IMPERIUM

"Imperium" is the third full-length studio album by Swedish metal act Memfis. The album was independently released in November 2018. It´s the successor to "Vertigo" from 2011, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 2013 "Silva" EP. "Imperium" is a concept release featuring lyrics which are stories describing different stages of a civilization.

Stylistically Memfis continue to play a progressive post-hardcore/metalcore style, with both nods toward artists like Burst, Mastodon, Gojira, and Metallica, as well nods toward 70s progressive rock. They operate in a musical area which isn´t just described with a single genre tag. So, "Imperium" is for the musically adventurous listener. Those who enjoy their music dynamic and featuring both heavy aggressive parts and mellow/atmospheric progressive rock parts presented within reasonably assessible song structures. Memfis have been building towards this sound throughout their discography and "Imperium" is the culmination of that development.

"Imperium" features a well sounding, powerful, and detailed production, which suits the material well. The band are well playing too and the vocal part of the sound is pretty varied, ranging from aggressive hardcore screaming, to semi-death metal growling, to clean vocals (all male). Memfis have included a session saxophone player to a couple of tracks, which is quite effectful and adds even more variation to their already eclectic sound (which in addition to vocals, guitar, bass, and drums also features synths, piano, and mellotron). "Imperium" is upon conclusion a high quality release from Memfis and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).