Written by Daru Jericho on 01.11.2006 at 02:11

I managed to meet all of the Emperor members and for those who care, I asked Ihsahn if he was planning on a second solo album and he told me that it is in the works right now.

A lot of people said that the show had a much better sound than that of Wacken.

The Ihsahn album didnt impress me that much It was a great album but it felt like a "waterd down Prometheus". I felt very dissapointed by that album since I expected somethin more extreme. But lets hope his second is of atleast the same quality. Ihsahn is king anyway.

Regarding the sound : The sound at wacken was great, but there was some issues that made the sound rather bad in the start. I however standing almost in the front didnt notice that too much since the sound it gave reminded me of the production of In the nightside. And since the 2 songs they started with was from ITNE, that felt just perfect to me. Then the sound issues was solved and they luckily started with songs from other albums wich had a great sound there to. So im still amazed how great thoose sound issues turned out to be for the start.

But lets face it. Good sound = /drool

I wish I was there. Hail Emperor

I agree with Basso... Ihsahn's album sounds like a logical next Emperor release could had been, but would had been a dissapointing one (even considering that I really enjoy Prometheus)

well im glad the sound was perfect - the one thing out of all Emperor albums that i can find to complain about is the production on 'In The Nightside Eclipse'

yeh - i thought Ihsahn's first solo album was a bit like a 'watered-down Prometheus...' too, but i still thought it was quite good
i listened to it again just after i got back from the Emperor show and i liked it a lot more then, so i guess its growing on me!

The biggest problem I had with that album are his vocals. They're so weak I can hardly tolerate listening to them. His vocals on INtNE are very good and strong, but they gradually got weaker throughout his career.

well he sounded pretty well to me at the show the other day
his vocals maybe sounded 'weaker' to you because that it how Emperor's albums went - from 'In The Nightside Eclipse' which is all black metal, to 'Prometheus...' which is a strange extreme progressive album - so the vocals just strayed away from the traditional black metal style

Written by Baz Anderson on 01.11.2006 at 03:45

well he sounded pretty well to me at the show the other day
his vocals maybe sounded 'weaker' to you because that it how Emperor's albums went - from 'In The Nightside Eclipse' which is all black metal, to 'Prometheus...' which is a strange extreme progressive album - so the vocals just strayed away from the traditional black metal style

Well yes, it is indeed not just BM vocals on the later album, but I agree with Pyro. His vocals just doesnt sound since they are rather "overproduced". Wich gives them a rather weak sound imo.

It's rather sad since as you said his vocal performance is extremly good live. He should use those ferocius vocals in "Ihsahn" also. Would be much better

Damn, I really loved 'The Adversary'. Obviously it sort of helped explain the original Emperor split and I'm glad it wasn't just another symphonic black metal release or some extreme album. It's prog and judging by Peccatum, Ihsahn's musical interests go beyond black metal.

The shitty production of ITNE is great! It does mask some of the aspects of the music but its so fitting for the music, certainly makes it sound more eerie and even ethereal in polaces.

And I think Ihsahn chose to change his vocals by choice. As Baz stated, on Saturday Ihsahn proved that he can still pull of those type of gritty BM vocals if he really wanted to (pretty much perfectly too). I mean, come on, you guys weren't really expecting The Adversary to be like ITNE or ATTWAD were you? It would have been more disappointing if it was. No need to dissolve Emperor if that was the case...

Written by Daru Jericho on 01.11.2006 at 18:12

And I think Ihsahn chose to change his vocals by choice. As Baz stated, on Saturday Ihsahn proved that he can still pull of those type of gritty BM vocals if he really wanted to (pretty much perfectly too). I mean, come on, you guys weren't really expecting The Adversary to be like ITNE or ATTWAD were you? It would have been more disappointing if it was. No need to dissolve Emperor if that was the case...

Yes he proved that he can still do thoose eerie vocals at wacken gig also.
But to be honest, my fav thing with Ihsahn is his powerful vocals. The way he changed them on The Adversary was very much so for the worse.
And ofcourse I wasent expecting another oldschool emperor release. I did however expect him to use his amazing vocals, wich he did but in way that simply wasent as great as they could have been.

I'm glad he did something different vocally. I do enjoy clean vocals every now and then, including those utilized in Emperor.

Written by Daru Jericho on 01.11.2006 at 21:07

I'm glad he did something different vocally. I do enjoy clean vocals every now and then, including those utilized in Emperor.

It's his growls that bother me not his clean ones.

I don't understand how the vocals on The Adversary could be considered weak. One great thing Ihsahn displays on this album is that he has a remarkable voice. He still has that amazing scream/growl he's always had, and proved that he has a very strong and unique clean voice too. I can understand how someone may not like both sides of what he delivers, but what I don't get is how such a powerful display can be considered weak just because it's different.

To me the album isn't a watered down Promethius, it's a combination of Emperor and Peccatum elements... and if you think about it, that makes a lot of sense.

I don't want to sound too cliche' here but my favoirte Emperor album is In the Nightside Eclipse. I like all their material but that album really is a landmark and a masterpiece.

Well it's all up to personal opinion I suppose. No matter how much I love Emperor, I just cant get to love the Adversary, look I really have tried. But there is so many other albums more worth my time than the adversary, and dont think I dont find this painful, Ihsahn is my fuckin god, but with Adversary he didnt fail or anything, he didnt just impress in my eyes.

With that said lets get back to Emperor.

My fav album is In The Nightside Eclipse. But I find it very close by Anthems and Prometheus, If I have to say one of the albums as their weakest release it is imo XI equilibrium. Personal opinion though

i always used to think that 'IX Equilibrium' was their weakest album by far, but recently i started lsitening to it over and over and over, and i just heard different parts of the wongs every time i heard them, even though i had already lsitened to the album a million times
i think just about every song on that album is fantasitc! and i dont think it deserves to be known as the weakest one

thats just typical of Emperor though isnt it - they might be the only band that i can think of that i can say i think all of their full length releases are masterpieces

Written by Baz Anderson on 02.11.2006 at 02:59

i always used to think that 'IX Equilibrium' was their weakest album by far, but recently i started lsitening to it over and over and over, and i just heard different parts of the wongs every time i heard them, even though i had already lsitened to the album a million times
i think just about every song on that album is fantasitc! and i dont think it deserves to be known as the weakest one

thats just typical of Emperor though isnt it - they might be the only band that i can think of that i can say i think all of their full length releases are masterpieces

Yeah, when you really look at XI equilibrium song for song, you see that it has the same quality as any other Emperor release. The only thing that makes it possible to say "its their weakest" release for me, is the fact that when I was new to Emperor I though XI Eq. was their without doubt best release. And I played it to its own death basicly. But when I listen to it now again it is as amazing as ever. \m/

It is all down to opinion. Those growls didn't strike me as unlikable personally.

So.

For starters, let me say that Emperor has been my favorite band since the moment I heard their albums back in 2001. Immediately I bought each and everything they had put out so far: the demo, the albums, the eps, the bootlegs, the live concert on vhs and dvd both ... and I'm really looking forward of the release of the Scattered Ashes -guitar tablature book they're coming up with most recently. How unfortunate it may be for me, I have never had the chance of witnessing them live anywhere so far, but on that matter I may be a sanguine character.

Emperor is the only band I dare to call myself a fan of. I refuse to listen the records doing my daily routines and chores, I even refuse myself to listen to it often. But when I do, I want to drown in the world the music creates - excuse my girlfriend, switch off my cellphone and turn off the lights and lay down on the bed and just listen, feel. I guess this may sound whacky, or homosexual for some of you, but I sincerely feel that there's something so terribly magical, darkly haunting on each Emperor-album that it would be blasphemous to just wreck all the glory of it by focusing on something else along the music.

For me, each official recording is a classic. Above all is their debut, which in my opinion captures best the haunting atmosphere, incredible songwriting and extraordinary brand of Emperor. It is highly unlikely that I would withdraw any of these words back say about 20-30 years from now. Emperor has lived up to its name on every move they've done so far.

I wouldn't call myself the greatest fan of Emperor (knowing that they have a huge and massively dedicated fan base), but the thing that never ceases to amaze me with 'In the Nightside Eclipse' is the fact that a few teenagers were able to create something that demonstrates such a high level of musicianship, an atmosphere so epic and powerful. 'I Am the Black Wizards' is among some of the best black metal ever written for me, even though I don't listen to the whole album very often.

I must get Wrath of the Tyrant and the debut....

@Duality:

Yes indeed, Emperor's music is amazing when listening alone in darkness, I do that rather often, mainly before I go to sleep. Such amazing atmospheres arise then, escecially with Nightside. But I dont understand why you cannot listen to it while doing other stuff, for me studying like a retarded horse all day , comming home and to start an Emperor cd can be the best experiance for me since it is such a great way to get back your good mood.
Either way hail Emperor! I'm actually thinkin of starting up an Emperor collection in a few years, but atm I barely have enough money to buy a few cds now and then, so thats a future project!

@Vakshay:
Wrath of the tyrant is a really cool album, the really raw sound on that cd is great imo, check it out.

well i would definitly call myself a huge, dedicated Emperor fan. hahaha
much like you 'Duality' - when i got into them i just knew this was something absolutly amazing - nothing can stand up to what Emperor did, and even now nothing can
nothing sounds stupid or 'homosexual' at all - one night a while ago i just turned all the lights off, laid down and put 'In The Nightside Eclipse' on too - that was an experience indeed!

but yeh. i really pushed the boat out so i could go and see them live. it was my first ever time in London. when i found out about it i just had to go. its the most amount of money i have ever spent on train as well!! haha
but yeh - the only bands i would put along side Emperor as my favorite would be Helloween and Judas Priest!
Empeor are just so special to me and i suppose most of everyone in this thread too

(a little bit of 'me' trivia - haha - when i started on this site over two years ago, the first avatar i had was an Emperor one, kind of similar to yours Basso..)

Written by Baz Anderson on 03.11.2006 at 19:53

(a little bit of 'me' trivia - haha - when i started on this site over two years ago, the first avatar i had was an Emperor one, kind of similar to yours Basso..)

You have to admit its ugly, but I only hold the flag for Emperor.

what do you mean? i dont understand..
what is ugly?

there is a good chance i would go back to having some Emperor related avatar, but no one would recognise me. haha
so i just decide all my avatars have to be pumpkins now

The heads / faces and the emperor logo in my avatar is out of propotions. Its stretched and stuff ^^.

ooh - well it doesnt look too bad from here, at least it is very clear that it is an Emperor avatar.. haha
you could always look for a different picture if you think that one is too bad though

okay, here is a little gallery of all my Emperor stuff that i can think of to show off if anyone is interested
i think i have quite a bit. hahaha

hooded top


scattered ashes top


2006 reunion shirt


this can represent all albums


mousemat


wallet


badges


wristband


pendant


bag


signed book




in the nightside... poster


anthems... poster

Since I am only 17 and not 18 (wich is gay btw) and my parents go nazimode everytime I want to order something out of country (WE CAN GET OUR CARDS HAZZXXORED is what they say atleast) I havent been able to buy the Emperor stuff I wanted. Ohhh only one more year.... droool.

Most of the stuff is available at plastichead I see, you got it from there? I myself wanted to order almost all the stuff you have from there put as I said parents went nazi. They wont flash their card on the internet even if it meant they would become millionaires xD

All I have now is this:

My signed full leanghts:

[img=http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/6767/kopiaavimgp0336km5.th.jpg][/url]

My only Emperor shirt:

[img=http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/1301/kopiaav1imgp0339sd8.th.jpg][/url]

I really want the reunion shirt though, its uber.

yeh, them albums are cool - i wish i got mine signed but it isnt like i got the opportunity to
your keyboard is so weird as well! haha. ive not seen a keyboard that isnt primerally for English before..

I just listened to ITNE again last night. Hearing "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" at around midnight reminded me of how fucking awesome Emperor is. I'm so glad I had a chance to catch 'em in New York this past July. I always loved INTE the most, it has the epic-ness of later Bathory and the evil-ness of early Bathory and the like. Not to suggest Emp is superior, "Hammerheart" is brilliant in a way that can never be duplicated.

Oh and I have the reunion shirt, I'd wear it daily if I could

I don't think Emperor's 'Prometheus-The...." sounds very black metal, but other Emperor albums are really VERY great; Ihsahn's vocals are excellent, and their music is very catchy, and their keyboard work in their album 'In the Nightside eclipse' is quite 'chilling'.

@ Baz Anderson
Well, what a collection!

I bought the guitar tab book a cupple of weeks ago. Its great to have when you want to play the Emperor classics, now and then .

Ow what more can I say? Best band ever \m/ . I really wonder if Emperor is going to stay reunited. I mean they release new tour dates all the time.