The one man project, Impallium, takes a fair share of stylistic nuance into account when crafting what can be best described as a melo-death hybrid which meets black metal and a dash of progressive songwriting. The project’s latest excursion into uncharted waters comes in the form of the 7 track album, titled “Investiture of Endless Sorrow”, which establishes its sound as one defined less by conventionality and more by ingenuity. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, the general tone and tenor of this entire listen centers around its massive sonic templates. It features everything that Impallium is capable of, from mid-tempo fist-pumping melodies to savage blast beats to guitar-driven grandeur and demonic growling. The musical technique is excellent, as is the bone-crushing, and precise, balls to the wall production work.

The 7-minute plus epic song, “Exalted”, which opens the album, proves to be one of the most unusual displays of melo-death sensibilities projected upon a progressive template. The quieter and minimalistic musical interplay that takes place during the intro leads to a series of explosive bars, which is further bolstered by a massive helping of highly expressive and technical guitar moments.

Agitated blackened death moments are also spliced into many parts of this colossal album, and arrives like a runaway freight train on “Till The Night Takes Me”. Impallium’s biting growls and shrieks truly close the deal here.

Most death and black metal is heavy and focuses on brutality and complexity as opposed to atmosphere. Somehow Impallium manages to display all three of the above components and add in sounds directly taken from the 80’s and 90’s as well.

Enter the guitar and the intense drum playing on “Penintent”, and all hell breaks loose, as the vocals display its totalitarian range. As much as Impallium excels at the guttural radiance, many of the best moments on “In Divinity” are discerningly accessible and heavily atmospheric. “Draconis” is dense and proud, with a wagonload of grinding guitar riffs driving its foundation. It’s pretty much as inviting as anything else on this album.

The monstrous magnificence, around relentlessly coarse percussion and precise guitar work on “Reflection”, provides one of the album’s most beguiling riffs in the midst of the song’s torrential anarchy. The song is of a moderate length, yet has a sense of gradual development and variation that makes it seem longer, balancing a biting rage that is spearheaded by a blistering roar.

I had hoped that “Investiture of Endless Sorrow” might be good. But I had no idea that it would be this good. Clearly Impallium has left nothing behind with this release; giving blood sweat and tears to create a commendable cracker of an album.

The project tackles the final track, “Incarnate” with its usual aggressive technicality, offering darkness and brutality at every turn, and maintaining a savage intensity while exploring the emotive atmospherics that have become a staple of its sound.

Overall, “Investiture of Endless Sorrow” showcases the continued strength of Impallium’s songwriting and performance chops, and certainly serves to wet appetites for future works in the pipeline.

Find all streams for the album here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/impallium/investiture-of-endless-sorrow

SOCIAL LINKS: Facebook.com/impallium – Instagram @impallium – YouTube: Impallium

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