Band:	Imperium Dekadenz
Album:	When We Are Forgotten
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	August 2019

01. When We Are Forgotten
02. Bis Ich Bin
03. My Solace I (Choirs Of Solitude)
04. Trauma
05. A Cave Called Wisdom
06. Transcendence
07. Seance
08. Absenz Elysium
09. My Solace II (Paths Of Perception)
10. Reverie
11. Frozen In Time
12. Behold The Flame Of Time [deluxe edition bonus]
13. Owl Of The Black Forest [deluxe edition bonus]

Is When We Are Forgotten forgettable?

Longtime fans of Imperium Dekadenz should know by now what to expect from this renowned German black metal duo, and that's exactly what keeps them coming back for more: no secrets, no surprises, and no subversion. It's been 15 years since the band's inception and so little has changed stylistically across their respectable six full-length albums. It divides people into groups of supporters who laud the consistency and of critics who point to derivative repetition, and while both opinions don't come without merit, both are face-value reviews that overlook the nuance and subtlety that separates each album. Mind you, it takes an extremely close examination at times to dig out even slight differences, but they do exist. Sort of.

First, a quick story. It's a fairly common story, particularly among black metal bands. A new outfit breaks out in the scene and releases their first full-length album, marred by low quality production and a vision that lacks cohesion. With each subsequent release, the musicianship improves, the songwriting matures, and the desired atmosphere finally comes into focus. Then everything comes together for the landmark album -- the one that launches them into the next tier of more successful bands. Both groups grow in numbers immensely seemingly overnight.

That was almost 10 years ago, and that album was called Procella Vadens.

What happened after that was far from a change in style or shift in focus, but things aren't quite the same as they once were. There's been a continuing, apparently purposeful trend of dialing back the iconic slow-paced buildups and unleashing spite-filled howls in favor of a steady mid-paced standard, and that's taken the identity factor away from what made their short-lived time among the elite so memorable. When We Are Forgotten suffers from the same formula, plodding and nodding along in its approach without any conclusive sendoffs for the listener. It's well-executed and warm and hypnotic in the way you've come to expect, but that's as far down the path of the past this album will take you. Instead it forcefully drags you along into the future Horaz and Vespasian are setting for themselves, one of ease and comfort. Even the interludes, usually a quick and simple acoustic or pleasant synth piece meant to provide a break from the emotionally draining experience, sound more like extensions of the songs as it all follows the same soft style.

With shoegaze-laden riffing and cushioned drums, one can easily slip back into reminiscing of the golden days, but that doesn't mean this album isn't worthwhile on its own. Songs like "Absenz Elysium" and the opening title track capture some of the magic of previous years but do manage to come across as their own entities. "Frozen In Time" is borderline Alcest material, for better or for worse. The clean chanting in the background randomly throughout -- mechanical and hollow -- gives off a somewhat gothic metal vibe when accompanied by the more ethereal, dreamy passages, but the ever-present mild dissonance helps with retaining some of its edge.

Overall, this is a good album. It strikes all the cords you want struck when listening to Imperium Dekadenz, but it doesn't do it quite as well as it used to. Gone are the times where you could really headbang, even if only briefly, and present are the times of gently swaying like a pendulum or maybe rocking back and forth like an asylum patient.