Country: UK
Genre: Symphonic power metal
Single/video: Gnosis
Format: Digital, CD, 7” vinyl
Label: Atlantean Records
Release date: June 5, 2026
Premiered on YouTube last month, “Gnosis” is the promotional video for Imperial Age’s single released in September 2024. It serves as a preview of a new full-length they plan to work on following an upheaval or two in their career.
“Gnosis” is the first video they’ve made after relocating from Russia to Turkey and finally to the UK where they were granted residency as “exceptional talents” in 2023. Alongside the digital release, Atlantean Records issued physical singles on CD and seven-inch vinyl with instrumental and symphonic versions of the song. Since I stumbled across this video by chance, I have yet to hear those versions, so I will be concentrating solely on this one.
This video was financed by fan crowdfunding and produced by Loki Films with Shaun Hodson who previously helped Cradle of Filth, Slipknot, Skindred, and Sleep Token bring their visions to life. It’s been four years since Imperial Age last expressed their ideas in film, and “Gnosis” appears to symbolize a rebirth of their imagination and creativity. It’s the start of their "English period" as the band needed a change of atmosphere to begin anew after facing rejection from the Russian metal industry.
Upon their move, vocalists Jane Odintsova and Alexander Osipov assembled an entirely new lineup with musicians from England and Italy and worked toward performing at European festivals to re-establish their presence. Settling into a new environment and adding fresh blood is exactly what was needed for the founding vocalists to restore and replenish their livelihood and fortitude as performers. Starting over after about a decade has given them a fresh perspective, a new sense of professionalism and a drive to prove themselves all over again.
The new members who joined between 2022 and ’25 seem to be building rapport while handling the song’s technical and operatic aspects. With an even stronger offensive than what I last heard on their 2022 album “New World.” Everything in this song sounds aligned toward striking a chord with fans of symphonic power metal, especially the kind with operatic, orchestral and classical overtones, range and genre fusion, multiple lead vocals, choir harmonies, accurate blast and intelligent, ironic lyrics.
Reaching toward epic proportions at six and a half minutes, it’s reserved to a modest enough duration so the songwriting doesn’t repeat itself, linger or degenerate into tediousness. The setting of the video, the band’s costuming and the amount of lighting used to provide ambiance characterizes the song thoughtfully. It feels like a private excursion into consciousness and understanding, free of scrutiny from without.
The song also seems to hint there’s always a possibility for it to become bondage of a sort; the more knowledge you attain the more your hunger for knowledge grows, and attaining infinite knowledge comes at too heavy a price. So in the end your only direction is to more deeply explore the unknown in pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment beyond the physical world, sacrificing everything to find the answers to these questions. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Jane Odintsova: Vocals
Alexander "Aor" Osipov: vocals
Daniel Carpenter: Lead guitar
Colin Parks: Rhythm guitar
Dan "Beardy" Quiney: Bass
Manuele Di Ascenzo: Drums
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