Imperious – Tales of Woe – The Journey of Odysseus, Part II (2017)

Continuing the journey of Odysseus started by Imperious sophomore release “Tales of Woe – The Journey of Odysseus, Part I”, today we have the epic continuation. Luckily as Massacre Productions is releasing both part simultaneously, we don’t have to wait a year as the original fans of the bands had to do, since this release was originally unleashed in 2015. Again, mixed and produced by Markus Stock, the grandeur of this album is perfectly capture and delivered.

Instead of opening with a short intro, the band picks up where they left off and deliver a very intricate “Of Casualties (And the further way)” filled with brilliant guitar leads and perfectly layered melodic riffs. The band’s sound is quite dynamic and rich, allowing each song to perfectly flow and deliver the goods, like we can see in “The Isle of the Solar God”.

Other songs have a different tempo and mood like the mellow “Sirens”, featuring enchanting female vocals and a very folky nature similar to Empyrium and Tenhi. However, epic tracks like “The Isle of the Solar God” are just brilliant, reminding us of a mixture of the lushness of Anorexia Nervosa and the incisiveness of Au Champ des Morts, this band delivers quite memorable tracks.

Winding down with “Scorn”, the Imperious has saved the most epic battle for last with the 17-minute crushing “Bloodbound – The Bow of Odysseus”. This song is filled with highly melancholic guitar leads and a furious intensity behind the drum kit and vocals. A song this long is quite rare in Symphonic/Melodic Black Metal, but when perfectly crafted and delivered is quite effective and punishing.

Overall, part two perfectly continues what the band started and fully completes “Tales of Woe – The Journey of Odysseus” as one of the most epic BM releases every to see the light of day. Imperious is one very talented outfit that is fully of surprises and intensity. If you are into the Melodic/Symphonic BM bands of the late 90’s/early 2000’s, this is one that you definitely don’t want to miss.

Label: Massacre Productions

Release: November 17th, 2017

Genre: Epic/Melodic Black Metal

Country: Germany