Imperial Triumphant are an experimental, blackened, jazz-metal band from New York City. Led by vocalist and guitarist Zachary Ilya Ezrin, their sound employs dissonant, experimental sonics, technical black metal, vanguard jazz, and neo-classical tenets. Since issuing 2012's acclaimed Abominamentvm, they have undergone several lineup changes, played festivals across the United States and Europe, and issued EPs, singles, and long-players for a variety of labels including Gilead Media and Century Media. 2018's Vile Luxury was a collectively written concept offering with New York City as its central character and speaking subject. It won acclaim for incorporating jazz harmonics, improvisation, and varied instrumentation. 2020's Alphaville doubled down on the muscal exploration to global accolades. 2021's An Evening with Imperial Triumphant was recorded live at NYC's Slipper Room cabaret. 2022's Spirit of Ecstasy included horns and numerous guests including Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick, Voivod vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger, and smooth jazz saxist Kenny G.
mperial Triumphant signed a record deal with Sony's Century Media in 2019, and entered the studio in early 2020 with New York City once more as its muse. With producer Trey Spruance they used Vile Luxury as a sonic blueprint for an even more adventurous journey. They tracked with Marston on additional guitars (as well as in his by-now-customary roles mixing and mastering) and guests who included Meshuggah's Thomas Haake on taiko drums, a choir led by Ohara, a barbershop quartet (all parts sung by R.K. Halvørson), strings, and J. Walter Hawkes' multi-tracked trombone. Wildly experimental and titled Alphaville after French director Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 dystopian futurist sci-fi film, the recording all but erased the dividing lines between avant-jazz and classical music, black metal, prog, and industrial rock. In addition to seven original songs, the set included innovative covers of Voivod's "Experiment," and the Residents' "Happy Home."
Though recorded before the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic fell across the globe, Alphaville was released in July 2020. It won accolades from jazz and other critics outside the extreeme metal community for its groundbreaking meld of sounds, genres and textures. The band followed it with An Evening with Imperial Triumphant in 2021; the set was recorded at NYC's Slipper Room, a storied cabaret and comedy venue. The trio were joined by trumpeter Benjamin Hankle on the date. In July 2022, Imperial Triumphant returned with their fourth studio longplayer, Spirit of Ecstasy. The trio enlisted a brass section, strings, and a range of guests including vocalist Yoshiko Ohara, guitarists Alex Skolnick (Testament), Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle), Max Gorelick, and his dad, smooth jazz superstar, Kenny G on the track "Merkurius Gilded."
