Returning in triumph after 2020's superb The Reckoning Dawn, Mancunian black metallers Winterfylleth's eighth full-length is a restatement of their power that will please long-term fans. Those newer may be a little harder to persuade, particularly when they see just how hefty an album this is at eleven tracks and seventy-five-plus minutes of music! And past reviews from your reviewer haven't always been as much in love with the band's formula as of late... Still, when faced with an album like The Imperious Horizon it's hard not to feel the stately grandeur of the band's work as a whole, from the ominous natural power of the cover art through the stringed instrument intro piece, First Light, shimmering melodious ambience holding you firmly in its grasp. That hold only grows once the black metal itself kicks in aggressively with Like Brimming Fire, the post-Drudkh riffing mournful and evocative initially before turning darker alongside the expert rhythm section and Chris Naughton's snarled vocals.

By the end, the riffs are distinctly epic, the kings returning to their hall accompanied by a near-classical flourish. And although the album can't always quite keep to those levels of quality (dipping almost immediately with Dishonour Enthroned, which feels like something of a retread of similar territory) perhaps due to the general seven-minute-plus song length, it usually manages to keep your interest peeled with melodic churners such as Upon This Shore with effective use of backing male choirs. The title track is another fine example, slowing the pace a little and features a particularly well-placed prog-tinged instrumental interlude, heavy on the keyboards, continuing through into the finale section. Yet it's the album's second half that really ups the quality levels, starting with the near-eleven-minute In Silent Grace, featuring Primordial's Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill on guest vocals. A slow-burning, melancholic and doomy piece out of the usual Winterfylleth oeuvre in sound if not style, the song is led by AA's usual emotive vocals, sounding more raw and passionate than ever - you can tell that the band are rightly proud of the results, as one of the bonus tracks here is an alternate 'solo' version focused on the guest.

It's without doubt a highlight of the album, yet doesn't quite unbalance it thanks to a clever tracklisting which puts To the Edge of Tyranny immediately after, a percussive and furious sub-four minute stormer that is the perfect palate-cleanser and perhaps the closest that Winterfylleth have come yet to making their brand of black metal moshable! Without, of course, losing the epic qualities of their music, an achievement in its own right. After that, acoustic interlude Earthen Sorrows and finale The Insurrection form a fitting final act to the album, the latter especially voracious as a call to arms for rebellion with plenty of folk-infused melody and the best usage of male choirs yet. Perhaps as a whole this album isn't quite as good as the career-best Reckoning Dawn, yet that it is even close is impressive, and those faithful will be enraptured. The Majesty of the Night Sky is a solid choice of Emperor cover, too, as a second bonus track! Perhaps we should be thinking of Winterfylleth more as heirs to the Imperial throne, rather than pretenders to the Drudkhian...?