Brighton, UK unit Imposter have been crafting their personal style of hardcore since 2017, unleashing a unique balancing act between hardcore, punk and black metal, and after four years in the making, here we finally have their debut LP, Oblivion Opens. Sinister and brooding, it’s as if Bathory had incorporated Cold as Life into their sound.
The album deals with deeply personal themes of depression, pulled directly from vocalist Rory's own experiences and explored through different lenses on each track. “After you’ve stared death in the eye nothing’s the same and the world feels like a very different place.” explains Rory. “That’s where ‘Oblivion Opens’ comes from. Losing grip on your mortality is primitively terrifying, but life on earth can be much more sickening. I drew the cover art to represent this vision of terror that I faced, based on old depictions of hell by Hieronymous Bosch and Johfra Bosschart.”
Imposter has created a masterclass of Negative Hardcore throughout the tracks that make up Oblivion Opens, turning the unimaginable horrors of life into an sonic offering that will pull listeners directly into the hellish story of the album.
Credits:
Imposter is:
Vocals - Rory O’Neill
Guitar - Idris Mirza
Guitar - Lucas Burtenshaw
Bass - Sammy Hellride
Drums - Joe McMahon
Recorded and Mixed by Stanley Gravett at Holy Mountain Studios
Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead at Birth Studios
Art and Design by Rory O’Neill
Photography by Amber Valence