Epic black metallers Imperium Dekadenz stream their stunning new album in full

Imperium Dekadenz promo pic 2016, by Severin Schweiger

(Image credit: Severin Schweiger)

“To leave an impression,” says Imperium Dekadenz frontman Horaz in the very latest edition of _Metal Hamme_r, “an artist must look for new horizons.” As the Black Forest-dwellers forthcoming and far-reaching album Dis Manibvs proves, the man is as good as his word. The new opus, due for release on August 26 via Season Of Mist Records, vastly expands the reach of 2013’s Meadows Of Nostalgia album, its windswept, epic atmospheres that both amplifying the blood-soaked ancient history of their native south-west Germany and finding common cause with the new breed of landscape-interrogating black metal bands such as Winterfylleth and Agalloch.

As the moniker suggests, Imperium Dekadenz are inspired by the Roman Empire, whose remnants can still be found scattered around the Black Forest. Dis Manibvs casts is roving eye over the destruction of Pompeii, Julius Caesar’s battles in Gaul, the battle of Milvian Bridged waged by Emperor Constantine in the year 312 and more, but translated into a panoramic, emotionally charged vision staking out its own territory as black metal’s scintillating state of the art.

Raise your standards, wipe yesterday’s viscera from your chariots and let loose your lions, because we have a stream of Dis Manibvs in all its sky-razing, heart-in-mouth wonder, From the rousing cinematic intro In Todesbanden, though the billowing surge and melody-bolted Mgła-esque grooves of Only Fragments Of Light, and heart-pumping spirit-transfusion of Vae Victis to the epic, folk-infused mountain peak-scaling chant of Seikilos via all manner of sonic conquests along the way.

This is an album that’s primed to become a crossover classic, bringing black, folk and post-metal followers under its jaw-dropping spell, so delve into Dis Manibvs below and victory will be assured!

May all roads lead to Imperium Dekadenz’s Facebook page here!

And sack their merchpage for Dis Manibvs here!

Having freelanced regularly for the Melody Maker and Kerrang!, and edited the extreme metal monthly, Terrorizer, for seven years, Jonathan is now the overseer of all the album and live reviews in Metal Hammer. Bemoans his obsolete superpower of being invisible to Routemaster bus conductors, finds men without sideburns slightly circumspect, and thinks songs that aren’t about Satan, swords or witches are a bit silly.