Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar (Nine Class ‘A’ Tunes) (Limited Blue Transparent Vinyl)

Goldstar, released in March 2025, is Imperial Triumphant’s sixth studio album and a dazzling descent into the gilded rot of modernity. The New York avant-metal trio distills their signature chaos—blackened death metal, jazz fusion, and dystopian theatrics—into a tighter, more deliberate form. Gone are the sprawling epics of earlier records; in their place are lean, brutal compositions that still manage to evoke the decadence of Art Deco skyscrapers and the moral collapse they symbolize.

The album’s aesthetic draws heavily from vintage cigarette advertising, with Zbigniew Bielak’s cover art depicting a golden automaton towering over a metropolis—a nod to both Metropolis and the seductive lies of consumerism. Tracks like “Lexington Delirium” and “Hotel Sphinx” channel this imagery into sonic architecture: dissonant riffs, brass blasts, and electronic harpsichords conjure a city teetering on the edge of madness. Guest appearances from Tomas Haake (Meshuggah), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), and Yoshiko Ohara (Bloody Panda) add layers of rhythmic complexity and vocal abrasion, turning songs into ritualistic exorcisms of wealth and power.

Lyrically, Goldstar is a scathing indictment of opulence and inequality. The band’s New York roots bleed through in references to “grand Manhattanism” and “skyscrapers weeping,” casting the city as both muse and monster. Even the interlude “Goldstar” mimics a radio jingle for a fictional cigarette brand, satirizing the allure of luxury while hinting at its carcinogenic consequences.

The closing track, “Industry of Misery,” is a slow-burning reckoning—a sonic implosion that mirrors the collapse of the very systems the album critiques. In Goldstar, Imperial Triumphant doesn’t just perform extreme music; they weaponize it, turning jazz timings and blast beats into tools of cultural autopsy.