Celebrating one year of THE BLACK

On April 12th, 2024, the band Imminence released their fifth album, The Black, and it immediately went to the top of my Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Today, we celebrate ONE YEAR OF THE BLACK!

What I adore most about Imminence is that they seemingly suffer from the same personality disorder I do. Like a rainbow over cemetery, their journey embraces both the dark and light side of life (Why choose?). The lyrics touch on the darkness of depression, yet in their 2019 album, they repeatedly remind us to reach through that darkness and Turn the Light On.

As you may have guessed from the album’s title, The Black is where these mild-mannered boys from Sweden have transformed into villainous men, hellbent on spreading mayhem. And I am here for it.

The Black is a concept album about life and death, which is open to the individual interpretation of the listener (or VIEWER, because their music videos are basically MOVIES). But what I believe was key in crafting a stellar album here was that they didn’t put their concept in a box and force the idea into existence all at once; these songs were written one by one and unfolded naturally… wreaking unnatural havoc on the metal scene. People are taken aback by how this band changes and evolves and does it SO WELL.

So… when Imminence announced their tour in North America, I knew I’d be going. I was lucky enough (or motivated enough) to catch three shows this tour, and even after all that sensory intake, I’m still not sure how to describe the experience (and I’m supposed to be an author!). So, instead of writing a tour review, I’m going to post quotes from other fans who attended concerts on the tour, and share some photography captured by the talented Ilona Gerasymova. I also want to give props to their amazing tour manager, Mira, who helped make the magic come true for us! Thank you!

“I loved the extra parts of these shows – the props, the theatrics (robed figures, light effects). It was a whole visual experience as well, and I loved every second.” -Tiffany Hurd

“Getting to hear ’86’ live made me cry, but my favorite parts were getting to meet the people in person who I’ve befriended through Imminence… and finally getting to witness Eddie scream into the violin was pretty neat, too!” -Oz Krawiec

This was my third time seeing them. First one will always be my favorite. This one, the light show was absolutely amazing. Incredible. When I was filming, the bass was making my screen jump, even though I was holding my phone absolutely still. It was great. Cant wait for the next one. Also glad Fredrik Berlin came along. They need to do a Bear Mountain Park tour.” -Cee Dubb

“I saw Imminence last year on May 7th. Imminence came out and sucker-punched the crowd with their explosive and hard-hitting lyrics and unearthly music. At the end of the concert, I left satisfied yet yearning for more. Fastforward to March 14th, 2025 in Chicago. They had cloaked figures who were walking ever so slowly, just like Death stalking its prey. In between the songs, they’d come to life, pick up lanterns and hobble along the stage as the fog filled the air. The band was on point. The music was phenomenal, and it was very… spiritual to say the least. It was definitely an experience. Imminence isn’t just a band. They’re more than just the music. They’re more than the deep lyrics… Imminence is a life changing experience.” -Daniel J. Mitchell

“They really put on a performance, not just a show!” -Eric Crane

“The show was great! The energy was very high and set/theatrics were amazing, too.” -Crystal Brooks

“Loved the guys in the audience with suspenders. It was a fun show.” -Sarah Kelderman

SO. That was a nice tour recap, but onto official business…

The Black has been out for a full year now, and I want to celebrate!

How about some fun facts? Did you know that this band uses the violin bow on two different instruments? Mmmhmm. Eddie Berg plays the violin… and Harald Barrett? That crazy dude uses a bow on his guitar!

More Fun Facts!

My buddy, Oz Krawiec, collected some MUCH NEEDED and VALID statistics about how many times certain words appear throughout the album The Black, including the bonus tracks God Fearing Man and Death Shall Have No Dominion which dropped later on, after the album’s original release.

The word “black” (including song titles, lyrics, and other versions of the word such as “blackened”) appears on the album nineteen times!

Death in all its forms of “death”, “die”, “dying”, and “dead” appear forty-six times (if I’m looking at the spreadsheet correctly, and yes… Oz sent me a spreadsheet).

“Dark” and “darkness” appear twenty-one times!

So… now that you know all about The Black and the most recent Imminence tour, please enjoy some more eye candy, courtesy of Ilona Gerasymova before you go!

I want to thank the whole band for coming to the US.

Touring can be rough, but you guys are always out there making it happen for the fans, and we see you 👁️🖤. Thank you Eddie Berg, Harald Barrett, Peter Hanstrom, Alex Arnoldsson, Fredrik Berlin, and thank you to VAAAL for stepping in for Christian Hoijer on the bass! Your pirouettes and “yeeeeahs” are on point, sir.

Until next time, fellas. I’m currently raising funds for Louder Than Life! Hahaha. 🖤