Imperatus – At the Mercy of the Wind

Imperatus is a band from Vietnam and it’s almost impossible for me not to think of the lines that Colonel Kilgore left for the history of cinema in ‘Apocalypse Now; “I like the smell of napalm in the morning”…

Now, I confess that this is the first time I’ve heard Imperatus so I’m going to try to write as the music plays in my headphones… Click and the album starts with an instrumental called ‘Calm Before the Storm’ (very appropriate name) which is an acoustic work and lasts no more than 1 minute and then gives way to the massacre, Mmmm wait a moment, before we get into this review I saw the band photo of the members that is available on Metal Archivez and it’s not the typical photo of a Black Metal band but rather it looks like something between Death or Thrash Metal, maybe it’s outdated. As for the band’s logo I think it could fit into the standards of Black Metal which is the suggested style they play but…

Surprise! The song called “Eternal Strife” has obvious Death Metal riffs (winks to Sweden, winks to the USA) more oriented to the Malevolent Creation of the ‘Eternal’ album era, that is to say the rhythms are catchy with a voice that transits between Black and Death but the phrasing for some reason reminds me of Marduk of the Legion era. I know it is annoying to make comparisons but obviously it is to give the reader an idea of what is playing. The instrumental accompaniment is brutal, the sharp guitars, the notable bass following together with the drums that fly in time, in the middle of this song some rhythm breaks come in to show off some short guitar solos leaving the feeling of virtuosity in the performer.

In ‘Armored Beast’ the influence of Swedish Black Metal is more evident (I keep thinking of Legion as a reference in the form of vocalization and phrasing), this work is an apology to warmongering and how could it not be with the war heritage of the country, sounds of war were introduced into the work as for example in ‘At the Mercy of the Wind’, at the moment the bombs fall this fragment crushes:
“Piercing the sound of the unholy war thunder
Bow down to Satan as your God surrenders
Weeping, the sound of a thousand souls crying
Moan all you want in the hell’s fire you must die”

The intensity and stench of death that mixes in the air burned by napalm do not cease although in ‘Altars of Despair’ they make you believe that a moment of calm will come between soft acoustic lines and a faint war march… the instrumental bombardment is unleashed again where the keyboard is present in a very untraditional way for a Black Metal song. They continue in the line of attack ‘Following the Morning Star’ where, as if to torture, they embed the name of the song in the middle of your skull with endless repetitions of hate and ‘Embers of Hatred’ which is a mid-tempo song with gutturals and moves more towards the groove but luckily the rhythm intensifies again from the middle onwards.

If I’m not mistaken, the keyboard (organ synthesizer in this case) has only been present in two songs and one of these songs in which its keys appear is the one that closes the work with variations in speed and chaotic guitar solos. I am left with the last 30 seconds of the attack that recalls how everything was devastated in its path in ‘At the Mercy of the Wind’.

My conclusion is that this album is recommended for those seeking war sounds in Black Metal, but I find some inconsistencies regarding the appearance of the members in their photos and the music performed, something I already mentioned above. Speaking of the music, it can be classified as Black Death Metal, and I’m sure other listeners might attribute it more to War Black Metal with Death overtones. As for the cover art, it’s good and captures the lyrical, musical, and warlike content that was injected into the work.

See you in Hanoi.