Imperial Triumphant: Gilded Cacophony
The black and blackened metal world has been enjoying something of a renaissance within the last fifteen years, due in large part to the efforts of groups and projects from across the Atlantic; including IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT. These bands eschew the established orthodoxy of the style which has developed in Europe, often trading in primitive tremolo-picked riffs for a highly technical, yet no less abrasive, compositional approach.
Progenitors ABSU slowly cultivated a sound which drew upon the textures and approaches of jazz and progressive rock. NACHTMYSTIUM, meanwhile, introduced the world to psychedelic black metal on Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. I, whose catchy-yet-progressive tracks arguably owe as much to bands like PINK FLOYD and THE CURE as to MAYHEM and DARKTHRONE. LITRUGY have raised the conceptual bar for Black Metal to new heights, releasing an accompanying manifesto for the seminal Aesthetica which outlines the tenets of ‘transcendental black metal’: that album was produced by the distinguished Colin Marston, of BEHOLD…THE ARCTOPUS and KRALLICE fame, who has also overseen the production of albums from Kentucky-folk black metal project PANOPTICON. In 2018, Colin Marston oversaw the production of IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT’s third full-length release Vile Luxury – the latest formative instalment within the lineage of US black metal.
Vile Luxury is an album which draws upon the character of IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT’s home city, New York, where magnificent skyscrapers housing the privileged elite loom above the streets where the homeless and disenfranchised sleep. “There’s a darkness in a lot of cities, and that’s kind of what we aim to represent,” comments vocalist and guitarist Zach Ezrin. “We sing about New York because that’s what we know. That’s where we live, that’s where we’re from. But I like to imagine that fans listening to this album can hear it and kind of feel the same way about their perspective and their life,you know? Assuming that they live in a metropolis as well.”
As disinterested observers to a process which has continued to reproduce itself from time immemorial, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT take inspiration from the concentration of power in these great metropoles, and the shocking inequality which they produce. Their objective, however, is ultimately artistic, and not political; simply to represent their metropolis as they find it, without venturing to pass comment. Their experimental take on extreme metal incorporates brass textures, unusual time signatures, dissonant chords and improvisation; jazz music has a long and rich history in New York, and so it comes as no surprise to hear its influence on Vile Luxury.
“We didn’t set out to make a jazz metal album,” insists bassist and keyboardist Steve Blanco, adding, “I think that this is just a natural evolution which happened because the three of us also speak that language. I feel like that’s kind of a big difference for that album versus our previous albums.”
The writing and recording process for Vile Luxury was a departure from previous IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT releases, as drummer Kenny Grohowski explains. “This is the first release where everyone’s had input in what’s happening. This is the first record where people were bringing in ideas, songs even. What you’re hearing is live takes, and mostly full takes. It’s much more akin to what you would hear if you saw the band live.” Following the release and success of Vile Luxury, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT have been touring extensively on both sides of the Atlantic. They have continued to dazzle audiences with their intense live performances and distinctive stage attire, bringing their New York inspired sound to many of the world’s other great cities – finding an affinity with a select audience of urbanites everywhere they go. As the Vile Luxury album-cycle draws to a close ahead of The Greater Good tour, the band have signed to Century Media Records – who will release the widely anticipated follow-up to Vile Luxury sometime in 2020.
Tonight is your debut performance in London. Welcome! What have your impressions of London been so far?
Ezrin: So far, so good. I’ve been here before and every time I’m here I love it. It’s like a New York away from home.
So, I understand you’re all either trained in or fans of Jazz music, which incorporates a lot of improvised elements. What role does improvisation play in the song writing process or playing live?
Blanco: There are sections and chunks of songs that are open. Even though we might play them in a similar way every night, they’re not exactly the same. The room for improvisation in this band is kind of a huge part of why our sound may seem so unique to the listener, because we aren’t playing things exactly the same all the time, and we’re interacting too.
Ezrin: This is a rare opportunity that only a few bands have where there’s a shared heartbeat when you listen to the band either live or even in rehearsal, we all are feeling the same energy and makes something as complicated as improvisation go very naturally.
Grohowski: It’s conversational. Just like this conversation is completely improvised. Jazz is everywhere.
That’s something I really admire about the record: the jazz textures aren’t just thrown in there, you seem to adopt the approach of jazz and swing music almost completely at points.
Ezrin: Swing, man. That’s number one. That’s something we can all agree on, that the record has to swing, and It’s what we achieved, I think. It doesn’t matter what time signature we’re playing in its just about finding the right vibe. The jazz thing just kind of comes as an after-effect.
Blanco: In the same way Stravinsky influences it, or some pop record that I might like, or some rock album I’m listening to might influence it. It all comes in.
So, I take it that most of your listeners come from an extreme metal background. Given the breadth of styles which influence your song writing and playing, I was wondering if you had any recommendations for our readers?
Blanco: Huge question.
Ezrin: Let’s think about it like this: these are metalheads.
Blanco: We need gateway albums.
Grohowski: Well like you said, Stravinsky.
Blanco: The Rite of Spring, that’s a great one. The 1959 Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic recording is the one I like but, you know, there are lots of other interpretations.
Ezrin: But that’s a great one.
Blanco: We always talk about Money Jungle too.
Ezrin: Money Jungle is dirty.
Blanco: Money Jungle is a DUKE ELLINGTON TRIO record. It’s Duke Ellington on piano, Max Roach on drums and Charles Mingus on bass.
Ezrin: It’s pretty easy to get into.
Blanco: It’s a very special record. There’s no album like it in my opinion. They’re very hard hitting as a band.
Ezrin: They’re just ripping.
Grohowski: MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. The Inner Mounting Flame or Birds Of Fire.
Blanco: Great gateway.
Grohowski: A really powerful example of jazz rock. Fusion, but unlike MILES DAVIS On The Corner, which is still rooted in avant-garde and experimental music, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA is straight up jazz rock and it’s heavy as hell. When I was a kid, I’d tell my metal head friends: “You think PANTERA is heavy? You should listen to this record.” Sometimes you convert them and sometimes they say: “I have no idea what’s happening. This is weird.”
Blanco: This might be a bit of an outside choice, but I feel like Bitches Brew is an interesting place to send people. It has a very big sound.
Ezrin: It’s very unlike a lot of other MILES DAVIS records.
Blanco: Unlike any other jazz records for that matter.
Are there any other pieces of art – paintings, literature, film and so on – which helped you to develop the theme of themes of Vile Luxury?
Ezrin: I can name one. The Chrysler building on 42nd and Lex. Probably my favourite skyscraper in the city.
Blanco: Mine too.
Ezrin: It’s just built in a time period that I really appreciate. I like that architectural style. You can see it gleaming from Brooklyn or long island city. It’s just a jewelled fang staring out. It’s just so goddamn menacing.
Blanco: It’s amazing, really.
Ezrin: And you know it’s built out of pure money and evil.
Blanco: It’s built out of evil, but extremely stylish – you know?
Ezrin: Oh my god, it’s gorgeous.
Blanco: We like a lot of great films, but one film that’s had a big influence on is Metropolis. I think that’s pretty obvious.
Ezrin: Alphaville?
Blanco: Alphaville, that’s getting in there too. Mid-twentieth century coolness.
Ezrin: And Taxi Driver. Besides Metropolis it’s probably the best film to try to synch with the album.
You’ve published a graphic novel as a companion-piece to Vile Luxury, featuring commissioned artists visualisations inspired by songs on the album. Could you tell us a little bit about it, and how that collaboration came about? Is it something you’d consider doing again?
Ezrin: We’d definitely consider doing it again. It started when we were on tour last year, and we were getting sent all this fan art submission. We were just hanging out and said: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we select all the best artists we know, and put together a graphic novel?” As we went down the rabbit hole, it turned into this elaborate, kind of liner notes where every chapter is based on a song, and they’re done by different artists. We gave them free reign, more or less, to do what they want. We ended up getting really cool and visually stunning pieces. I think in the future we would, maybe for the next album, try to do something even more elaborate, more of a narrative maybe? When you deal with a brand and a band like this, you find yourself really able to artistically able to explain all forms of media – not just music – and for us it’s a real pleasure to do so.
You also have some coffee for sale, the Gotham Trinity: Deco Noir blend. I’m curious about the significance of it, and how this collaboration came about as well?
Ezrin: Blanco, take this one.
Blanco: It’s pretty serious because we do love coffee. Back home, in New York, the coffee thing has gotten out of control and there’s a lot of really good coffee. Kenny [Grohowski] and I are insane coffee nuts. Sometimes we plan our tours around coffee spots.
Grohowski: We really do our research.
Blanco: We do recon, like: “Where can we get this coffee?” We’re fans of Sweet Leaf coffee roasters back in New York City. The owner goes to Columbia, he’s taking private planes up the mountains into farms. Real serious shit. We partnered with them, and I know them from their original place in Queens. We came up with this blend that we tasted. It was a whole process, a really cool process. And we have our imperial blend, which is called Gotham Trinity: Deco Noir. It’s Gotham Trinity, because it’s a blend of three different types of coffee. And the owner of Sweet Leaf wanted a blend to represent the trio of the band so, you know, it’s connected – it’s not just random.
All practicalities aside, are there any other luxury items you’d like to be able to offer fans?
Ezrin: There is a lot of shit we’ve been thinking about. I was going to do gold coke spoons for a minute, but then I was like: “That’s stupid.” Cufflinks too, but then I asked: “Who the fuck is putting on a French cuff shirt?” So, there are many ideas that don’t make it to press. But we definitely have some things coming down the line for our new release which I can’t talk about, but there will be many new things for you to buy.
When you’re on stage, you wear these very striking golden masks which look fantastic – I’m curious, though: what do you want them to add to your performances?
Ezrin: That’s the foundation of why they exist. We could give you the esotericism behind them, but the real reason is that they look amazing. They provide a visual rendition of what our music sounds like. So, this is how we want to present ourselves on stage and I think that’s extremely important for any band. Jeans and t-shirts are cool, but it doesn’t match the music. We’ve been constantly updating and building a live wardrobe as the band gathers momentum.
Grohowski: Art Blakey said: “They see you before they hear you.” And this is coming from a guy who is a star, but still had to walk in through the back of the venue through the kitchen to get into his own headlining show, because he wasn’t allowed to walk in through the font – so he made sure his band always looked their best. If you’re on his bandstand you’re going to look like the sharpest motherfucker on the block.
Blanco: Art Blakey is another great one to listen to.
Grohowski: Yes, THE JAZZ MESSENGERS.
Blanco: Night in Tunisia. It’s pretty much a metal record. He’s like the first metal drummer.
Grohowski: You don’t get Bill Ward without Art Blakey. You don’t get that bombastic style. You don’t get DEEP PURPLE without Art Blakey. You don’t get that drumming without a guy like him.
Earlier this year you played the illustrious Roadburn festival and had the honour of the closing performance at the iconic Het Patronaat – a converted church, which served as a venue for the festival. It’s hard to think of a venue more suited to the IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT aesthetic, but are there any other venues which you’d particularly like to perform in?
Blanco: I can think of one right off the bat and it’s called Madison Square Garden.
Ezrin: I was going to say, M.S.G.! That’s where I want to play.
Blanco: Right in midtown New York. We’d be at home and we could play-
Ezrin: It’s pretty cool leaving your house to go play Madison Square Garden.
Grohowski: Yeah, Madison Square. Royal Albert Hall, too, since that’s topical. Fuck it, La Scala. Let’s write an opera and play La Scala.
Blanco: Might as well go all the way.
Ezrin: What’s that amphitheatre called?
Blanco: The coliseum?
Ezrin: Yes!
Blanco: How about the Acropolis?
Ezrin: I would love to do the Acropolis.
Blanco: That would be pretty cool, and also very topical.
I understand you’ll be performing a new song on each night of this tour: I was wondering if you could tell us what we can expect, and how representative it is of the new material in general?
Ezrin: We’re only doing one new song a night, because we know people aren’t too familiar with it and it’s not easy to dive into it on your first listen – let alone live – but it’s important that we flesh these songs out a bit more, and they do change live. Then we’ll go into the studio and record it live. It’s been pretty refreshing.
Grohowski: A lot of the fans who are coming to the shows, they might not be headbanging or as animated during the show, but their eyes are wide open. They’re really listening because they’re excited about it, or they have their phones put recording the whole song. Like, I get it, and you can’t control that. But then you get your random metal fans who doesn’t necessarily know us, and sure we might lose them for a moment, but sometimes they’ll start headbanging too. It’s a great way to gauge where we’re at with these songs but also to see how the fanbase at a show is going to react. It’s not a departure from Vile Luxury, but it’s an evolution for sure.
Ezrin: It’s not easier for sure. We didn’t slow down.
Blanco: They’re rippers, these new songs.
Do you think that IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT has found its groove with the theme of Vile Luxury – the duality of opulence and decay – or can we expect something a bit different from the new album?
Blanco: May I? I’m going to say that there’s obviously a similar thread because we’re looking at things through a wide lens. Everyone’s always talking about what’s going on with civilisation, often on a microscopic or personal level, but we’re looking at the bigger picture and that’s what we’re writing about and the music we’re writing is the soundtrack to it. So, there’s a similar thread. But the new album, which is not even recorded yet, is definitely going to be different in many ways than Vile Luxury.
Ezrin: We’re not making Vile Luxury II. In the same sense, there’s a lot of things about New York City, the place we write live and grow, that still needs to be said. A lot of themes to explore. And we quite like this aesthetic. No one’s done this. So, we’re going deeper into the rabbit hole, into the chaos. The relationship between man and machine. It’s what we know. It’s our world. It would be so lame to try to be like WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM because we don’t live that lifestyle like they do, and fans are smart enough to know that it would be inauthentic.
Blanco: I agree, never underestimate your audience.
Grohowski: Look at a band like BEHEMOTH. Nergal – what’s he singing about? He’s singing about something which he not only grew up with but went out and studied: “I’m going to be a biblical fucking scholar so that I can figure out how to critique and tear apart this structure that has controlled the world for so long.”
Ezrin: You remember those Polish guys we toured with [MORD’A’STIGMATA]? They were saying that the Polish church is so controlling and so much a part of the state. You think, like: “OK this is a band that does have a religion as an enemy.” Do we? Not really. In New York it’s pretty chill. You can buy booze on Sundays.
Grohowski: At one point Wall Street was called Wall Street because there was a giant wall and at the end of the day all the poor people and workers had to get the fuck out, right? You know Washington Square Park? They were hanging people from this archway that people like to bring their kids to and listen to busking musicians and dance around and frolic and meanwhile you’re like: “You know they buried people in this fucker?” This is our world, let’s talk about it.
Blanco: That’s the tip of the iceberg. New York City is the apex of evil. It’s got so much great stuff, but it is at the end of the day the apex of evil. Because control centres have passed on through civilisations from Persia to Cairo to Rome to London and now New York, you can see the thread and there’s a lot of evil involved. It’s all money.
Speaking of which, you’ve just signed to Century Media Records – congratulations! What’s that been like so far?
Ezrin: Century Media has so far been an absolute luxury to talk to, to do business with. Any band that’s looking for a label that’s not signed, one thing you should look for is a synergy and a like-mindedness between people you work with. Whatever your goals are, find a label with similar goals, a similar work ethic and strategy. When it comes to what we want to do, Century Media feels like a perfect fit.
I like to give the artists the last say in an interview. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ezrin: We thank all of our UK fans for coming out to out shows. This has been our first trip out to this island, and it’s been an absolute pleasure. Please keep up to date with all of our news because we’ve got a new album coming out next summer on Century Media and this is going to be the next big thing. This is the dawn of the new roaring twenties.
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