Emperor, To-Mera & She Said Destroy - London Astoria
| Written by: | Daru Jericho |
| Published: | November 01, 2006 |
| Event: | Emperor (Website) |
| Location: | Astoria, London, United Kingdom |
This was to be Emperor's final concert and, due to being on English record label Candlelight, it was happening here in London. Needless to say, the show was sold out. People from all over the world had come to witness the symphonic black metal legends live and many people had started queuing up from 8am outside the Astoria venue. I myself was adamant on getting to the show early with a place in front row and arrived at around 12:45. Getting to the venue this early was more beneficial than I had expected, resulting in me getting my ticket signed by Samoth and Ihsahn. After many hours of amusement, the doors opened a few minutes earlier than planned and into the Astoria it was.
The first thing I did was buy an Emperor's ladies' t-shirt for 15 pounds, getting impatient at those who were selling it to me due to them being unable to find one. When I did receive it, I got my place in front row, fairly close to the centre. After a seemingly long wait, the first support ban came onstage: She Said Destroy. Once again they were on top form, playing their form of death metal with technical bass parts and drumming. I was enjoying them but there were a number of fans impatient and desperate to see Emperor so the band was not as well received, as they should have been.
The band's setlist was entertaining enough for me, with tracks such as "Shapeshifter" and "Swallow My Tongue". They closed their twenty-minute set with the self-titled song of their album "Time Like Vines". For this song they brought in a guest vocalist but I preferred their original one.
The choice of having To-Mera on the bill sounds rather questionable seeing as they play progressive metal. However, the reason for their position of second support band to Emperor was a returned favour as To-Mera's bassist signed Emperor to Candlelight records. These rapidly rising musician's presence on the bill disappointed a lot of the Emperor fans. The band is good but how they got so popular so quickly is beyond me; it is probably because of their female vocalist. They worked as a fairly cohesive unit. The drums were impressive but not entirely original in the progressive metal genre. The keyboards sounded a little clumsy at times too, but over all their performance was not unwatchable. The band seemed a little nervous; this was the biggest venue they have played so far. They performed songs such as "Parfum" and the more popular "Blood" during their brief set.
When Emperor came on stage the uproar was full and mighty. The black metal legends began their show with a medley of three "In The Nightside Eclipse" tracks: "Into The Infinity Of Thoughts", "The Burning Shadows Of Silence" and "Cosmic Keys To My Creation And Time". Although it would most probably have been better to witness these three tracks all in their entirety, this three song hybrid worked well at welcoming the audience into what was to be a more than memorable show. From where I stood the quality of the sound was great. Nothing over powered anything but there were times when vocalist Ihsahn should have been louder; he was still audible though and that was all that really mattered.
Unsurprisingly most of the setlist came from the albums "In The Nightside Eclipse" and "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" with fan favourites such as "Towards The Pantheon" and "Thus Spake The Nightspirit", two of my personal favourite Emperor songs, the latter appearing surprisingly early in the setlist. "An Elegy Of Icaros" was the only song performed from the "IX Equilibrium" album and "In The Worldless Chamber" was the sole track from "Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise".
The band took lively stances throughout the performance. Ihsahn certainly seemed enthusiastic about this one off show going as far as to state that he felt Emperor were part English just before the band launched into "Curse You All Men!" dedicating it to the English and hoping we would not take offence to it. Live bassist Secthdaemon also seemed to be enjoying himself with his wild windmill headbanging.
The atmospheric quality of Emperor was not lost live. This statement is probably most true for the track "Towards The Pantheon". The beautiful keyboard introduction rang out loud and clear throughout the venue, generating a feel of mysticism. The guitar riffs that helped accommodate these symphonic elements were strong and impressionable from Ihsahn and Samoth. The guitar work throughout the night was in good form and the solos were more than entertaining to watch and listen to.
Ihsahn's guitar work was not the only thing he was doing excellent with; his clean vocals were more or less identical to their recorded counterparts, especially on "Thus Spake The Nightspirit" which had the audience singing "Nightspirit, embrace my soul," in unison. Ihsahn's growls were satisfactory too but I was more interested in hearing the quality of his clean ones.
The show definitely left an impression in my mind with the frequent use of pyrotechnics, summoning tall flames on stage and being in the front row allowed me to clearly fell the heat of it all. The use of such equipment does not usually come to one's mind at the thought of Emperor but it sat well with the live show setup as did the more common use of coloured lighting.
"Opus A Satana Part 1" drew a close to the main set and as soon as Emperor had stopped playing the audience began a rabid and consistent Emperor chant. The band did the conventional return to the stage for an encore performance, beginning this encore with the classic "I Am The Black Wizards" and Ihsahn sported some spiked shoulder pads. With no need to worry about production problems at a live show, Trym's drumming was much clearer and far more superior to the recorded ones. As with the rest of the band, he failed to disappoint. "Ye Entrancemperium" followed and received a large ovation from the crowd.
When Emperor ended their show, Ihsahn thanked the necessary people involved with tonight's show and the audience showed their own thanks to the band. The concert was very enjoyable and if it truly is the final Emperor show then it is safe to say the band left with a bang.
Frontman Ihsahn
Guitarist Samoth
Ihsahn again
Pyro!
Ihsahn with spiked shoulder pads
After the show, my friend and I hung bout the stage door for the completion of my signed Emperor ticket stub. We ended up having an in depth and amusing conversation with the vocalist of She Said Destroy and indeed we met Samoth (again), Trym and Secthdaemon although I did not get the latter to sign my ticket, as he was not a proper member of Emperor. Ihsahn came out but was pushed to his vehicle by security, disallowing any time for photographs or signings. Good thing I got my ticket signed by him earlier!
All in all, a great show that was very very memorable. Rumours are floating around for a DVD taping but nothing seems to have been confirmed yet. This was a truly memorable show. Emperor certainly did not disappoint and surpassed all my expectations!
My signed ticket stub
Setlist: Into The Infinity Of Thoughts/The Burning Shadows Of Silence/Cosmic Keys To My Creation And Time//Thus Spake The Nightspirit//An Elegy Of Icaros//Curse You All Men!//With Strength I Burn//Towards The Pantheon//The Majesty Of The Night Sky//The Loss And Curse Of Reverence//In The Worldess Chamber//Inno A Satana//Opus A Satana Part 1//I Am The Black Wizards//Ye Entracemperium//Opus A Satana Part 2.
Guest article disclaimer:
This is a guest article, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest article, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
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Comments: 34
Visited by: 17 users
| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254  |
wasnt it just an amazing day - i waited outside with you longer then i did for Helloween!! its one week from that show tomorrow and i still cant believe it happened let alone we was right at the front and right in the middle i wish i had some way of remembering the music a bit better then just a fading memory, but i remember thinking that it sounded just like how the sound is on the Emperial Live Ceremoney, so if i need to re-jog my memory of the performance i will just have to go and listen to bits of that there wont be a DVD, as there wasnt any cameras recording - if anything they may release it as just a live album but i dont think they did - that show was just for us that was there the last ever Emperor show wow!! what an experience!
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098  |
There's some stuff on Youtube. But that gig was great. I had fun rubbing in meeting the members of Emperor tonight at the Vader/God Dethroned gig I went to. 
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 04.11.2006 at 02:37 Emperor were there watching Vader play?
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
yes it is - so they actually did two songs from that album and not just the one
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| Judas The Amputator Posts: 2043  |
What a gig. The setlist was great and the execution was immaculate. My photos and videos all came out really well, from the 3rd row, and that night I truly felt privileged to see one of the greatest BM bands of all time say farewell once and for all.
---- "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn both go back into the same box."
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 05.11.2006 at 19:02 Lol, I wish (although Gorerotted's guitarist Fluffy was). I was telling (rubbing in) people who were at the Vader gig that I met all the members of Emperor, seeing as most of them were at the Emp gig anyway. And yes, CYAM is on IXE. I fucked that up...must have been a result of writing that review so damn quick.
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 07.11.2006 at 23:14 haha yes - i have found it good 'rubbing in material' as well im not going to forget that day in a long time 
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 08.11.2006 at 02:58 When I read that 'rubbing in material' I was sooo confused and got the wrong idea, then I realised what you were actually talking about hahaa. But yes, I agree. Also, remember drunk man? How I miss him!
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 11.11.2006 at 01:59 hahaha - was you thinking of some kind of skin cream or something? hahaha how could i forget drunk man!! he provided entertainment for all. maybe he was hired by the Astoria to entertain us - we got a barrier, bins and security guards! when we was waiting outside Kings Cross, around half past four this drunk woman started talking to everyone as well - she asked me where Jesus was and told us that if she was us, she would go home on the tube (a bit hard to do when you live in Lincoln. haha)
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 11.11.2006 at 02:18 Shush! We shall dig no further into my misunderstanding  I think drunk man might have been hired by whoever hires traffic wardens because he seemed to show a real talent for that! Remember his bottle that containted something piss-coloured? You forgot to mention that we got steps to sit on too! And Emperor and Bal Sagoth playing from that guy's CD player and speakers. Imagine getting a tube to Lincoln! How long would that take?! And drunk people are always awesome to talk to.
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 11.11.2006 at 02:46 hahaha maybe he was a traffic warden when he had a home and a life. haha - poor guy, i stayed outside Kings Cross all night but that was just one night! yeh - i do remember that bottle. maybe he recycles his drink seeing as he cannot afford any it was good we got to sit down and save a bit of energy, got a bit of music as well. if we hadnt let him past us in the queue we wouldnt have got that music. we let people in front of us and we still got right to the front and right in the middle!!! maybe one day the whole of the country will be connected by underground trains..
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 11.11.2006 at 04:08 LOL ~ "a home and a life". You never know. He might have a home. He might be one of those people who pretend they are tramps to get extra money Yeah, it is kinda odd how we were still front row centre, despite not being the first ones in the venue. I'm glad those security people were there to not let anyone infront though, then we might have been not so close. And I would LOVE that! Hopefully it would make everything cheaper and I could go to other interesting festivals in England.
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 12.11.2006 at 00:55 you can just imagine it - occupation: professional hobo. haha yeh, ive never been so 'looked after' at a show before - its left a good impression of London. security and water & ice haha you know i am going to be badgering you to come up for Bloodstock providing there are good bands playing - but i expect there will be especially now Bloodstock and Wacken are partners
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 12.11.2006 at 01:02 You mean you've NEVER got ice water at a show before?! Wow, quite a few of the venues in London give out water. They used to have plastic pint sized ones too but they seemed to have downsized, which is depressing. As for the security, I've never seen them outside the Astoria before either, except for when I saw COB and this guy told me off for scribbling on the wall haha. And even then he was gone a moment after. I guess they were anticipating a riot because it was the final Emperor show? You know I'd go to Bloodstock if I didn't have plans to go to Wacken. Seriously, the lineup this year is fabulous! You should come along! My friend is taking around 20 or so people and I know others who are considering going so you could tag along and I could look after you like a pet puppy for the weekend and if people buy me free beer you can be amused at a drunken me
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 12.11.2006 at 01:10 nope, never water with ice before - and the only other show that i have been given water at all was at a Dragonforce show in Leeds i guess they knew it was a huge thing and with it ending so early as well i guess they were right to get the guards in - but thankfully there wasnt any riots or anything, that wouldnt have been a good end for Emperor haha, i am half considering Wacken, its just the costs that would be too much. i am a poor university student remember. hahaha if you go, you'll see Immortal's reunion and last ever show as well i would see Saxon again as well - haha, i would just be wanting to scream out to them "remember me from that little pub in Lincoln!!" haha. i know Nibbs would remember me because i found out we both come from the same town - so we talked about that for a while but oh well. ill have to see how much it would all be and all the rest of it. the cost is the worst bit though and yeh, we're kind of off subject haha - yes, Emperor show. fantastic. haha i am actually listening to To-Mera right now though, i really really like their album. so that is another thing that came from that show..
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 12.11.2006 at 01:19 Aw, come! Apparently you can do Wacken with £300 and I found out recently that you can easily do it with £200 if you bring your own food! Reasurring, eh? Use your student loan! Do it! You'd get to see Blind Guardian in their homeland as well! To-Mera were a bit disappointing live. I'd heard their stuff before but they seemed to nervous live and there were a couple of mistakes too. Oh well, I'm sure I'll see them supporting some goth metal band over here sometime soon. They're ricockulously popular.
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 12.11.2006 at 01:40 £200 is still a lot of money for me! hahaha. i cant make any desicions now though, we'll see closer to the time if anything comes up i hope they dont get supporting some gothic band. haha - i dont see To-Mera as gothic or anything like, else i just wouldnt like it. they should be supporting some progressive band or having band support them. if they do go back to London with another band i am interested in then i would definitly consider going down for them.
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 12.11.2006 at 01:52 Indeed, TM are a prog metal band, not gothic at all but it seems these female fronted bands alwaus get stuck supporting goth metal acts. There were a lot of Emperor fans who were calling them goth metal, stupidly. As for them supporting a goth metal act, it's not impossible....they were supporting a black metal band!!!
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by Daru Jericho on 12.11.2006 at 02:04 ha, yeh. it still seems kind of weird that they were supporting Emperor. Emperor did get more and more progressive as they went on though. some might say 'Prometheus...' is more progressive then anything else they only did 'In The Wordless Chamber' from that album though and that isnt exactly a progressive song. haha oh well - i guess some Emperor fans are just black metal fans, and might not know anything outside of black metal, so they hear female vocals and think gothic. at least we know better though
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 12.11.2006 at 02:39 Well, I'm a prog metaller so I HAVE to know better 
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by [user id=5394] on 12.11.2006 at 04:39 You'd buy me a beer? Haha, I'm totally going to hold you to that and make sure we meet so you can't back down. and if Baz doesn't come then you can buy me another beer I'm sure you've just added an extra 1% chance of me going to Wacken this year.
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
haha - i just noticed this little deal going on there is a bigger chance of me going then i originally thought, but still.. i dont know but i would really like to go! it would be an experience of a lifetime i feel!
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| Daru Jericho Posts: 2098 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 25.11.2006 at 02:34 Tell me about it. I just got invited to go to Bang Your Head as well!
---- Aborted Misanthropic Smurf Puppy On Acid.
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