IMAGIKA – Portrait Of A Hanged Man

Once again, the American Imagika went to take on the world with raised fists. Their new album, Portrait Of A Hanged Man, brought back the savagery of US Power Metal molded with mayhemic Bay Area Thrash Metal. As many of the Bay Area thrashers retained their figures over the past decade, Imagika never lost it so they did not have to do anything to retain, only to protect and preserve.

Portrait Of A Hanged Man is the seventh boom the band made in their career of seventeen years. As time marched on, these guys from San Carlos, California never seemed to flinch as Metal twisted and shifted over the years. All the changes on their releases never transformed the band into something different from what they once were. The only thing that took form in the band’s representation is the addition of tips of extremeness to formulate a new kind of brutal anger.

Imagika’s Metal is like a blow to the head, yet with a silk glove. Their music is tight, aggressive and unforgiving, however with their fearful imagery; they know how to even the balance of aggression in order to generate appealing music. Their image composed of Metal that is similar to Metal Church, Testament, Metallica and other Bay Area style groups, alongside the edge of brutality seen on modernized Melodic Death Metal/Death Metal artists, has made them something worthwhile. Between the growls, soft and raspy vocals, low tuned guitars and running gun drums, Imagika is still an old school outline even if they went updating themselves with the current Metal industry.

Portrait Of A Hanged Man runs between what we call classic to what is modern. Its production is all but vintage, yet its running material is a trip between the heavy and the brutal. This kind of “conflict” between the new and old did a very nice effort for Imagika. It’s like when everything seems to be heading to the emergence of badass extremeness, there is always a classy surprise on the other end. Furthermore, whenever it’s a loud crunchy solo or a melodic shaped chorus. That is why this album turned out to be a respected addition to the, hopefully, everlasting American Bay Area Thrash. It’s full of chaos, yet, with a great reverence to the fathers.

Highlights:“The Hit”, “Scared To Death”, “A God No More” (A hell of a performance by the guest Andy La Rocque”), “Halo Of Flies”, “Keep The Wolves At Bay”, “One World”.