Australia’s own Tamerlan Empire comes strong with their Middle Eastern influenced debut Age of Ascendancy. Released today through Metal Hell Records, this album is as strong of an album as Tamerlan was as a conqueror. The album speaks of the era where empires strove for dominance through war, bloodshed and destruction. Many of Tamerlan’s lores are the driving force of the songs on this album, as well as more ethereal concepts of life and death, greed and deception. It’s hard to believe while listening to this that this is Tamerlan Empire’s debut release as this sounds like a release from a veteran symphonic black metal band. Each track tells tales of empires lost but the victories won and the blood that was shed.
Tracks like Battle of Tyrants and Marauder’s Mark are the highlights here as they blend perfectly the haunting symphonic elements with a strong and unique black metal approach. Not only do the songs on this album bring the sheer ferocity of black metal but also Tamerlan Empire have created a flawless recipe of blending folk and symphonic melodies that captivate the listener. The guitar work on each track are also not something to just assume play simplistic tremolo riffs but actually bring a level of intricacy that is unparalleled by many black metal bands. With this said, is this album worth listening to? HELL YES IT IS! This album is a great debut and a perfect example of 2018 being a great year for symphonic black metal. If you are a fan of trance inducing melodies, memorable guitar riffs and just black metal that is done right, then this album is on your must have list.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Review by Neil Andersen
