It's no secret that we like Imperial Vengeance in a big way. Their debut album 'At The Going Down
Of The Sun' was one of our top albums of last year and we are eagerly awaiting the follow up
release 'The Black Heart Of Empire' later this year.
When the band announced that they were going to be touring with Sabbat we knew that we had to
catch them, and what better place to do that than the historic Camden Underworld in London.
We met up with main men David Bryan and Charles Alexander before the show to find out how
things had been going thus far. They were pleased with the reception that the band had received
from the crowds, many of whom would be encountering the Imperial Vengeance brand of theatrical
extreme metal for the first time.
It was interesting to watch the transformation as David and Charles changed into their military
inspired stage outfits and into their stage personas. As the hats went on the characters they
portray on stage came to the fore, and we ducked out to get a good spot down the front.
The band certainly look the part as they take the tiny Underworld stage. This was a comparatively
stripped down IV show as the authorities would not let them use David's beloved pyrotechnics, but
that didn't stop the band from putting on an impressive show.
The air raid sirens of 'The Drop' opened the set before '6th Airborne Division' got even the
most skeptical old-school thrash fan interested, and as David surveyed the crowd from behind his
trademark dark goggles there was a trace of an out-of-character smile that showed he was clearly
delighted with the reception the band were getting. This is not a band that tries to interact with
the crowd, Charles referred to the theatrical '4th wall' when we heard one of the support acts
try, cringingley unsuccessfully, to connect with the audience.
Every member of this band plays their part to perfection. That they are natural performers and
top-notch musicians is not in question, and when they are given songs with this complexity and depth
they can really exercise their talents. Charles presence and intensity, David's rumbling bass, Elle
Torry and James Murray's interweaving guitars and James Last's phenomenal drumming. All parts
contributing to a very impressive whole.
There is also a thick vein of humour that runs through the Imperial Vengeance show. They take
what they do seriously, but are happy to twist things in a way you may not expect. For example tonight,
the set included the excellent track 'Unto That End', which may or may not be inspired by a certain
UK science fiction franchise ;)
And just in case you have missed the joke, the set closes with a suitably IV-ised cover of the
Madness classic 'Night Boat To Cairo', complete with Union Flag waving pomp, and although Charles
doesn't break his 4th wall he did appear, at one point, to be posing with the flag for the camera
of an appreciative fan down the front. Surely not...
So with the mission accomplished they leave the stage without a word, and hopefully with some
new converts to the cause. To be honest we expected this band to be good live, but we didn't
expect them to be quite this intense.
The big stage pyro-fuelled theatrical vision that David and Charles have in mind for Imperial
Vengeance may still be a way off, but tonight the band showed that they are definitely
headed in that direction. Hopefully the new album will propel them further along unto that end.
CackBlabbath would like to thank David, Charles and the rest of IV for letting us encroach on
their space pre-gig, and for taking the time to speak to us. Also, sorry about the picture
quality, camera phones are not great for gigs.
