By Monk

Artwork for Beneath The Crimson Eclipse by Imperial DemonicProbably the closest thing that the tightly-knit Northern Irish blackened metal scene has to what could be described as a “supergroup”, Imperial Demonic hit with something of a not insubstantial impact when they made their debut around this time last year, when they attempted to grab the renascent Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition by the balls and give it a bloody good shaking! While they may not have succeeded in that regard, they did in another – particularly in attracting the attention of the more self-righteous elements of the local keyboard warrior brigade, who decried and vilified the band for even daring to think about entering said contest, all because of the small matter of their lead vocalist having played in a previously winning act… oh, and yes, they also feature a pirate metaller of some renown in their ranks, in the shape of Alestorm’s Gareth Murdock, failing (un)miserably to hide his identity behind layers of corpse paint…

Decrying the decriers and ignoring the ignorant, these imperial demons have now taken the next step forward, not only throwing themselves back into the M2TM fray (a move which has seen them earn a place in this year’s semi-finals) but also summoning us deeper into their blackened aural void with this, their thoughtfully crafted, energetically delivered debut recording. And a damn fine slice of intelligent, thoughtful and well-crafted blackened DM it is indeed \m/, featuring five tracks which deliver with a consistency and fluidity that helps it flow effortlessly and seamlessly into the darkened depths of your aural cortexes and remain there long after the initial listen, while at the same time possessing enough brute force and power to pummel you into snivelling submission just by the sheer majesty of what you are listening to.

Combining Noughties-favoured orchestrations with bleak Nineties-style tumults of blastbeats, beautifully and brilliantly intermingled with interestingly intricate harmonics and melodies, has to be admitted that Imperial Demonic do not stray too far from the traditional BDM themes and tropes. But, then, they don’t need to, because to do so would decry and ignore what they are trying to do, and that is produce a declarative statement of intent, in the process raising a defiant and emphatic middle finger to the decriers, the ignorant and the naysayers. And, in that, they succeed as I for one converted listener (but not one of those aforementioned ignorant naysayers) will be bathing in the rays of this particular blood-soaked eclipse for some time to come.

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