(progressive power metal) Imperium - Too Short A Season (1995 Japanese Ed.) - 1993, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Another buried treasure dug out of the Dutch underground; the high level of musicianship, though, shouldn't come as a surprise considering that two ex-members of Sacrosanct take part here; the same ones who left the latter act after their magnum opus "Recesses For The Depraved".

The music here is more progressive-based with both power and thrash metal assisting in almost equal dozes. "Too Short A Season" is a dramatic piece in a relatively slow tempo with an echo of Lethal and mid-period Fates Warning, but the following "Play Of Compassion" is a creepy puzzler ala Psychotic Waltz's debut, again not the fastest song in the world, but quite compelling with its razor-sharp riffs and sudden tempo-changes. "Chemical Dreams" follows a similar pattern in the 1st half, before turning into a faster thrasher in the 2nd one by preserving the twisted riffage.

"Silenced" is a heavy steam-rolling piece thrashing hard with smashing guitars and sparce balladic adherences. "Left Meaningless" develops those baladic tendencies fully to a positive effect being a cool heavy ballad with great leads and a pounding rhythm section. "To The Things That Were" offers a full compensatin for the several more quiet moments encountered previously with forceful cutting riffs which speed up nicely towards the end in a sure-handed Hexenhaus-esque fashion.

"Messiah Mask" is both fast and technical with echoes of the German underground "warriors" Flaming Anger, with the short balladic passage in the middle increasing the drama assisted by the next portion of sophisticated virtuoso leads. "Slip Of Tongue" is the guys' tribute to the doom metal scene, a heavy crunchy piece in the vein of Pathos and Morgana Lefay. "Awakening" is 8-min of pensive proto-doomy progressiveness, the only underwhelming composition on this very good album, a slow thoughtful number with shades of Queensryche and Fates Warning again.

The singer is the perfect match to the music with his dramatic emotional tember which never leaves the mid-parametres, but ably assists the complex musical delivery the whole time also given quite a space to perform on the more laid-back moments.

Some of the band members are stll active now, under the name Sphere Of Souls, but the style has shifted towards more temperate progressive metal with more frequent balladic stretches.

The Thrash Metal Guide

André Vuurboom - vocals
Michel Cerrone - guitars
Rob Cerrone - guitars
Remco Nijkamp - bass
Patrick Gerritzen - drums
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Liesbeth Froom - keyboards