Imha Tarikat - Sternenberster (2020)

Hailing from Germany, today we have blistering Black Metal duo Imha Tarikat and their latest opus “Sternenberster”. Combining the melody and intensity of Mgła and Misþyrming, this release delivers over 45 minutes of expertly crafted music, split along eight crushing tracks. If you like well crafted and intense BM with a knack for high-quality production values and a pummeling attitude, this is one album you can miss.

From the incisive first minutes of “Ekstase ohne Ende”, the listener can appreciate the higher level of craftsmanship in this release thanks to a blistering guitar solo that leads to a brutal onslaught of a pummeling bass guitar line and hellish deep vocals. With this relentless attitude, the band blows past crushing songs like “Sturm der Erlösung”, “Kreuzpunkt der Schicksale”, and “Brand am Firmament”, while showcasing their diverse influences and crafty approach to songwriting alongside a ravaging tempo.

While there are some odd moments like the weird openings to “Klimax Downpour” and “Aufstieg”, the band completely rights the ship with more of that explosive intensity as the tracks progress. Just before the lush outro, the album title track delivers the band’s last stand with a pummeling attitude and some excellent melodic headbanging passages to keep things interesting and very fluid.

Overall, “Sternenberster” is one of those Black Metal releases that hits you like a bag of bricks as you don’t see it coming. If you like intense and crafty BM with solid production values and a great deal of creativity carved into each song, Imha Tarikat is one of those bands to keep an eye out for. This 2020 has been overall a crappy year, but masterful releases like this help to make things easier to withstand.

Label: Lupus Lounge

Release: December 11th, 2020

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Germany