Imperial Slave was formed by vocalist and former Sinate and 8 Foot Sativa drummer Sam Sheppard in 2020, with local Palmerston North musicians Anthony Hati (guitar), Isaac Lundy (guitar) and Achillies Manley (bass). Sam is well-known in Aotearoa, renowned for his powering performances with two of New Zealand’s most important bands, so why did he decide to put himself out front? Sam said, “At the time of forming the band I had a shoulder injury and wouldn’t be able to play drums every night touring. Also, with the amount of line-up changes I’d seen in my previous bands, changing vocalists is always the worst, so I knew we’d always have that consistency.” A year was spent rehearsing and recording material for the debut, self-titled album, which was released in 2021. The album, influenced by 80’s Thrash and 90’s Death Metal, was released on CD, vinyl and all major digital platforms to universal acclaim, and after drummer Matt Wright was recruited, Imperial Slave hit the road both in New Zealand and overseas. They toured Europe with Fleshgod Apocalypse and Omnium Gathering and graced the stage at Aalborg Metal Festival in Denmark alongside Misery Index, Pig Destroyer and others before finishing in New Zealand supporting legendary Polish icons Vader on their tour.
Whereas the first album was by a band in their infancy, now we have a well-honed outfit who have been performing on the world stage, and they have now already returned with their second. While the first album was a powering mix of 80’s and 90’s metal, the new album is flat out pure slamming aggressive Death Metal. Faster, heavier and more intricate than the first, it’s a step up in every way. For this release all the music was written by guitarist Isaac Lundy who would demo the songs first with Sam then providing the lyrics. Matt may not have played on the debut, given that Sam provided the drums for that, but he is now a full member of the band, driving hard from the back. Musically this is Death Metal with some strong melodic influences here and there, but the guys can crank it out and speed it up when they want to, fully understanding the need for light and shade, different tempos and approach, and the result is an album which is wonderfully layered with a lot going on to enjoy and discover.
I was fortunate enough to catch these guys a few times when they were touring the debut, as well as when they supported Vader, and there is no doubt that Sam has pulled together a band who are determined to ensure the new chapter of his career outshines what has gone before. Imperial Slave will soon be heading overseas again, and demonstrate there is a real depth of metal talent here in Aotearoa just waiting to be discovered by the rest of the world.
Rating: 8/10
