Ask me not why Germanic Black Metal duo Imperium Dekadenz felt the need to spell their band name in this manner, for I know not. Yet the band soon overcome any initial misgivings you may have at their name and prove that Germany is becoming a vital part of the worldwide Black Metal scene. An ethereal and spooky piano introduction soon gives way to the rising rage of Lacrimae Mundi, old-Enslaved-esque snarls riding atop a melancholic tidal wave of melody, a complex wall of noise that becomes more defined the closer you look. Frequently changing pace and subtly epic, Imperium Dekadenz's music simply screams its quality, little touches like fading a song out for a Neofolky bit of acoustic meandering working terrifically and keeping your ears firmly enthralled. Anyone who has listened to a fair bit of Black Metal these past few years will probably be familiar with this sort of music, yet actually listening to fantastic cuts like the ten-minute A Million Moons is little short of amazing, especially given moments such as when the fabulously orchestral keyboards come in behind the acoustic guitar. The band have an innate sense of what gives their music its epic punch, and so moments like the dramatic spoken words of A Million Moons fit in perfectly.

It's as if Imperium Dekadenz have taken the best things from all eras of Black Metal - audible bass, acoustic guitars, heavy riffs, a great production - and tied them together. There are no steps too far away from the base purity of the genre, as this could well be a remaster of an album from the mid-nineties, the likes of Ego Universalis more than capable mid-album pounders that mix in nicely with atmospheric prog-touched wonders like the all-acoustic À La Nuit Tombante. By the time you've reached An Autumn Serenade, with its soaring riffs and magnificent, almost post-rock melodies, it's pretty much impossible not to be in love with this album - Drudkh meeting their match in an epic display of musicianship which easily pulls down and crushes false idols such as Keep Of Kalessin.

Looking in rapt wonder at the album's rather magnificent cover art, showing a lone figure stood atop a majestic waterfall, it's hard to think of any criticisms at all. The songwriting is never less than stellar, the sparkly introduction to Ocean, Mountain's Mirror just the icing on the cake to the song itself, a wonderfully atmospheric and dizzyingly cinematic swoop over the sort of terrain that only exists in Lord Of The Rings films. The sheer effort gone into even interludes like The Descent Into Hades, complete with Lisa Gerrard-esque female wailing, is impressive, the sheer grandeur astonishing - it is very easy to be impressed with Procella Vadens, without a doubt. I'm very pleased that the first two albums of the new decade that I've heard - this and Ihsahn's After - are of such high quality, it forebodes well for the year - yet I'll certainly be mentioning this wonderful Black Metal album come the end of 2010. Recommended for all Black Metal fans.