Home › IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT › Experimental psychedelic avant-garde trio, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, to open a night of extreme metal at Ace Of Spades. September 28.

Experimental psychedelic avant-garde trio, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, to open a night of extreme metal at Ace Of Spades. September 28.

By capitalchaostv on September 17, 2023 • ( 0 )

It’s rare when an opener garners more buzz than its headliner, but such is the case with New York City’s Imperial Triumphant. A limited run of shows supporting the newest record, ‘Spirit Of Ecstasy,’ finds the band paired up with black metal legends, Behemoth. What already began on September 10^th in Reading, Pennsylvania will continue up until October 1^st in Phoenix, Arizona.

‘Spirit Of Ecstasy’ was released in July 2022 on Century Media records and has been confusing traditional metal-heads and jazz aficionados with its myriad time changes and utter sonic quandary. To date, Imperial Triumphant has released 5 full-length records, 3 extended plays, and 4 singles.

Photo credit to Shawn Brandon Media

What originally started in 2005 with sole original member, guitarist and vocalist Zachary Ezrin, has morphed considerably over the past 18 years. The band is rounded out by powerhouse drummer and internet sensation, Kenny Grohowski, along with bassist / vocalist Steve Blanco, and has proved itself a formidable force in several different genres including black metal, ambient and fusion jazz.

Their latest single, a complex and twisted take on Rush’s “Jacob’s Ladder,” finds the trio blackening a classic while turning the song’s main theme into something altogether different from the original. And while Rush purists may argue the vocal schemes and added distortion take much away from the original, perhaps agitating its core fan-base has always been the end goal of IT.

Said bassist Steve Blanco about their less-than-obvious song choice, “Rush’s influence is undoubtedly far and wide in so much heavy music, and although we consider our music quite different from theirs, a strong thread holds it all together. As big fans of their giant body of work, we wanted to include a song in our cover series to pay tribute to this great unique band.”

For added confusion, do check out their previous takes on Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia” to go further down the band’s twisted, musical rabbit hole.

Also on this heavy-handed bill is California’s own twisted duo, Twin Temple. Tickets are $35 advance while Official Platinum options are $147 and can be purchased at www.aceofspades.com. Doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7pm. All ages are welcome. Ace Of Spades is located at 1417 R Street in downtown Sacramento.