(c) Daniel Falk
Even after all these years and decades, there is still a plethora of bands dedicated to the old school of death metal from the far north. Sharing the unbroken fascination for the rancid sound Imperishable likewise, only with a small asterisk. The quartet around current and former members of such illustrious formations as Vampire, Portrait, Nominon and Dr. Living Dead! are not only dedicated to the permanent sawmill, but also bring in fine melodic undertones of later days. The debut is correspondingly powerful, haunting and complex „Come, Sweet Death“.
“Venomous” opens the record with a bang. Putrid wasteland wafts around the intro, then the number of beats increases spontaneously. Imperishable go through the roof almost seamlessly, almost foaming and letting a bit of 90s melody shine through – kept very small and compact, but that’s why they are so strong. Especially in the solo part it comes through really well and not for the last time builds the bridge to NWOBHM realms. Immediately afterwards, “Infernal Lust” stomps hard, then the next sprinter can start. Between infernal power and a sudden groove in between, a manifesto of the old school emerges.
This ultimately somewhat unusual but damn effective old-school concept is retained when “Fangs” even brings rancid guitars to the fore and thus quotes old Dismember records, but finds its way back to hymn-like undertones. The final title track even gets its own intro, only to end up spinning the wheel completely. The tempo increases again, two-part heavy metal leads garnish the finale. If that turns out to be too nice in the end, then it’s worth taking a look at the middle section. The brutal, fuming “Vertiginous” tears everything down.
Imperishable are not a run-of-the-mill old-school band, even if large parts of their debut live in the sawmill and audibly feel at home there: “Come, Sweet Death” understands the art of the old school, comes across rancid and powerful, likes to roll over times, turns out tough at the right moment. The little melodic details and NWOBHM solos turn an already good record into a hit. Traditional and yet stubborn, the quartet wrestles small fresh approaches from a supposedly chosen genre – what a blast.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 09.06.2023
Available through: Hammerheart Records (SPV)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/imperishableband
Category: Magazin, Reviews