Band:	Emperor
Album:	IX Equilibrium
Style:	Symphonic black metal
Release date:	November 23, 1999
Guest review by:	Operalia

01. Curse You All Men!
02. Decrystallizing Reason
03. An Elegy Of Icaros
04. The Source Of Icon E
05. Sworn
06. Nonus Aequilibrium
07. The Warriors Of Modern Death
08. Of Blindness & Subsequent Seers
09. Outro

After the 1997's metal monster "Anthems to the Welkin at dusk", the norwegian bloodhounds Emperor recorded what i call, the perfect follow up. Although "Anthems..." is a practically impossible album to be equaled, "IX Equilibrium" transforms the ideas of the last work in an excellent way, and takes them to a different level; The structure is quite more technical, and more brutal, but the intensity remains. The band's natural virtuosity acts by itself, and here we confirmate the thing that makes Emperor the best: Unity.

Emperor was able to articulate the thematics of the album uniformly, and gave the term "Concept album" a different view. The theatricality of Emperor is better reflected in the emotions of the album. Here it gives us a landscape of human nature, that, from everyone's view is quite exagerated, but from Emperor's view is essential.

Emperor is the only band that has suffered these kinds of changes over the years, and the only band that has accepted them, and made beautiful music with them. What else can i say? it's just Perfect.