Imperial Conquest – Omnipotence (2010)

Today we have a self-released Melodic Black Metal album that shows a very promising band under the hood but due to a sub-par production this EP undersells Imperial Conquest. While most Black Metal bands in the USA are trying to out-evil each other, the few good Melodic/Symphonic BM bands are making progress in the scene. Bands like Abigail Williams, Blood Stained Dusk, etc, are getting recognized for their musical aspects and it’s time to have another band take the spotlight, and such band might me Imperial Conquest, if they manage to properly record something.

Immediately after the nice intro, in the track “Where the Portals Intertwined”, the band goes on a full-on assault of blistering blast-beats, deranged vocals (in a good way), powerful riffing and nice keyboard atmospheres. However, immediately you can hear the wobbly drumming and a flat mix that greatly cripples the effect of the song. While this problem persists through the EP, you still get some very enjoyable parts.

The band’s music is both very melodic and chaotic, creating that perfect blend of blistering drumming, harsh vocals and melodic passages that all the ‘big boys’ of the genre are known for. The guitar riffing changes from the traditional BM tremolo picking sections to Melodic DM passages to some nice solos, creating a very intense guitar structures. If you like bands like Vesperian Sorrow, then you will love the guitar work of Imperial Conquest.

As we mentioned before, the drumming is top notch, but it’s greatly damaged by the recording quality. The double kick sounds great, but the cymbals sound very wobbly and annoying after a bit, after messing around with our players EQ we managed to get them to sound somewhat normal, but under ‘regular’ settings they sound very funky. The keyboards are never abused and provide just enough atmospheric elements to create haunting passages and nice piano sections.

Rounding up the mix we have the vocals, sometimes they are very powerful but other times they sound funky. We might attribute this to the mix since the shrieks sound a bit distorted at points, but the growl-like sections sound a bit better. However, when combined with the rest of the ingredients we have very solid foundations for a powerful yet melodic band.

Songs like “Omnipotence” showcase the versatility of the band, but if you want full power, you might enjoy “Consuming the Will of Infinity” and “Burn their Flesh and Feed the Damned”. As for the ‘typical’ Melodic Black Metal song of the album, we have to go with “Reclaim the Throne of the Usurper”.

In general, “Omnipotence” is a very solid album that is somewhat crippled by the production behind it. If the band manages to keep up the work, they will surely be on a  label anytime soon, so keep an eye open for Imperial Conquest and their very capable Melodic Black Metal.

Release: 2010

Country: USA