Imperial Triumphant announce exclusive headline show on Friday 13 June, Mothership, Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau
Fresh off their Headline Dark Mofo in Tasmania, Imperial Triumphant bring their rich, musical indulgence, avant-garde onstage theatrics and dark extremes to Aotearoa…
There’s a murmuring amidst the monoliths of New York City as the sounds of the megalopolis churn below. The city becomes the sound of a human engine that throbs like an atrophying heartbeat; the decaying city of the future in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. That’s the grandiosity that New Yorkers, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT have found equal amounts of beauty and horror within. With their latest release, Goldstar, the masked triumvirate continues their exploration of the urban and arcane. The band has found inspiration in the sound of metal pushed to its darkest extremes, gilded, art deco temples, and looming cityscapes.
“The theme of every IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT record is New York City. That’s the fuel” states guitarist and vocalizer, Zachary Ezrin, who has been the voice behind the band’s sonic expressionism since its founding in the shadow of the millennium. With bassist Steve Blanco and drummer Kenny Grohowski, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT has expanded the language of musical extremity with records including Vile Luxury (2020), Alphaville (2021) and Spirit of Ecstasy (2023).
While IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT has established itself as a portent of sonic improvisation and experimentation, Goldstar reins in their musical wanderlust with a newfound focus that the band has only hinted at with past works. “It’s a challenge we posed to ourselves” says Ezrin, who credits the sonic shift, in part, to two years of relentless worldwide touring, playing countless festivals including France’s Hellfest, the Czech Republic’s Brutal Assault or tours with the likes of Behemoth, Carcass and Zeal & Ardor.
Goldstar is IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT’s most instant and evocative works to date. It bridges the avant-garde and the present in a way they’ve never done before. It’s also the band’s most ambitious album to date, swerving into North African Gnawa music on “Gomorrah Nouveaux”, Brazilian Maracatu on “Pleasuredome”, and an ode to classic NYC architecture on “Lexington Delirium” - “It’s our love letter to the Chrysler Building”, says Zach.
The album was recorded by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice), mastered by Arthur Rizk (Blood Incantation, Powertrip, Ghostemane), and features guest artists Thomas Haake (Meshuggah) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer).
“We want people to remember IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT as a band that pushed metal music forward”, says Zachary, summing up the New York trio’s stamp on the scene. A band that created records that had not existed previously. And hopefully inspiring others to look beyond just metal into other places: film, classical music, world music, architecture, to find a new kind of approach to metal itself.
”Goldstar is a long cool drag and as intense an urban fever dream as only IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT can deliver”
