Emperor
Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
[Candlelight]
Many of you have certainly long awaited this CD, ever since ‘in the Nightside Eclipse’ first came out fans of the band were awaiting a sequel. This CD is VERY different from ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’, though, and I have no doubt that some fans of the older styles that Emperor used to play will hate this CD, thinking that it’s boring, some people that I’ve spoken to, though, think it’s the best and most original thing to ever hit the Black Metal scene, my opinion is somewhere in-between both views… Let me explain, I like this disc and think that it’s highly original and imaginative, but it’s definitely NOT the best thing to ever happen to Black Metal, nor should it be considered ‘genius’ as some people say it should. I will explain each song individually, then go into the music and lyrics… this will be a lengthy one, so if you’re REALLY lazy just scroll to the bottom of the page.
Basic overview of the music –Emperor (though more mature and musically skilled then they were in ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’) playing very complex and symphonic Black Metal. I hesitate to call this CD ‘Black Metal’ though, as the term has a special meaning for me and describes music that gives off a dark, evil, satanic, and grim atmosphere and mood, Emperor (on this disc especially) ignore those basic foundations of ‘Black Metal’ and focus more on musical aptitude then atmosphere. This is a good disc nonetheless, and a very worthy purchase if you go for this kind of thing.
Individual song review:
Alsvartr (The Oath) – This is an odd one, it even isn’t a proper song, just a waste of time. Basically just a very weird (and annoying) atmospheric/electronic ‘intro’. At least it SOUNDS like an intro, it has vocals though, so I don’t think it counts as one. The acoustic beginning to this song was done very well, with a deep sound and some interesting nature effects and noise in the background, but that good start quickly dissolves into crap as soon as Ihsahn starts to sing and the other (electric) guitar breaks in. It gets even worse from there, with a (horrible) synth break and some really bad clear singing. Just skip this song… Poor – 3/10
Ye Entrancemperium – The intro riff to this song was written by Euronymous (I shouldn’t even have to introduce him) and sounds great, having a very evil and violent mood and atmosphere about it… it lasts about 20 seconds, though, and then Emperor start playing their own riffs. By far the biggest overlook in this song was the way they bridged the gap from Euronymous’s intro riff to their own stuff, the way they did it just doesn’t sound natural at all, and it breaks the flow of the song in an abrupt manner… they could have done it better. Besides that, the rest of the song is unremarkable, and the main riff really got on my nerves (so did the synth use…) Sub-Par – 5/10
Thus Spake the Nightspirit – A pretty dull song overall, and not much different from ‘Ye Entrancemperium’. There is one very interesting riff on this song, though, and it managed to hold my attention for a while, but that one (about fifteen second long) riff was not nearly enough to save a mediocre song like this. What is quite funny is that all the shite songs are on the beginning of the CD… skip this song as well as the two before it… Sub-Par – 4.5/10
Ensorcelled by Khaos – Finally! A good song on the beginning of this disc. This track is much more interesting (musically) then it’s predecessors and has a VERY deep and successful song-structure going for it, it may be a bit hard to see at first, but once you ‘get it’ you’ll realize how good it is. The riffs are also very nicely done and fit the atmosphere of the song perfectly. My only complaint is that the synths are overused, but besides that, this is a great song… Great – 8.5/10
The Loss and Curse of Reverence – This is probably Emperor’s most popular song, and certainly the most brutal and aggressive song on this album. In my opinion, this is the best song on the album by far, as it is somewhat reminiscent of Emperor’s older (better) days while still keeping the musically mature nature of the material on this CD… a worthy goal indeed! The vocals here sound better then they do on the rest of the album and the guitar have a thicker ‘wall of sound’ then they do on the rest of the tracks as well. An excellent song and this albums best! Excellent – 9.5/10
The Acclimation of Bonds – If all you look at is musical skill then this is the best song on the album. The guitar work on this album is of no less then epic proportions and the song-structure is great (in a simple way) as well. After a while though, this song got on my nerves as it is undeniably happy and the way they used the (very loud) synth in the middle of the song was ridiculous. It got to the point where I asked myself ‘Is this SUPPOSED to be Black Metal?’… The answer, it seems, is no… Average – 6/10
With Strength I Burn – Another very good song, and one of the best on the album. This is a very emotional song, and with some striking riffs and solos. This is also one of the only songs on this album that actually creates a dark atmosphere. The song starts off in a typical Emperor fashion (albeit a GOOD typical fashion…) and later progresses into a lot of clean-singing parts. Ihsahn has a nice ‘clean singing’ voice but the two voices (both done by him) are not in tune and sync with each other, resulting in some confusion and flat notes. After a lot of clean singing the song abruptly stops and a very short atmospheric part begins, after that a short and very good solo is played and then the song reverts back onto it’s normal course. The lyrics, too, are very nicely done and tell a well-written story. A masterful song, full of emotion and atmospheres that words cannot describe. Even though this song is a distinct change in style from the Emperor we know and love (on I.T.N.E.) it’s still very good. Excellent– 9.3/10
The Wanderer – I believe that this was intended to be the ‘outro’ track of this CD, though the bonus tracks I got on my CD defeated the purpose. A very nice, but short, instrumental song. It gets repetitive after a while, as the song is based upon only one riff, but the interesting drumming and the nice lead-guitar part save it. Excellent – 9/10
Bonus Tracks -
In Longing Spirit – A very boring song… A complete waste of time and space, this song adds NO value at all to this CD. Let’s leave it at that… Poor – 3/10
Opus a Satana – This song is just ‘Inno a Satana’ (re)done entirely on synth, those of you who have heard ‘Inno a Satana’ sometime in the past will surely know just what this track has in store… A very good song though, and one of the only all-synth songs I’ve heard and actually LIKED(!), with some well-done changes in tempo and mood within the song. It’s not perfect, the synth has a shallow sound and the song itself is far too long (4:30 for a synth-only track), but it’s still the only bonus track on this CD that I’ve actually liked… Good – 8.5/10
The Loss and Curse of Reverence (Live)- Is this track supposed to be a joke?? The sound-quality completely fucking sucks (especially the drums) and (here’s the funny part) in the second half of the song all the instruments completely fuck up and it ends up sounding like one big mess. Ihsahn’s voice, too, is ridiculously weak… his voice sounding NOTHING like it did during his ‘Wrath of the Tyrant’ days : ( . I honestly don’t see why they put this tripe on the disc… Horrible – 2/10
Packaging – The cover art of this CD was done entirely in an odd shade of olive-green, with the band logo and the CD name in slightly lighter shade of the same olive-green. I have not the slightest clue as to what the hell the picture (on the cover) is, as it looks very bizarre and there’s a lot of stuff going on (in the picture). The back of the CD’s case is done much better, the layout is good (though standard) and it makes use of impressive gold and white ink as well as that olive-green, the background art, on the back, is also pretty good (though I have NO IDEA what those damn things are!!). Nothing extraordinary, but good nonetheless… Nice – 7/10
Lyrics – Some of the best and most sophisticated lyrics I’ve ever read, really… Ihsahn should quit his job with Emperor and work as a poet. Never before has someone from the Metal Scene written lyrics that are more complex and cerebral then these are. My only complaint is that sometimes the verses aren’t connected to each other, an example (3 verses from ‘With Strength I Burn’):
‘Am I blessed or am I cursed by thy presence…
What is my crime…
What is my deed…
Is this life my redemption
Shall I repent or proceed
I hate my flesh
It’s dimension poisoned my soul with doubt
It made me question the essence of
The *I*
Slaves are those of this world
Given freedom to lay the chains upon the Master
The wolf is no longer free
Release the chains and come for me’
They appear in exactly that order… Like I said, not entirely connected at some points, but impressive nonetheless… Excellent – 9.5/10
Play-time – 60:36, about an hour (including the bonus tracks). Not bad at all, it’s just a shame that about 12 of those minutes are wastes of time…
Musical Aspects:
Guitars – The guitars on this album are VERY skillfully done, with some very professional song-structures and some crushing rhythms and solos. They sometimes seem as nothing but support for the synth, though, and some riffs get very boring in the long-run. Despite those flaws everyone (even people who hate the band) must admit that the musicianship on this album is extremely good. Excellent – 9/10
Vocals – Ihsahn’s vocals are incredibly weak and pathetic on this album. What the fuck happened to him, he used to be able to sing good, his vocals WERE the very essence of evil, now he sounds like crap… if anyone can explain that then I expect them to e-mail me. The vox on this disc are horrible… Just horrible… Poor – 2.5/10
Drums – Trym is a nothing but a poor replacement for Bard ‘Faust’. Well, maybe ‘poor’ is too strong a word, he plays the drums well… much better then Bard technically, but I would have much preferred Bard’s more aggressive and tight drumming style on this CD. The drumming on this CD is often interesting, with good double-bass beats, but Trym is no match for Bard when it comes to aggressive Black Metal drumming… Nice (but too bad Bard is in the slammer : [ … ) – 7/10
Synth – Synths on this CD are, in my opinion, a bit overused and louder then they should be. I absolutely HATE excessive synth use, the one golden rule is that excessive synth usage cheapens the music, and the synths here are not an exception to that rule... They ruined entire songs on more then one occasion (During the middle of ‘The Acclimation of Bonds’ a gay-sounding and LOUD synth breaks in and ruins everything!! Arghh! I hate it!), they also don’t add anything to the already sparse atmosphere of this CD, just try to ignore them… Poor – 3/10
Production – Very out of proportions. The guitars are MUCH louder then any other instrument and have a very thick and heavy sound, with the vox and drums pushed to the background, being quieter. The sound-quality of every instrument came out great, but the mixing was done poorly… they should have made the drums and vox a bit louder and toned down the guitar a bit. However, despite the poor instrument balance the sound-quality of this CD came out great… Nice – 7.5/10
Musical Overview – Quite professionally done this time around… the guitars and drums were played well and the sound-quality was truly excellent, it’s really too bad that the synths and vox were done poorly (both in mixing and execution). The mixing, too, was off balance; leaving the guitars very loud and everything else much quieter. They ARE great musicians, they did their best, and although this album lacks such fundamental qualities such as a cold and satanic atmosphere, it’s still not bad. Emperor actually achieved their musical goals for this CD, no matter what you may think of it… nice – 7/10
Overall:
Pros – Good musicianship, some crushing rhythms and solos, good sound-quality, nice lyrics
Cons – Synth overdose, lack of atmosphere, out-of-proportions mixing, shitty bonus tracks, horrible vox
Style of Music – Highly symphonic and sophisticated Black Metal (if you can call it that…)with a lack of atmosphere (though others may disagree…). Recommended for people who go for this kinda stuff.
Will Likely Appeal to – Emperor fans, a more mainstream audience, and fans of this particular sub-genre
Overall – Pretty good, but not nearly perfect or ‘genius’…Nice 7.5/10
© 2000 sauron anarazel
Basic overview of the music –Emperor (though more mature and musically skilled then they were in ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’) playing very complex and symphonic Black Metal. I hesitate to call this CD ‘Black Metal’ though, as the term has a special meaning for me and describes music that gives off a dark, evil, satanic, and grim atmosphere and mood, Emperor (on this disc especially) ignore those basic foundations of ‘Black Metal’ and focus more on musical aptitude then atmosphere. This is a good disc nonetheless, and a very worthy purchase if you go for this kind of thing.
Individual song review:
Alsvartr (The Oath) – This is an odd one, it even isn’t a proper song, just a waste of time. Basically just a very weird (and annoying) atmospheric/electronic ‘intro’. At least it SOUNDS like an intro, it has vocals though, so I don’t think it counts as one. The acoustic beginning to this song was done very well, with a deep sound and some interesting nature effects and noise in the background, but that good start quickly dissolves into crap as soon as Ihsahn starts to sing and the other (electric) guitar breaks in. It gets even worse from there, with a (horrible) synth break and some really bad clear singing. Just skip this song… Poor – 3/10
Ye Entrancemperium – The intro riff to this song was written by Euronymous (I shouldn’t even have to introduce him) and sounds great, having a very evil and violent mood and atmosphere about it… it lasts about 20 seconds, though, and then Emperor start playing their own riffs. By far the biggest overlook in this song was the way they bridged the gap from Euronymous’s intro riff to their own stuff, the way they did it just doesn’t sound natural at all, and it breaks the flow of the song in an abrupt manner… they could have done it better. Besides that, the rest of the song is unremarkable, and the main riff really got on my nerves (so did the synth use…) Sub-Par – 5/10
Thus Spake the Nightspirit – A pretty dull song overall, and not much different from ‘Ye Entrancemperium’. There is one very interesting riff on this song, though, and it managed to hold my attention for a while, but that one (about fifteen second long) riff was not nearly enough to save a mediocre song like this. What is quite funny is that all the shite songs are on the beginning of the CD… skip this song as well as the two before it… Sub-Par – 4.5/10
Ensorcelled by Khaos – Finally! A good song on the beginning of this disc. This track is much more interesting (musically) then it’s predecessors and has a VERY deep and successful song-structure going for it, it may be a bit hard to see at first, but once you ‘get it’ you’ll realize how good it is. The riffs are also very nicely done and fit the atmosphere of the song perfectly. My only complaint is that the synths are overused, but besides that, this is a great song… Great – 8.5/10
The Loss and Curse of Reverence – This is probably Emperor’s most popular song, and certainly the most brutal and aggressive song on this album. In my opinion, this is the best song on the album by far, as it is somewhat reminiscent of Emperor’s older (better) days while still keeping the musically mature nature of the material on this CD… a worthy goal indeed! The vocals here sound better then they do on the rest of the album and the guitar have a thicker ‘wall of sound’ then they do on the rest of the tracks as well. An excellent song and this albums best! Excellent – 9.5/10
The Acclimation of Bonds – If all you look at is musical skill then this is the best song on the album. The guitar work on this album is of no less then epic proportions and the song-structure is great (in a simple way) as well. After a while though, this song got on my nerves as it is undeniably happy and the way they used the (very loud) synth in the middle of the song was ridiculous. It got to the point where I asked myself ‘Is this SUPPOSED to be Black Metal?’… The answer, it seems, is no… Average – 6/10
With Strength I Burn – Another very good song, and one of the best on the album. This is a very emotional song, and with some striking riffs and solos. This is also one of the only songs on this album that actually creates a dark atmosphere. The song starts off in a typical Emperor fashion (albeit a GOOD typical fashion…) and later progresses into a lot of clean-singing parts. Ihsahn has a nice ‘clean singing’ voice but the two voices (both done by him) are not in tune and sync with each other, resulting in some confusion and flat notes. After a lot of clean singing the song abruptly stops and a very short atmospheric part begins, after that a short and very good solo is played and then the song reverts back onto it’s normal course. The lyrics, too, are very nicely done and tell a well-written story. A masterful song, full of emotion and atmospheres that words cannot describe. Even though this song is a distinct change in style from the Emperor we know and love (on I.T.N.E.) it’s still very good. Excellent– 9.3/10
The Wanderer – I believe that this was intended to be the ‘outro’ track of this CD, though the bonus tracks I got on my CD defeated the purpose. A very nice, but short, instrumental song. It gets repetitive after a while, as the song is based upon only one riff, but the interesting drumming and the nice lead-guitar part save it. Excellent – 9/10
Bonus Tracks -
In Longing Spirit – A very boring song… A complete waste of time and space, this song adds NO value at all to this CD. Let’s leave it at that… Poor – 3/10
Opus a Satana – This song is just ‘Inno a Satana’ (re)done entirely on synth, those of you who have heard ‘Inno a Satana’ sometime in the past will surely know just what this track has in store… A very good song though, and one of the only all-synth songs I’ve heard and actually LIKED(!), with some well-done changes in tempo and mood within the song. It’s not perfect, the synth has a shallow sound and the song itself is far too long (4:30 for a synth-only track), but it’s still the only bonus track on this CD that I’ve actually liked… Good – 8.5/10
The Loss and Curse of Reverence (Live)- Is this track supposed to be a joke?? The sound-quality completely fucking sucks (especially the drums) and (here’s the funny part) in the second half of the song all the instruments completely fuck up and it ends up sounding like one big mess. Ihsahn’s voice, too, is ridiculously weak… his voice sounding NOTHING like it did during his ‘Wrath of the Tyrant’ days : ( . I honestly don’t see why they put this tripe on the disc… Horrible – 2/10
Packaging – The cover art of this CD was done entirely in an odd shade of olive-green, with the band logo and the CD name in slightly lighter shade of the same olive-green. I have not the slightest clue as to what the hell the picture (on the cover) is, as it looks very bizarre and there’s a lot of stuff going on (in the picture). The back of the CD’s case is done much better, the layout is good (though standard) and it makes use of impressive gold and white ink as well as that olive-green, the background art, on the back, is also pretty good (though I have NO IDEA what those damn things are!!). Nothing extraordinary, but good nonetheless… Nice – 7/10
Lyrics – Some of the best and most sophisticated lyrics I’ve ever read, really… Ihsahn should quit his job with Emperor and work as a poet. Never before has someone from the Metal Scene written lyrics that are more complex and cerebral then these are. My only complaint is that sometimes the verses aren’t connected to each other, an example (3 verses from ‘With Strength I Burn’):
‘Am I blessed or am I cursed by thy presence…
What is my crime…
What is my deed…
Is this life my redemption
Shall I repent or proceed
I hate my flesh
It’s dimension poisoned my soul with doubt
It made me question the essence of
The *I*
Slaves are those of this world
Given freedom to lay the chains upon the Master
The wolf is no longer free
Release the chains and come for me’
They appear in exactly that order… Like I said, not entirely connected at some points, but impressive nonetheless… Excellent – 9.5/10
Play-time – 60:36, about an hour (including the bonus tracks). Not bad at all, it’s just a shame that about 12 of those minutes are wastes of time…
Musical Aspects:
Guitars – The guitars on this album are VERY skillfully done, with some very professional song-structures and some crushing rhythms and solos. They sometimes seem as nothing but support for the synth, though, and some riffs get very boring in the long-run. Despite those flaws everyone (even people who hate the band) must admit that the musicianship on this album is extremely good. Excellent – 9/10
Vocals – Ihsahn’s vocals are incredibly weak and pathetic on this album. What the fuck happened to him, he used to be able to sing good, his vocals WERE the very essence of evil, now he sounds like crap… if anyone can explain that then I expect them to e-mail me. The vox on this disc are horrible… Just horrible… Poor – 2.5/10
Drums – Trym is a nothing but a poor replacement for Bard ‘Faust’. Well, maybe ‘poor’ is too strong a word, he plays the drums well… much better then Bard technically, but I would have much preferred Bard’s more aggressive and tight drumming style on this CD. The drumming on this CD is often interesting, with good double-bass beats, but Trym is no match for Bard when it comes to aggressive Black Metal drumming… Nice (but too bad Bard is in the slammer : [ … ) – 7/10
Synth – Synths on this CD are, in my opinion, a bit overused and louder then they should be. I absolutely HATE excessive synth use, the one golden rule is that excessive synth usage cheapens the music, and the synths here are not an exception to that rule... They ruined entire songs on more then one occasion (During the middle of ‘The Acclimation of Bonds’ a gay-sounding and LOUD synth breaks in and ruins everything!! Arghh! I hate it!), they also don’t add anything to the already sparse atmosphere of this CD, just try to ignore them… Poor – 3/10
Production – Very out of proportions. The guitars are MUCH louder then any other instrument and have a very thick and heavy sound, with the vox and drums pushed to the background, being quieter. The sound-quality of every instrument came out great, but the mixing was done poorly… they should have made the drums and vox a bit louder and toned down the guitar a bit. However, despite the poor instrument balance the sound-quality of this CD came out great… Nice – 7.5/10
Musical Overview – Quite professionally done this time around… the guitars and drums were played well and the sound-quality was truly excellent, it’s really too bad that the synths and vox were done poorly (both in mixing and execution). The mixing, too, was off balance; leaving the guitars very loud and everything else much quieter. They ARE great musicians, they did their best, and although this album lacks such fundamental qualities such as a cold and satanic atmosphere, it’s still not bad. Emperor actually achieved their musical goals for this CD, no matter what you may think of it… nice – 7/10
Overall:
Pros – Good musicianship, some crushing rhythms and solos, good sound-quality, nice lyrics
Cons – Synth overdose, lack of atmosphere, out-of-proportions mixing, shitty bonus tracks, horrible vox
Style of Music – Highly symphonic and sophisticated Black Metal (if you can call it that…)with a lack of atmosphere (though others may disagree…). Recommended for people who go for this kinda stuff.
Will Likely Appeal to – Emperor fans, a more mainstream audience, and fans of this particular sub-genre
Overall – Pretty good, but not nearly perfect or ‘genius’…Nice 7.5/10
© 2000 sauron anarazel