Emperor began in early 1991 as a trio. Featuring Samoth on drums/vocals, Isahn as guitarist and Mortiis as bassist, the band quickly began writing and soon recorded their first demo, Wrath of the Tyrant. After this demo had caught Candlelight Record's attention, they made slight line-up changes. Samoth became second guitarist and Bard Faust filled in as permanent drummer. The band had already moved to the studios to record half of their Emperor/Enslaved CD wich would appear the following year. Eventually, Mortiis would leave the band only to be replaced by Tchort. The press regarding the band was exellent, and in the summer of '93 the band had recorded their first full-length album, In the Nightside Eclipse. After it's release in '94 Emperor had already made a mark as soon-to-be one of the most influential Black Metal bands ever.
Intro/Into the Infinity of Thoughts - 5/5
The intro is an odd mixture of disturbing atmospheric sounds and noises. After about fifty seconds it leads into the first song, Into the Infinty of Thoughts. Faust executes perfect blast beats, while the arpeggiated power chords of the guitars produce one of the most amazing sounds ever heard within the genre. Isahn's vocals sounds great in the beginning with an emotion that seems to match the music. The music then transitions into a more angry atmosphere, but the song keeps going strong. This is definitely a stand-out track, and by no means should anyone skip.
The Burning Shadows of Silence - 4.5/5
Sounds pretty sweet to start out. The guitars make a weird sound, but when the drums come into the background it sounds pretty kickass. With Isahn's long screams against the music, this song sounds more "Black Metal" than the previos track. It's much heavier at least. As a whole the song is pretty evil. Not quite up to step ith the last song, but keeps the album flowing nicely.
Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times - 4/5
Still pretty sdecent, but not quite standing out like the past few songs. It still posesses the atmosphere that seems to define the album, which kept it above a 3/5. The synth goes on in the background through the entire song and aound like a chorus line at times. Not too bad, but not the greatest.
Beyond the Great Vast Forest - 4/5
The music and the vocals start immediately giving the song a harder hitting feeling then the other tracks. At times it moves pretty slow with the chorus-like synth in the background (maybe every song...did I just miss it in the first two songs?). The slower parts remind me of older Metallica for some reason. Aside from that, it is slightly similar to the last track except for the speed, which makes the song identical to others but also one of the most unique on the album (woah - pretty philisophical :D ).
Towards the Pantheon - 4.25/5
Ooooooooooohhhh...the beginning is impressive with clean guitars and a light feeling. The electric instruments come in and the drum beats in the background always confuse me (I can never seem to follow them :evil: ). I think Isahn can keep a scream going longer than any human being in history. The track makes up for the lack of speed of the last song with a nice constant pace (finally). The guitar leads sound pretty cool. I've been waiting for those for a while. A pretty good song - slightly better then the last two.
The Majesty of the Night Sky - 4.75/5
Another hard-hitter. It starts immediately - screaming, blast beats, power chords, everything. For the most part it keeps up the whole song...untill...aha! More amazing sounding leads! This song is like a gold mine to me. The synth background combined with those makes this another grea track that is never to be skipped.
I Am the Black Wizards - 5/5
Is it just me, or do I smell a classic? Yes my friends, this along with the next song are some of the more famous Black Metal songs around. Even before I was into Black Metal I knew about these songs. Black Wiards boasts more great guitar leads and of course the world-famous blast beats. It eventually slows down and gets pretty atmospheric. In short, this song is pretty amazing. Never skip past - only skip
to.
Inno A Satana - 5/5
*Sniff, sniff* Yep, definitely classic. This song is also pretty famous, and for a **** good reason. It begins with a little drummery by Faust, and breaks into choir-like voices in the background highlighting this thing I like to call the music. The random bursts of lead work seems to give the song a feeling of unstoppability (yeah, you heard me). This is one of the most flowing songs on the album. Easily a highlight.
A Fine Day to Die - 4.75/5
Originally unavailable on the album, but added later on the rerelease. It starts out pretty mellow with the acoustic and the singing. (Sedated)
It's nice... never underestimate the almighty power of a bonus track. I knew there had to be a catch. The instruments come crashing in and the song sounds pretty chaotic and badass. Haha, the guys come through for us again.
Gypsy - 4.5/5
Love that singing! [/sarcasm] It sounds like they're strangling my cat in the background. But don't let that stop you. This song has one killer solo in the beginning. The weird singing is pretty goofy, but the music really rocks. Yes, yet another killer solo just one minute after the last! I've been waiting for solos like this the whole album. My God, do they deliver.
Conc...
This is an essential Black Metal album. One of the most classic albums of the genre. Along with Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk this is probably the band's best album. The remastering sounds great - sorry Darkthrone fans. If you're a fan of either the band or the genre, you must have this album. No question. One of the best albums I own.
Recommended songs:
Into the Infinity of Thoughts
I Am the Black Wizards
Inno A Satana
A Fine Day to Die
Final rating - 5/5 :thumb:
Enjoy - this album is nearly flawless!
