Imha Tarikat Unshackles Black Metal with Heartfelt Intensity and "Brute Majesty" (Early Track Stream + Interview)
Given how often metal as a whole is revered for its power, it’s a badge of honor when a musician is deemed “powerful” by those well-versed in the genre. Germany-based black metal outfit Imha Tarikat are one such act. They disregard all blackened aspects that would subtract from their horsepower for a concentrated concoction. Their newest single “Brute Majesty” from their upcoming album Hearts Unchained – At War With A Passionless World is a summation of their intensity, contrasting uplifting lead guitars with confrontational vocals. Check out the equal parts draining and invigorating track below along with an interview with Imha Tarikat’s Kerem Yilmaz (AKA Ruhsuz Cellât).
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Your brand of black metal is punchy, especially with regard to the vocals. Why did you opt to use this full-throated approach instead of more traditional black metal vocals?
Hi, thanks for the interview!
Imha Tarikat is a project which has always been focusing on expressing the fullest intensity of emotions. Each stroke and hit are fueled with enthusiasm and the ecstasy of giving yourself to passion and getting carried away by it. While performing the vocals, this is exactly what is happening; I allow my emotions to be unbound, free to roam and electrify me. There is not a single passage in which I did not put utter heart and soul into. I push my body to limits with only considering that, at that moment of recording, I am finally able to express myself, and I want to take every little bit of this moment for granted!
I’ve read that your recording sessions can be emotionally intense. Much of that intensity transfers over to your music. I’m curious how you’re able to control it to the point that it sounds as deliberate as it does on the record.
I feel like, to make music sound right, you need to allow it to evolve into the way it needs to be and minimize the influence of what would be the – sometimes objectively, sometimes personally – best way to make something most-potentially appealing. And the more you let something form to manifest unique and strong in content, the easier it is to empathize with why it is good the way it is. Take your time, do the same rights and wrongs a thousand times, despair and find the beauty in the madness of it – And then grasp it with both hands!
I love this quote you gave to Metal Hammer, “when it comes to recording or writing it always has to be done now because there is no later,” how do you think spontaneity plays into your music’s explosiveness?
I remember that interview!
The amount of devotion I give into this project is tremendous, and it is taking its toll. My whole life right now is built around being able to give my all into Imha Tarikat. But it is more than just music to me. Without Imha Tarikat I probably never would have been the person I am now as it was a blade for me to fight within the darkest times.
PASSION. BURSTING.
It is an ideal I dedicated myself to, and at the point I no longer will be able to do it justice, that shall be the day I leave it to be. Until then, I will sacrifice all I can.
Your music has the intensity of black metal but strips away many of the other telltale signs (raw production, repetitive riffs). Do you find that there are certain black metal elements that don’t communicate with your style?
It is difficult for me to call elements of black metal I do not like, but what about black metal is essential for me, is easy to state. It has no rules! That is the first thing I think of when it comes to black metal, and also is the only factor important to me.
How did your emotions differ when writing and recording
Oh well, to a great extent they do not differ at all, however how I deal with them has changed immensely. Roughly said, ‘Kara Ihlas’ was about understanding them, ‘Sternenberster’ about struggling with them, and ‘Hearts Unchained’ picks up where ‘Sternenberster’ left off and is about the efforts of bringing this obtained awareness into control. It is a progression told from start to end, so with future releases probably new paths will be traveled.
Seeing as how personal Imha Tarikat is to you, how do you envision what you communicate in your songs transferring to listeners?
I reveal the deepest of my emotions. My wrongs, my weaknesses, my fears, days of solitude, nights of violence, loss, moments of breathtaking, aching sadness. All these come together to form pools of suffering. Still, they are foundations for monuments of solace. Because in these songs there is not a second wasted on dwelling on any of those feelings, instead they are being exposed to be torched and with its heat glory to be formed.
Hearts Unchained – At War with a Passionless World sounds like your most refined record yet. How were you able to maintain your intensity while cleaning up your sound?
Thank you! Next to some projects in which I shortly participated, Imha Tarikat has always been receiving my full attention and also has been my primary medium for studying and practicing music and recording. For example, ‘Grey Path’ on Imha Tarikat’s very first EP was the second song I ever composed. I am working on becoming a better and more articulate musician each day.
Songs like “Touch of Mercy” (from Hearts Unchained – At War With A Passionless World) have triumphant lead guitars that break away from your punkish black metal. They come as reprieves to the album’s demeanor. Did you integrate them in that way, or were you looking for another goal with them?
While the other instruments, except vocals, build a fundamental wall of sound, with leads scenarios are”depicted“ and emotions can be emphasized. It is all with the function of guiding the listener towards envisioning his own experience, exploring his own stories and emotions. Do not be carried away by the intense character of the music, and allow yourself to behold the beauty of the storm.
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Hearts Unchained – At War With A Passionless World releases December 2nd via Prophecy Productions.
