Imperial Age is a symphonic metal band based in Turkey. The band, formed in 2012, are of Russian origin, hastily relocating to Turkey after Russia attacked Ukraine at the start of 2022.
Imperial Age has released two albums – ‘Turn The Sun Off!’ (2012) and ‘The Legacy Of Atlantis’ (2018) – a couple of live albums, E.P.’s, and numerous singles, with ‘New World’ the band’s third full-length studio album.
Featuring a three-lead singer approach and orchestral choir arrangements, Imperial Age sound like no other band – their music encompasses power, symphonic, and folk metal elements. The band’s new album is eight songs and forty-six minutes of upbeat and elegant heavy metal, all coming to life with the majestic ‘Windborn’ – and a feeling of the epic and glory styles of metal. Each and every song on offer feature all three singers, interchanging choral and classic operatic influences with the lead male and female vocals.
These incredible arrangements provide one helluva listening experience and set the band apart from their peers. And after such an elegant opening, Imperial Age increases the pace and tempo with the much rockier ‘Legend Of The Free’, landing firmly in the symphonic power metal genre. Head nodding and feet tapping will certainly accompany this one, as it powers on with an infectious smile-inducing rhythm.
What a contrasting opening double – making you wonder what other directions the band will take you.
Celtic and folk are two directions Imperial Age explores, with ‘The Way Is The Aim’ highlighting both – the vocals big enough to fill an opera house, with the audience stunned by their immense power. The band have so much presence, their style echoing a metal symphony with an all-encompassing sound that hooks you at every twist and turns. Simply unique sounding, Imperial Age is a freak of nature – a fucking fantastic freak! Bringing a little of the anthemic style of metal to the fore, ‘To The Edge Of The Known’ is a bold chugger of foot-stomping proportions. And with a chorus that is so uplifting and sings along, and in concert crowd is gonna go wild. What an astounding first half – with my expectations really high for the second! And I’m not disappointed – the pace making an emphatic return with the speedy ‘The Wheel’. Assuming the role of the fastest song heard so far, ‘The Wheel’ is symphonic power metal to match any of the greats of the genre – Nightwish and Epica included. The mix of three vocalists is superb, adding a complexion to the band’s sound that truly makes them stand out. Fabulous.
And with folk metal making its presence felt, ‘Shackles Of Gold’ also has a little of the pirate metal twang of German metallers Running Wild! And the heaviness too! For ‘Shackles Of Gold’ certainly flies at you from the heavy/power metal genre, floating effortlessly alongside symphonic metal. It’s pleasing to see that the band’s geographical relocation hasn’t affected their music in any way – maybe the lyrical content – but blimey ‘New World’ has all the feel of the band’s best work to date. Elegant and regal, ‘Distant Shores’ embodies the glorious sound of symphonic metal, creating an atmosphere of intense pleasure, with every listener’s head nodding in astonished appreciation of great music. And talking of great music – the final song is a wow moment of the highest order. Clocking in at over eighteen minutes in length, ‘Call Of The Towers’ is a metal symphony all by itself! Every style of metal the band know is intertwined throughout ‘Call Of The Towers’ – and I’m not about to spoil your listening pleasure by describing each one. You’re just gonna have to listen for yourselves.
Overall, a stunning and extremely pleasurable listening experience, Imperial Age delivered a gorgeous symphony of superb symphonic metal.
TRACKLIST
Windborn
Legend Of The Free
The Way Is The Aim
To The Edge Of The Known
The Wheel
Shackles Of Gold
Distant Shores
Call Of The Towers
Imperial Age: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Russia
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
