ALBUM REVIEW: Volume III: Satan In His Original Glory – The Antichrist Imperium
Considering that its various members have featured in great death and black metal acts as wide ranging as AKERCOCKE, VOICES, WEREWOLVES and THE BERZERKER, the criminally underrated London-based quartet of THE ANTICHRIST IMPERIUM often don’t get given the same attention that each of those bands have gone on to enjoy. Taking a very progressive approach to blackened death metal, they have written some incredibly impressive music over the years, first with their self-titled debut album in 2015, and again with 2018’s stunning Volume II: Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan, both of which were excellent records in their own right that genuinely pushed the boundaries of blackened death metal to heights not achieved by all but a few British bands. The band’s third album Volume III: Satan In His Original Glory is another fantastic mix of styles, which once again defies listeners’ expectations in the best possible ways.
The Sweetest Juice is a slow burning, dramatic beginning to the record, built around haunting keyboards, ethereal guitars and clean vocals, before surging into a meatier slab of mid-paced blackened death metal with machine gun precise drums, energetic leads and domineering gutturals. The shifts between this track’s lighter and heavier sides aren’t jarring, and they manage to make the juxtaposition between aggression and grandiosity work extremely well. Vilest Of Beasts is another lengthy and eclectic offering which again makes the most of lighter tones and emotive vocals in another beguiling piece of music that gradually moves towards extreme metal as opposed to throwing the listener into the midst of it. Even when distortion and muscular hooks do appear, the guitars possess a powerful, rhythmic heavy metal feel as opposed to the ferocity that is expected. This does eventually give way to faster, visceral death metal, but never truly sheds the atmospheric qualities – a musical touch that actually helps to make the rabid and intense second half incredibly engrossing as well.
Third Degree Baptism sees the music take on a leaner, punchier feel, coupling sharp blackened death metal with gothic flourishes. It adopts a blistering pace and tight musicianship that makes it a fiercer affair, going straight for the jugular in a way unlike the first two tracks. Exorcist Evisceration follows in a similar vein, with monstrous gutturals, punishing percussion and imaginative, varied guitar work giving this a bestial sound while a few well-placed cleaner guitars and vocals inject a palpable ambience that accentuates the harsher components of the music whilst adding their own flavour to proceedings.
Chapel Of The Crippled Seed is slick and intricate, with melodic guitars making for an accessible and catchy sound. The majority of the music, by contrast, is weightier, with the bellicose vocals especially carving through the punchier guitars to result in a caustic exclamation of monolithic music. Tu Verus Mundi Lucifer showcases a change of pace in terms of how the music is approached, with distorted vocals, steadier drums and broader guitar tones helping to set this song apart. It’s still very intense, especially with regards to the vocal performances and the driven drums and guitar, but for the most part listeners are treated to a softer, grander sound that ultimately pays off, serving as an interesting deviation from the purely extreme offerings that preceded it.
Menage A Triumvirate reverts to belligerent blackened death metal, with polished and technical leads providing virtuosic passages in amongst the harder undercurrent. Subtle keyboards and clean vocals pepper in some majestic moments without sacrificing any of the underlying aggression, making this another intriguing twist on the band’s well-established formula. Misotheist takes the marriage of shredding guitar work and juggernaut rhythms that the previous track explored and builds upon them, creating a bombastic slab of cavernous death metal. The counterpoint between the growls and clean vocals and the introduction of spacey keyboards furthers this, making for an exceptionally cinematic and powerful conclusion to a magnificently multi-faceted album.
When a band has set an incredibly lofty bar with their music in the past, both from the point of songwriting and musicianship, as is the case with THE ANTICHRIST IMPERIUM, any new music runs the risk of falling short of the foundations that the music that preceded it. Luckily, and to those who have followed this band and their work for the last seven years, unsurprisingly, this more than meets the mark, with some of the songs on here, in particular much of the album’s second half, among the best material that they have produced as a band. As stated at the start of this review, this band are sadly often overlooked in spite of the great music they put out, and hopefully this album will change that, as THE ANTICHRIST IMPERIUM are one of the best examples of extreme metal the UK has produced in recent years.
Rating: 8/10
Volume III: Satan In His Original Glory is out via Apocalyptic Witchcraft.
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