Entry 1034 - Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Menibvs

Style: Mid paced black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Hypnotic black metal

Thoughts: Imperium Dekadenz, a name synonymous with mid paced black metal. I've been listening to these guys for quite some time, but their albums never really caught my attention for long. They would have repetitive riffs and mid paced drumming that would repeat. In many ways this creates a hypnotic effect, but I never really sought them out. It was the musical equivalent to background noise.

That all changed with Procella Vadens. All the sudden they showed more life to their music, more dynamic song writing, and a bit more variety than just a mid paced black metal plod. It was the point where I finally started to notice them. The band would truly come into their own though with Dis Manibvs.

Here the band still has that backing of the hypnotic black metal, but they are not shy to add in the occasional blast beat or to strip the music down when needed. Really what the band has accomplished here is quite excellent, it respects the foundations that they set in the previous albums, but it shows maturity and growth. 

The atmosphere in particular is what brings me back to this album over all the others in their discography. It balances not only the sorrow that the band has had within their sound since the very beginning, but they add in an element of magnificence with it. It makes the album feel like I'm listening to something that aspires me to become greater than myself. 

Listen to the title track... tell me that doesn't stir some kind of emotion deep within. Listen to Still I Rise and try to not be swept up in it's currents. Listen to the short instrumental Somnia and tell me that it's reverbed acoustic guitars don't have emotion strewn in every note.

This is the best album that Imperium Dekadenz have put out. At some points they would come close to the beauty captured in these ten songs, but never again (as of this writing) did they ever do it so consistently. If I only ever have one album from this band in my collection, this is it.