Episode 24: Zachary Ezrin (Imperial Triumphant)

Imperial Triumphant has been pushing the limits of metal since they formed in New York City in 2005.  By incorporating avant garde, jazz, and experimental sounds into their black metal delivery, the trio has risen to prominence with their last string of releases, culminating with this year’s Goldstar which has been praised by critics and fans alike as one of the top metal releases of 2025.  Though frontman and guitarist Zachary Ezrin was inspired to pursue black metal by the bands that dominated the Norwegian scene of the early 1990s, Imperial Triumphant delivers a brand of the genre that focuses on the group’s hometown:  New York City.  Or, as they like to put it, they “only play the sounds of New York City as [they] hear them.”After touring all over the world this year, including an opening spot for Mayhem on their North American tour, Imperial Triumphant played a hometown show at Le Poisson Rouge in the heart of Greenwich Village on December 12th.  Billed as the Jazz from Hell Festival, the concert featured Kilter and Jerseyband in opening slots, alongside the Goldstar Metropole Orchestra, a brass section conglomerated of the players from the two aforementioned bands accompanying Imperial Triumphant on stage for their headlining set.  Ahead of the festival, I had a chance to speak with Zachary about the hometown show and a number of other topics, including:being able to play a show in the friendly confines of New York City after touring the world, the band’s writing process for Goldstar, recording at the legendary Menegroth studio hidden in Woodhaven and being the last ever album made there.shooting a video on top of the Chrysler Building, the band’s knowledge of architecture, the black metal elements of New York City, and collaborating with Dave Lombardo from Slayer.the new graphic novel called Merkurius Gilded that Zach wrote the story for, the juxtaposition of decadence and decay present in the city, and how Kenny G. ended up on one of their songs.a discussion of Imperial Triumphant’s masks and their significance, and a very important mathematical question.  Imperial Triumphant continues to push the boundaries of what metal can be, and with Goldstar being their tightest and most streamlined album yet, fans of the band should be very excited for whatever comes next.  Enjoy!