IMPERIAL TIDE – EXISTENCE IN CRISIS – EP REVIEW
24th July 2023What is Las Vegas famous for? Bright lights, Casinos, Elvis-themed wedding chapels, debauchery, and the much-employed phrase “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. I’m not sure what the phrase encompasses or what it extends to but I’m fairly sure that not everything can stay in Vegas, some things have to get out or Vegas would be a terrifying, brightly lit eternal prison, like the 1967 TV series “The Prisoner”, but with slot machines, Brittany Spears in residency and Showgirls. So, I’ve either misunderstood the phrase or Imperial Tide have somehow escaped Vegas to unleash their angsty Metalcore/Hardcore on the rest of the world, with their intense six-track release Existence in Crisis. Why only six tracks though? Maybe that’s all they could record before their window of opportunity for escape closed.
I’ll be honest when I was sent a Youtube video of EP track R.A.T, I thought I immediately had the measure of this band. A decent drummer, with two strings, three frets, and an angry vocal, all wrapped in a “core” bow but on further listens I was proven very wrong. The music is interesting and alluring, it blends Hardcore, elements of Industrial, and several heaped spoons of Metalcore. I really dig It!The vocals are a real stand-out element of this band, they’re not your standard vocal fry gutturals which so many bands utilize these days, meaning it’s tough to tell bands apart. The vocals in Imperial Tide sound and feel raw and filled with real anger, and frustration and are pitched higher with more gristle. Musically there are plenty of twists and turns which keep you guessing but not so much that your can’t nod your head along with it. Existence in Crisis is the perfect aggressive fix to listen to in the car before having to face work for the day, or for just de-stressing quickly after a shit day. The six brutal tracks wizz by in a heartbeat, leaving the listeners’ ears slightly out of breath but benefiting from the musical equivalent of an aggressive sports massage by a violent prison inmate. Imperial Tide is an exciting band that feels authentic in a sea of over-produced, carbon-copy “Core” bands, and I for one will be at their UK shows if they manage to further evade capture by their Vegas captors. Score 8/10 
Track List
1. King Of The Gutter
2. Off The Leash
3. Slip
4. R.A.T.
5. Blood In The Streets
6. Malice In The Palace
Release date 18th August 2023
Label: Mascot Records
