Not to be confused with the same-named Swedish death metal band who also have a record out this year Greenville, South Carolina-based blackened death metal trio IMPERISHABLE most likely formed between guitarist/vocalist Brian Kingsland (Nile) and bassist Alex Rush during the pandemic, or at least fired up as a side project around that time. They’d soon premiered their first song/single (“Exclusion Continuum“) on a popular site in late 2020 before running silent for roughly four years beyond. Back then they’d suggested it wouldn’t be a wanking, squeaky clean tech-death deal but instead something more “old school” minded. Well-regarded drummer Derek Roddy (Serpent’s Rise, ex-Hate Eternal) joined in 2023 and last year they’d released a few more demoed songs from this album (‘Demos‘, 2024) online, soon after joining up with Everlasting Spew who also foster Rush‘s Olkoth. The band’s current-and-distant associations with various popular death metal acts should naturally funnel your expectations in a specific direction though with four previews of the contents of the ~32 minute seven song ‘Revelation in Purity‘ over the years should have folks well-prepared at this point.

Imperishable aren’t necessarily offering ‘old school’ death metal here from my point of view but rather a fusion of 90’s groove metal inspired movements, some black metal inspired riffcraft, and shades of the brutal technical death metal tautness of the 2000’s. With some unexpected vocal treatments laced throughout the effect of their work is modestly accessible, simple enough to grasp upon approach, though most of the pieces on ‘Revelation in Purity‘ are presented at high density and performed with precision. Opener “Oath of Disgust” does a fine job of rushing right to the full reveal within its first couple of minutes, scrambling through its first couple of blackened death riffs and growling a verse out before the main “chorus” hits ~35 seconds in, a cleaner sung and layered droning chorale in fairly verbose statement. From that point the groove metal riffs hit with a kinda late 90’s Florida death metallic snap to ’em and the song wheels out from there in shades of brutality and congested grooves. This is more a high density arrival than it is a template going forward but all of the basic parts are on display up front.

Barring the seven minute grand finale (“The Enduring Light of Irreverence”) on offer here most of the spectacle here is found within a grinding, chunking and high speed rattle through ~4-5 minute death metal songs with (again) groove-heavy riffs as the main rhythmic voice. Rush‘s basslines act in both accompaniment and anchor, lending some addition voice to more directly set pieces (see: “Exclusion Continuum”) and this is helpful as the vocals take on no certain directive beyond a few bursts of gnashing here and there. The title track (“Revelation in Purity”) was kind of the dig in or bounce off moment for my own taste as the more severe, fast-cut rip through its opening riffs (pick scrapes and all) kinda set me up for this Krisiun-esque shuddering intensity of form for the first 2-3 minutes of martial attack ’til the song loses its focus. Rather than trample on “Revelation in Purity” simply looks for a place to land, floating off in a few directions before doing so.

The miasmic phrasing which opens “Iniquity” offers yet another quick-turn moment but this time for the sake of one of the more notable harmonized vocal sections on the full listen, crossing wires between groove/death metal and some kind of prog-death component that they detangle throughout the piece. The eerie harmonized vocal sections are excellent, an under-used idea which proves versatile throughout the full listen and goes a long way toward ensuring Imperishable offer something distinct amidst the shoulder-to-shoulder packed movement of the album otherwise. I’m not sure I was expecting a kind of death-grinding, tripod-era AIC feel on a death metal album from these folks but once it hit on a few of these (esp. “Where Dead Omens Croon”) it starts to feel like every song should just go for it, push for more melody even as the rest of what they’re doing isn’t all that earth-shattering.

Aforementioned closer “The Enduring Light of Irreverence” went a long way towards anchoring the potential of this project in mind as a seven plus minute diatribe built upon a similar foundation of death-grinding speed, blackened flourish and congested Morbid Angel (or, more recent Nile even) slung riffcraft set to stampeded and waltz depending on the moment. This is where the details available to their lead guitars and basslines start to pop out like loose springs and generate interest, almost indicating a more prog-death exaggerated evolution might be worthy pursuit. After sitting with the closer alongside the rest of the album Imperishable appear less tentative in this debut LP statement but the full effect hasn’t quite made the complete connection between their largely 90’s-braced points of inspiration. With that said their core idea is evident and the album generally well executed. ‘Revelation in Purity‘ is a fine enough debut, a short but eventful listen for those inclined, but to hit the potential suggested within they’d have to push this sound further in all directions. A moderately high recommendation.

---