Between The Buried and Me

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. Tracks like the album’s explosive opener, “Eye of Mars” or the stirring “Hotel Sphinx” clock in around the five-minute mark while upping the trio’s songwriting acumen and musical virtuosity.

“It’s a challenge we posed to ourselves,” says Ezrin, who credits the sonic shi, 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.

“We shot a video there and the last person to shoot there was Francis Ford Coppola for Megalopolis!”– and forays into theunmerciful and extreme with the likes of “Hotel Sphinx”. “That one’s got heavy nods to Stanley Kubrick,” says Zach. “That’s something we’ve never been shy about. 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).

Expect a gilded mask-li when IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT returns to the stage. For all their rich, musical indulgence and masterfully honed musicianship, onstage theatricality has always been a key factor to the three New Yorkers ’ live showings. New masks and an upgraded stage show will be part of their live experience with Goldstar and beyond.

“When you look at bands like Slipknot and Ghost, there always is a new show to keep fans engaged and continue to translate the music in the sickest way possible. This isn’t a recital, it’s heavy metal to the core!” Down to Zbigniew M. Bielak’ s signature, highly detailed future-noir artwork, which once again adorns that album’s cover in classic cigarette packaging, IMPERIAL’ s world building continues, on gilded girders.

“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.

Tech-metal outfit FALLUJAH intensify their metallic dynamism on stunning new album, Empyrean. Built on an “all killer, no filler” maxim, the Bay Area-based quartet delivered just that on album number five. From video single “Radiant Ascension” and “Embrace Oblivion” to “Soulbreaker” and “Mindless Omnipotent Master,” Empyrean is breathtaking in atmospheric expanse and impressive in sophistication. FALLUJAH’s overhauled lineup has contributed massively to the level-up on display. Primary songwriter/guitarist Scott Carstairs and compeer/drummer Andrew Baird enlisted Archaeologist’s Kyle Schaefer and Evan Brewer (formerly Entheos/The Faceless) as their new vocalist and bassist, respectively. Technicians at heart but looking for old flames, FALLUJAH rediscovered their muse on Empyrean.

“After such an experimental expression [with Undying Light], we sat down to write Empyrean completely refreshed and inspired,” reveals Carstairs. “It was like the musical tension of the last decade had been released, and we were ready to achieve goals the band had originally set out for. Empyrean is truly a return to form because we are doing what comes naturally to us, but with an intensity that we haven’t achieved in the past. We set out to create something that represents the band and its history in its purest form while also pushing our technical abilities further than we have ever gone.”

Since forming in 2007, FALLUJAH have triumphed over their challenges. Whether it’s self-administering the band, going to school, writing music, or working full-time, they’ve savored release of and diehard fan admiration for five albums in The Harvest Wombs (2011), The Flesh Prevails (2014), Dreamless (2016), Undying Light (2019), and their latest Empyrean. Indeed, diligence and creative enterprise have resulted in high-profile tours with Whitechapel, Suffocation, The Black Dahlia Murder, and more across North America, Europe, and Australia. FALLUJAH also prospered with critics in Metal Hammer, Allmusic, and Metalsucks. The group’s Billboard chart positions on the Top Hard Rock Albums (Dreamless, The Flesh Prevails) and Heatseekers Albums (Dreamless, Undying Light) prove that with every twist and turn, FALLUJAH’s fans are with them. Empyrean, with its revivalist spikes, bolstered atmospherics and high-powered production, is the greatest yet.

“Every FALLUJAH album has been a reflection of whatever ideas felt the freshest and exciting to us at that particular point in time,” Carstairs offers. “We’ve developed our own defined sound over the years, but on this album, our new members helped bring in some new perspectives. We incorporated new elements such as counterpoint and tempo changes but maintained elements integral to the band and even brought back techniques used in older records. At this point, it’s all about elegantly presenting the sound we have cultivated over the last decade.”

Empyrean is a specialist’s paradise. As a rhythm/lead player, Carstairs enters a league of his own. Tracks like “The Bitter Taste of Clarity,” “Radiant Ascension,” and “Eden’s Lament” illustrate he’s upped his chops and boosted the emotional outlay. Throughout, he’s careful about compositional placement and how his radiant, palliative leads complement FALLUJAH’s sapid landscape. Drummer Baird tastefully and aggressively holds down the fort, grooving and syncopating admirably on “Radiant Ascension,” “Embrace Oblivion,” and “Mindless Omnipotent Master.” FALLUJAH’s long-standing timekeeper has always been great, but on Empyrean, he’s superior. Right there with him is recently joined bassist Evan Brewer, thundering and bopping on, around, and against Baird’s foundation like a seasoned prizefighter. “Duality of Intent” is but one of Brewer’s standouts. Although known for his guitar work outside of FALLUJAH, newcomer vocalist Kyle Schaefer’s low-end and mid-range bark perfectly matches the existential threat-themed lyrics. Empyrean is FALLUJAH inspired, and as they approach their 15th year, the Americans couldn’t be better.

“Empyrean isn’t a concept album, but there are some recurring themes throughout,” explains Carstairs. “The first three songs (‘The Bitter Taste of Clarity,’ ‘Radiant Ascension’ and ‘Embrace Oblivion’) all deal with a process of metaphorical rebirth—overcoming personal hardships, finding the right outlook to keep moving forward, and learning to embrace change in a way that makes you stronger for it in the long run. ‘Duality of Intent’ describes the internal conflict between the two sides of your brain, simultaneously craving immediate gratification versus long-term fulfillment and the paradoxical balance that results. ‘Artifacts’ is about the universal human desire to create something that will live on beyond oneself. ‘Mindless Omnipotent Master’ takes a cynical look outward, personifying mankind’s globally-linked networks of societal and technological systems as a giant mechanical beast which has grown beyond our control and now moves of its own accord.”

FALLUJAH welcome the return of long-time producer Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Cannibal Corpse) on Empyrean. Under Lewis’s expert sonic tutelage, the quartet advanced on the production milestones that benefitted Undying Light (2019), walking away with an album that sounds incredible at high velocity (“The Bitter Taste of Clarity,” “Soulbreaker”) and when it carries sentimental heft (“Into the Eventide,” “Celestial Resonance”). FALLUJAH and Lewis recorded Empyrean at MRL Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, over six months. The full-spectrum endeavor was then mixed and mastered by Lewis in seven weeks. The studio sessions weren’t without sacrifice, however. FALLUJAH worked their tails off to make Empyrean the remarkable reality that it is.

“It was certainly long and arduous,” Carstairs exhales. “Everyone involved had the mindset that it had to be our best work, and because of that, we were incredibly meticulous and hard on ourselves. We were united in our goal and embraced the brutality of committing to it.”

Throughout Empyrean, FALLUJAH surprise. Musically, lyrically, and with their bevy of guests, they add hard-to-describe depth and musical import. Vocalist Tori Letzler (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice) reprises her angelic role on “Radiant Ascension” and “Artifacts,” while Chiasma’s Katie Thompson also reappears to elevate “Embrace Oblivion” and “Into the Eventide.” Chaney Crabb of Entheos and Cyborg Octopus’s David Wu tender their considerable talents on “Mindless Omnipotent Master” and “Duality of Intent,” respectively. Celebrated artist Peter Mohrbacher (Serenity in Murder, Rainbowdragoneyes) replays his role on Empyrean as well. Truly, this is an all-star cast appearing on a momentous album by a band reaching beyond.

“From the beginning of this writing process and until the end, we painstakingly made sure every aspect of this record would blow away our listeners,” states Carstairs. “We meticulously scrutinized every riff and note choice. There has never been this much effort put into a FALLUJAH record as we did with Empyrean, and the result is a truly monstrous record that we believe is the band’s best work by a significant margin. We showed you restraint on the last record. Now, let us show you what happens when we leave it all on the table.”