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This is the first time I've ever come across Impious, and I must say on first impressions alone they do seem a greatly professional outfit. Apparently this is their fifth full length album since their inception in 1994, though this time their album is based around the concept of a crazed man attempting to wipe out his own bloodline, which he believes to be evil. The difference between this and the usual style of concept album however, is the fact that they've incorporated the lyrics of the songs into a dark Marvel comics styled graphic novel which runs through the booklet, showing each 'chapter' as a track portraying the guy stalking his family, adding in the occasional gratuitous grizzly murder.

However, let us not forget that this is an album review and not a comic book evaluation. The music on offer reminds me greatly of The Haunted in their Marco Aro days, with precise yet sterile death/thrash, soaked thoroughly in a vat full of melody with the usual Gothenburg patented rough vocals and pounding percussion. There are also a few touches of early Swedish death metal here and there, but not enough to warrant comparisons with the classics. For what it is, it's not bad at all, but somehow this style of music just leaves me cold, seeming to be patched together with the exactitude of a cookie-cutter. Overall, although this is a pretty good concept which is well executed, Impious don't quite have the music to back it up. I suppose you could accuse them of being all image with not much in the way of musical consistency to back it up, but that'd be a bit harsh. Good for what it is, but you can't help feeling let down by the music after the striking impression they give with their booklet and concept.