the decaying city of the future in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, and this comparison is clearly visible in their artwork and visual appearance with the band dressed in black robes with individual golden masks reminiscent of Rotwang’s creation The Maschinenmensch (the movies fictional robotic human).
That’s the grandiosity that New Yorkers, Imperial Triumphant have found equal amounts of beauty and horror within. With their latest release, Goldstar, the masked triumvirate continues their exploration of the urban and arcane. The band has found inspiration in the sound of metal pushed to its darkest extremes, gilded, art deco temples, and looming cityscapes.
So, on to “Goldstar”. I love their 2018 album “Vile Luxury” and the 2020 follow up “Alphaville” which both felt hugely elaborate in their scale and grandeur, and avant-garde improvisational sensibility. With “Goldstar”, there feels to have been a deliberate shift in style and focus and a more focused approach, such as in the explosive opening track Eye of Mars which opens with vinyl scratching sounds and a brief muted horn and radio news bits before the hammer of hard hitting blackened metal descends on us all. It's brutal in its pace and power. Throughout the album, Imperial Triumphant use various sounds and effects, and here there appears to be at one point a big cat ‘roaring’. On later listens, I actually enjoyed the experience of listening out and trying to identify as many as I could.
For Lexington Delirium, Imperial Triumphant called on long-time collaborator Tomas Haake, drummer from Meshuggah. The distant noise of police sirens give an eerie edge to the opening, as a simple solo guitar, echoes out, before suddenly a female voice breaks in telling us the future, like everything else, is not quite everything used to be, followed by the deep growling, guttural vocal tones of Zach. The guitarwork is incredible – fast and furious as they deliver their “love letter to the Chrysler Building”.
Next up, the blackened metal is again centre stage with Hotel Sphinx. Here the lyrics take their most extreme form, at times, twisted and altered into a dark, menacing and other-worldly noise. At times the vocals and guitars reminded me of Kanonenfieber (which is no bad thing !). Two thirds of the way through, the track takes a very unexpected twist, as a muted keyboard tone, takes us on a journey into what I believe is a section of Sarabande from Handel’s Keyboard Suite in D Minor (?). The guitars and drums kick in, building the track to an awesome crescendo.
With NEWYORKNEWYORK featuring Yoshiko Ohara, at only 47 seconds it’s a short sharp explosion of noise with wailing vocals searing into our brains. It’s a moment of unadulterated brutality and I love it. Described by the band as a kind of a Dada-ist grindcore track ! When recorded in the studio they apparently told the engineer to just cut it off after 30 seconds and capture what they recorded, as they embarked on a instinctive, free and improvised grindcore piece. Its aim ? To reflect the weight and heaviness and sometimes, the brutality of living in New York. It works for me !
Right on the back of NEWYORKNEWYORK is another sonic oddity, this time all 55 seconds of it, in the form of Goldstar. A short scratched 78 record infomercial for Goldstar (think post-apocalyptical Fallout series). It’s complete with loud crackling and has that early 1950’s vocal and musical vibe going on. It’s rough, and unusual – and strangely works so well as a sonic juxtaposition to the brutality of the metal surrounding it. Like an oasis of normality in a sea of urban noise and confusion.
Tomas Haake re-appears again with his trademark ominous, spoken vocals alongside drumming legend, Dave Lombardo on Pleasuredome. The track starts with that movie iconic sound of sirens and street noise… car horns and a church bell ominously chiming slowly I the distance. The music starts up, muted and faded, almost part of the urban sprawl and background noise, and slowly, over time it builds and builds, coming to the fore and blocking out the city in its wake. The change in drum style from Lombardo here is quite noticeable and very effective. Slowed and backing the brutal riffs perfectly. Half way through is a delightful solo from Lombardo, using the full kit and showcasing why he is such a metal drumming icon.
Final track Industry of Misery, is an interesting piece. The black metal power has gone, replaced by that experimental, erratic jazz infused madness. The track opens with a crystal clear piano with simple echoing guitar chords with background noises. It was reminiscent (for me) of the visually impressive scene in Bladerunner, when the camera moves around the damp, deserted apartment building, creating a dark and creepy atmosphere. It finally explodes into a visceral and complex web of weaving notes and tones, an Opeth-like monumental number to end on.
And that is “Goldstar” from Imperial Triumphant.
“We want people to remember IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT as a band that pushed metal music forward,” says Zachary, summing up the New York trio’s stamp on the scene. “A band that created records that had not existed previously. And hopefully inspiring others to look beyond just metal into other places: film, classical music, world music, architecture, to find a new kind of approach to metal itself.” Goldstar is a long cool drag and as intense an urban fever dream as only Imperial Triumphant can deliver.
If you’ve loved their earlier albums such as “Alphaville” and “Vile Luxury” you’ll notice the difference in the sonic feel of the new album, but it has that Imperial Triumphant essence that is un-mistakable. If you’re new to Imperial Triumphant ? Well, give it a listen and see what you think…. You’ll either love the jazz-fusion black metal madness of the Metropolitan NY madness, or not.
For me, the musical complexity and changing keys make it something deep and complex to be enjoyed on multiple levels, and so it’s a bit YES YES YES, and a well deserved 9.0 from LiveWire Music
“Goldstar” from Imperial Triumphant is out on 21st March 2025 via Century Media.
