Sanguis Imperem - In Glory We March Towards Our Doom - CD

The production on this record is thick and rather muddy, heavy on the belched/screamed vocals and rhythm guitar. It's actually a little too dense for my taste -- their Stagnation of Centuries EP sounded better -- but if you turn it all the way up it sounds fine just the same.

Sanguis Imperem's mid-paced swagger and pounding blasting sections are utterly convincing, evoking thoughts of Bolt Thrower and early Deicide. Songs like "The Scourge of Men" and "Praeternatual Order" are packed with shifting, rumbling riffs and frantic drumming, and the dual-vocal attack adds plenty of interest throughout. "Possessed By Violence" is a ripping crusher in the best tradition of "Intolerance", packed with aggressive disdain. The "I have no remorse/regret" section is huge! "Strapped to the Crank Wheel" slows things down a bit, with a massively arrogant main riff and tons of cymbal abuse. "Heralds of Triumph" isn't quite as slow, but its martial drumming, tremolo-picked riffing, and memorable vocals make it stand out. "Pathetic Obsecrations" follows it up with the most black metal influenced moments on the album, melding blast-beats with some sick snarls and deep vox. "The Crucifilth" is one of the best anti-Christian songs I've heard in a while, too -- this just sounds like violence, pure and simple. The echoing middle section and rolling drums summon an evocative vision of crucifixion ("your crosses have already been framed!"), and there simply could not be a better ending to the album than that last bit of vicious expectorate!