#Slav be concise for once challenge (impossible)

[slavghoul]

Today marks the one year anniversary of Impera. What are your thoughts on the album a year later?

I think in light of its predecessor, Impera was a bold move from Tobias. Prequelle was something of a pulled punch, a good album overall but sorta missing, well, the punch. It was nice and safe. I enjoyed it, but secretly wished for a record that would kick my ass a bit more thoroughly. And Impera managed to do just that; it waltzed in like Jim Steinman possessed by Satan and the spirit of 80s hard rock, overflowing with so much decadence and pizzazz that it left me reeling. It's so unapologetically large and audacious. It doesn't give a fuck. It kicks you in the shin and runs away laughing, but instead of feeling angry, you can't help but shout "thank you" in response.

Tobias has a remarkable talent for crafting very multilayered compositions with intricate structures and melodies that demand attentive listening to fully appreciate. It's almost like a game for me sometimes trying to decipher and appreciate each layer individually. Impera is abundant in those intricacies, with every next listen I always find something new to appreciate in each song. Respite on the Spitalfields is a good example of that, but also Call Me Little Sunshine and Darkness At The Heart Of My Love. The latter may appear simple at first, but they're actually quite complex and thoughtfully crafted.

It has its weaker moments too, of course. Personally, I find the guitar work in Kaisarion to be a bit too reminiscent of 2000s pop punk, a genre that I'm as allergic to as Tobias is to nu metal. The lyrics of Twenties verge on being cartoonish and not in a good way, and I'm not sure if that was the intended effect. However, musically it's one of my favorite Ghost songs, and I wish they would explore that sound further. Hunter's Moon feels somewhat out of place as well, almost as if it was a last-minute addition to the tracklist. But overall, I believe it's an absolutely stellar record and it will go down in Ghost's history as one of their best.