Shadow of Intent hits hard with its fifth album, Imperium Delirium.
For its creation, Ben Duerr (vocals, Hollow Prophet), Chris Wiseman (guitar/clean vocals, Currents), Andrew Monias (bass/backing vocals) and Bryce Butler (drums, Valiant Crusade, ex-Abigail Williams, ex-The Faceless, ex-Contrarian) called on Francesco Ferrini (Fleshgod Apocalypse) for orchestrations, Dan Seagrave (Bodyfarm, Devourment, Dismember, Entombed, Memoriam…) for the artwork, as well as Dave Otero and Mike Low from Flatline Audio Studio.
The album kicks off with Prepare to Die, a composition with an evocative title that tells us one thing: the band will show no mercy. Once the intro is over, the rhythm section hits us at full speed, reinforced by orchestrations that give it epic tones and guide us towards the rare moments when Ben isn’t screaming, whether they be moments of calm or scathing leads, then towards Flying the Black Flag, a song that was already on the setlists. Having seen it live, this track is devastating but above all perfectly paced, alternating between crushing mosh parts and much livelier moments before giving way to Infinity of Horrors, which reprises the most aggressive patterns where harmonics and blasts compete, but also those where the sound takes on greater scope and becomes almost contemplative. The infernal final leads into the equally furious Mechanical Chaos, which multiplies the jerky eruptions and doesn’t hesitate to shower us with a good dose of blast beats while the vocalist delivers his guttural art in the darkness. The regular beats are most effective, while They Murdered Sleep takes the time to let us breathe before nailing us to the ground with its majestic touches and hammering us almost relentlessly, allowing only a few leads to soften our sentence. The Facets of Propaganda slowly intoxicates us before offering a martial rhythm and then trampling us under the vocalist’s screams with a touch of melancholy in the keyboards. The band then calls on the legendary Corpsegrinder (Cannibal Corpse) for the brutal but groovy Feeding the Meatgrinder, which is one of the most promising tracks for live performance. The break is the most massive on the album, but the band doesn’t let us recover from our emotions and follows up with Vehement Draconian Vengeance, which redoubles its efforts to continue in this aggressive vein coupled with dissonant melodies before a rather gentle piano finale, then we move on to Beholding the Sickness of Civilization, which begins with a rather dark touch. The choirs give a rawer touch to certain passages, then the band moves on to Apocalypse Canvas with a touch of technicality, leaning almost towards progressive death metal, thanks in particular to the rhythm section and their ultra-jerky patterns. No Matter the Cost gives us a chance to catch our breath before unleashing its onslaught, still with a fairly melodious approach, but it is with Imperium Delirium, the long title track that emphasizes orchestrations, especially at the beginning, that the album comes to an end, not without inhuman roars punctuating an overpowering rhythm.
In just over ten years, Shadow of Intent has established itself as one of the spearheads of modern Deathcore, and their symphonic mix has a lot to do with it! Imperium Delirium is the worthy heir to a band on the rise.
95/100