EP Review: Imperium

With a lot of misconceptions about deathcore, it’d be easy to lump Pale Flag into “one of those bands” based on the sub-genre alone. Luckily, I love metal in the most extreme and Pale Flag just so happen to create deathcore of the finest, which makes it even better to enjoy.

With already a few notches on the belt with a handful of singles and their debut EP, Emergence, released in 2019, this is the band’s second EP, named Imperium and it’s a force to be reckoned with.

Strong screams and guttural growls are a pretty good indication of great deathcore, and Pale Flag have it in abundance, courtesy of vocalist, Isaac Drakeley. We’re talking devastatingly good, the kind of screams that could strip paint off a wall, and we’re only one song in with four left to go.

Musically, the guys are tight. Think solid unforgiving riffs that are so deep and dark, and the kind of drumming that just obliterates everything in sight. You feel every note everywhere.

Out of the six tracks that make up Imperium, my stand out would be all of them. These final mixes are some of the cleanest I’ve come across recently, and it’s really the cherry on top to hear such quality production.

But, of course last track, Human Error does catch my ear a little bit more. I’m a sucker for tension and release, which don’t me wrong, there is also no shortage of with this EP, but it’s a hell of a tune.

No Redemption is also a bit of a masterpiece in its own right. If you’re not furiously headbanging at some point, then you might want another listen. Everything about it is sympatico.

With plans to do a little nationwide tour for Imperium, I highly recommend you don’t get left behind and keep your ears to the ground when they hit a city near you. My next recommendation? Time for a full-length album next, hey guys?