Review Summary: Imperial Triumphant terrify once more with this vivid reinterpretation of Marquis de Sade's work.
People often debate if Marquis de Sade's work is good literature. I believe that his work relies entirely on its shock value, depicting a horrifying laundry list of torture porn, more than actually providing a memorable story.
Imperial Triumphant took inspiration from the twisted mind of this author to compose
Inceste, but managed to craft something that goes beyond sickening the listener. Instead of detailing gruesome events, the group crafts an unsettling sonic landscape that leaves everything to the imagination.
The EP opens with the instrumental
Libertine, which resembles the accompanying music to an aristocratic ball, but with a muffled and sinister tone. The piece sounds as if it was recorded in a dark basement, which sets up a somber atmosphere for the experience. The band includes segments like this in other parts of the record, maintaining an unusual setting where something does not feel right. The inclusion of narration hints at an influence from
Dragged Into Sunlight, which is evident in the bleakness of the EP.
When the music turns loud, it does so in a twisted manner.
Kaleidoscopic Orgies begins with a nauseating riff, to then burst into chaotic but structured arrangements. The band experiments with the saxophone, making it sound more like otherworldly squeals than as an actual instrument.
Oblivion in Morsels begins with a bleak, low tuned introduction, and then turns into a storm of drums and guitars. Even though this is the most conventional track on the album, it still packs quite a punch. Small details, such as the ghastly choir that accompanies the vocals, make this piece keep the atmosphere of the album on point.
The closer,
Breath of Innocence, mixes desolate soundscapes accompanied by screams and whispers with odd musical arrangements. As a closer to the album, the track wraps up with a series of doomy riffs that hammer the ear, which though ominous and suffocating, seems like a missed opportunity. Given the atmospheric mastery that the band has shown in songs like
Krokodil or
Metropolis in their previous album, and in the instrumentals of this record, the EP could have ended in a less abrupt way that left the listener astonished and terrified.
With
Inceste,
Imperial Triumphant continue showing that they are one of the most distressing metal bands around. By taking morbid ideas and using them to explore terror in music, the group demonstrates that an atmosphere crafted around the bizarre can have much more impact than unmeasured and senseless violence.
