Review by Raphaël on June 28, 2025.

I have to admit, I never got into Imperial Triumphant's dissonant brand of black and death, maybe because their last three albums were almost an hour long and it was more than I could digest, or the masks were too gimmicky, either way, after listening to Goldstar I almost feel bad for having shunned this truly unique and amazing band all of these years. One of the major reasons this was the album that made me like them, I think, is the fact that it’s their most “accessible” album to date. I put accessible in quotes because it is still very much a jazz-infused avant-garde black death metal album. What makes it accessible is that it is now an efficient 39 minutes and has plenty of little moments where melody peeks out of this dissonant whirlwind of highly controlled and technical chaos.

The bass is funky and groovy, the drums sound crisp, precise, and extremely technical, the riffs are always super dissonant, going from heavy and rhythmic chugs to blackened, atmospheric tremolo pickings. New York is everywhere around this album, from the distant police sirens, the old New York jazz (the drum solos from none other than Dave Lombardo and Tomas Haake, is mind-blowing), to the lyrics (the song 'Lexington Delirium' is literally about the Chrysler building: “What brings posterity?, Throne of Bolts!, Ziggurats flooding the, Throne of Bolts!, Blessings upon thee, Throne of Bolts!, Inside the womb of, Ferrissian void”). I don’t know who writes the lyrics but he sure does have a way with the pen! Just beautifully constructed phrases with a lot of social commentary. On the song 'Industry Of Misery' for example: “At the banks, Thou shall kneel!, Of the river, Thy soul be filled, Third world!, Now beg for it, I love you, Servitude, Debt be the gatekeeper", referencing the unequal exchange that has decimated the global South, truly profound stuff!

I just can’t get over how good Goldstar is, from the short 47 seconds grindcore blast of NEWYORKCITY, featuring the howling screams of Yoshiko Ohara to the roaring 20s gramophone short interlude, that acts like a small pause before an increasingly fast drum crescendo leads to groovy, dissonant and heavy chugs, everything works to make this masterpiece so unique and memorable!

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Review by Jeger on February 24, 2025.

I do not romanticize New York City. Been there a few times and it's dirty, smells like piss, the people are rude and it's always been fucking freezing every time I've had the displeasure of visiting. There are plenty of places to get weed but I'd be too scared to try and buy anything else. I'm a DC guy. We're tough, just not NY tough… Yes, there's a lot of history and it speaks through faded street signs, old train tracks and through burly roughnecks in tough old Burgs. There's the hustle and bustle of a bazillion lives scurrying the boulevards and a sense of old fashioned hometown pride that runs deeper than the oldest subways. An allure? Most definitely. You just gotta scrape through a few layers of shit to get to it… The triumvirate, Imperial Triumphant, have made it their modus operandi to explore NYC and NYC only with their art. It's something like black metal but in a really annoying ultra-progressive avant-garde respect. Remarkably talented and way ahead of any and all curves are Imperial Triumphant. Yes, I said their music is annoying too…

Just imagine if Anaal Nathrakh took a bunch of acid and recorded an album. Maybe some meth too… retarded heavy and yet frantic as a fucking panic attack. Jeez… On March 21, Imperial Triumphant will release Goldstar via Century Media. There are various parts to this album that sound good and a number of parts that do not, such as the finger-snapping intro to "Gomorrah Nouveau" and all the subsequent nonsense that ensues; this almost Riddler from Batman sort of mischievousness in riffing and flagrant bass abuse… Take it easy on 'er fella, carrying over to a Meshuggah's Tomas Haake-dominated "Lexington Delirium". How progressive is too progressive and how much is too much when it comes to percussion. Yes, drummers have been all fucking uppity for a while now and Tomas here is our number one offender, but damn is the brother good. Dave Lombardo also contributes to "Pleasuredome" alongside Haake in some kind of double-drum attack that wells into an onslaught of impossibly heavy riffs. Take in the sounds of the urban backdrop as it all fades into the foreground: the bass, the brutish Entombed-level grooves and some Gojira worship to seal the deal.

I can imagine that life in the Big Apple can be about as chaotic as what I'm hearing here. Doesn't feel very Gotham at all through most of it aside from some various beatnik-esque visuals-inducing interludes that strike up images of lipstick and cigarettes, Cutty Sark bottles and surly drunken regulars in that place on the corner. I've never listened to this band because I hate their image and I can honestly say I haven't missed out on too much, aside from maybe an anxiety attack or one of those annoying behind-the-eyes headaches. Goldstar? I guess it sounds neat, what with all that weird shit going on? Bordering on genius and masturbation if you ask me.

The visuals are what make Goldstar so unique. You will see NYC, both from inside its historic buildings and out upon its bustling streets, but you inevitably also get jackhammered again in the head with some really overbearing and mechanically repetitive shit. People waste their talents on the most bizarre things and sometimes you can find black metal in the most peculiar places. I'd give this one a listen because it is some very avant-garde material that's bound to at the very least impress the hell out of you. Busting with dynamics like those DC dub bags from back in the day is Goldstar. Do those costumes make them really tall and big like those turtle guys in The Fifth Element? Or are they meant to just look like something out of Bioshock Infinite? I'm on a roll here…

Rating: 6.5 out of 10