Imperium Dekadenz – “Still I Rise” (audio) (premiere)

“Still I Rise” is a brand-new track from Imperium Dekadenz. The German black metal duo returns later this summer with Dis Manibvs (Latin for “To the spirits of the dead” or “in remembrance”) and this track couldn’t provide a more auspicious glimpse of the magnificent new release. All the hallmarks of traditional black metal are there: graveyard vocals, menacing guitar maneuvers and the sense that the listener’s ushering something truly sinister into the world just by spinning the darkest of circles. But black metal has long been about doing whatever one wants, breaking new ground, and with this tune Imperium Dekadenz does exactly that.

Tinges of post-rock creep in during this truly epic campaign, offering a masterful counterpoint to the darkness. Prisms of light provide hints of elevation and escape as the track’s overriding intentions carry us into deeper and darker territories. Multi-instrumentalists Vespasian and Horaz keep us on the edge of our seats as we wind our way to a conclusion that is positively unexpected and undeniably brilliant. This element of surprise will give stalwart black metal fans something to celebrate and consider as a generation of musicians takes up its instruments and tries to forge its own classics and fights against cliché.

Imperium Dekadenz has already promised listeners its most diverse and surprising release to date and there can be little doubt that those words are true. The title track, “Volcano” and the aptly-titled “Only Fragments of Light” will give metal fans plenty of fodder for thought and discussion in coming years. And, of course, untold enjoyment.

Dis Manibvs arrives on August 26 via Season of Mist and can be preordered, in multiple formats.