Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Dalkhu
Release: 2010
Runtime: 51:00
Rating: 4/5
The idea of forming a Carinthian black metal band called Dalkhu had been bouncing around in the head of its founder, guitarist Sorg, since 1999, but it was only four years later that the project actually got going and soon grew into a functioning band. In 2006 Kalki joined Sorg behind the drums, and the two recorded and released the well-received demo Ars Goetia. Luckily, both of them had a burning desire to bring the material to the live stage too, so over the next two years they rounded out Dalkhu with vocalist Berstuk and bassist Jurij. The band from Slovenj Gradec started its merciless conquest of Slovenian stages in 2008, and in just under two years the guys recorded their debut, which puts Carinthia back on the map of Slovenian metal. The last real metal album this region spat out came all the way back in 1992, from the cult band Funeral March (Invite to Die!?). Today, in the year of our Lord 2010, here comes Imperator!
666… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… and after the intro, Dalkhu lure us into their embrace like a demon with open arms, an embrace of darkness and primal black metal, meant as a big fat spit in the face of the modern “black metal” that forgot its roots, its true purpose and meaning ages ago. Dalkhu reject everything that’s wrong with today’s black metal, which is full of kitsch and needless junk, and with that intro to darkness they already prove that Imperator is raw, primal and filthy black metal. Just the way it should be! On Imperator, Dalkhu serve up black metal stripped to the bone, free of needless clutter, with only guitars, drums and raw vocals building the epic, gloomy atmosphere. Only now and then do programmed horn sounds come to the surface, but they only add to the atmosphere, and when the pompous horns kick in on the track Heretic, you just wait for some greasy orc to plant an axe in your skull at Helm’s Deep. The music on Imperator is basically simple, yet Dalkhu still manage to create a seriously epic atmosphere. And they don’t need endless layers of tacked-on “symphonic parts” for it, just inspired, epic guitars that sometimes cut like a freshly sharpened chainsaw, and in the slower, atmospheric lines are sharp, cold and uncompromising like a surgeon’s knife. The “bridge” parts that link the verses in particular are written and played in a brilliant, monumental way – just listen with what elegance Dalkhu mercilessly drive a cold blade into your eardrums and heart on tracks like Rendezvous With Destiny, Journey Towards Reality or The Crack of Dusk. Thanks to the grandeur of the songs Dalkhu build, the album doesn’t get monotonous for a second, and the drums, played in a varied, dynamic and lively way, make for a nice connective tissue too. Kalki doesn’t resort to the usual black metal abuse of the double kick and constant blast beats, and instead delivers plenty of well-thought-out transitions; only the bass drum could have been produced a little better, since it occasionally sounds like someone pounding on a cardboard box. The lyrics, which admittedly deal with themes that come up often in black metal, come brilliantly alive through an excellent vocal performance. With an animalistic, aggressive and raw growl, Berstuk brings across the true essence of a real human’s existence – complete individualism, wrapped through spirituality in a veil of secrecy and mysticism. If we absolutely must draw parallels in the end, Dalkhu would fit right into the second wave of Norwegian black metal, and personally, certain parts remind me of early Windir – above all because of that unique epic atmosphere that instantly lifts your pulse and pumps you full of adrenaline.
If you’re sick of the kitsch-filled black metal of today, Imperator is a must for all the nostalgics – it’s cold, raw and energetic, full of epic moments that are created superbly by well-thought-out riffs and brutal vocals. Through its lyrics, it symbolically carries the core idea that man is a spiritual and, at the same time, individual being. And I hope Imperator carries a message for the other Carinthian bands too, namely a kick in the pants to start thinking about releasing their own long-awaited albums. Imperator! Liberate me ex caelis!
Line-up
Berstuk – vocals
Sorg – guitar
Jurij – bass
Kalki – drums
Production
Dalkhu
Tracklist
1. In My Arms I Welcome You
2. Preludium to Darkness
3. Heretic
4. A Visit From the Lost Palace
5. Rendezvous With Destiny
6. Awakening of Millenniums
7. Journey Towards Reality
8. The Crack of Dusk
9. Grey Hounds of Heaven
10. Subterranean Harvester Begins
