Emperor (band)

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Emperor
Samoth, Bård G. Eithun and Ihsahn (from left to right) at Wacken Open Air 2014
Samoth , Bård G. Eithun and Ihsahn (from left to right) at Wacken Open Air 2014
General information
Genre (s) Black metal , progressive metal
founding 1991, 2005
resolution 2001
Website http://www.emperorhorde.com/
Founding members
Vegard "Ihsahn" Tveitan
Håvard "Mortiis" Ellefsen (until 1992)
Tomas "Samoth" Haugen (drums: until 1992, guitar: since 1992)
Current occupation
Guttural vocals, electric guitar, studio bass, studio keyboard
Vegard "Ihsahn" Tveitan
guitar
Tomas "Samoth" Haugen (drums: until 1992, guitar: since 1992)
Drums
Kai "Trym Torson" Mosaker (1996–2001, 2005–2007, since 2016)
former members
bass
Terje "Tchort" Schei (1993–1994)
bass
Jonas Alver (1995-1998)
Drums
Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg (1994)
Drums
Per "Dirge Rep" Husebø (1995)
Drums
Bård G. "Faust" Eithun (1992–93, 2013–14)
Live support and session musicians
bass
Vidar "Ildjarn" Vaaer (1993)
bass
Jan Erik "Tyr" Torgersen (1998–1999)
bass
Tone "Secthdamon" Ingebrigtsen (Live-Bass: since 2005)
Keyboard
Steinar "Sverd" Johnsen (1994–1995)
Keyboard
Joachim "Charmand Grimloch" Rygg (1996–1999)
Keyboard
Einar Solberg (live keyboard: since 2005)

Emperor (English: 'Imperator', 'Kaiser') is an influential black metal band from Norway . It was founded in 1991 by drummer Tomas "Samoth" Thormodsæter Haugen , guitarist and singer Vegard "Ihsahn" Sverre Tveitan and bassist Håvard "Mortiis" Ellefsen .

Band history

In 1992 the band released a demo recording called Wrath of the Tyrant . Their underground popularity drew the attention of the then new record label Candlelight Records . After they had signed a contract there, they first changed their line-up: Samoth took over the guitar, Ihsahn took over the vocals and Bard "Faust" Eithun from the band Thorns joined the band as a drummer. Mortiis left the band and was replaced by Terje "Tchort" Vik Schei from Green Carnation . After two EPs , one of which was also released as a split CD / LP with Enslaved , they released their highly acclaimed debut album In the Nightside Eclipse in 1994 . At the time, most of the band members were in jail: Samoth was sentenced to prison for arson , Faust for homosexual murder and arson, and Tchort for assault. Nevertheless, the band was perceived as "one of the few bands from the 'hard core' of the Norwegian black metal scene whose reputation was not based mainly on their participation in the well-discussed church burnings in the early 1990s, but on their music".

During Samoth's imprisonment, he and Ihsahn continued Emperor; they discussed ideas for new songs on visits, and Ihsahn brought him tapes. After their release, they mainly worked on the arrangements and texts and rehearsed for the upcoming recordings in the studio. “In the studio itself, however, a lot has changed again, because we only get really creative when the ideas become concrete. To a certain extent it is of course already clear what a song will sound like when we write it - there are just basic ideas that will always be the main [sic!] Influence in the subsequent arranging work; especially the atmosphere of the song popular [sic!] always dominating. ”With Trym Torson (aka Kai Johnny Mosaker) as drummer they recorded the EP Reverence and at the same time the album Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk . With much more complex and progressive elements, the band achieved numerous first placements in the “album of the year” votes of many scene magazines, for example in the British Terrorizer and the US Metal Maniacs . While the band was hated in Ihsahn's perception up until this release, this album "was an instant hit, and suddenly we were the center of positive attention." He drew the same conclusion from both situations, between Ihsahn as "essentially one Projection surface for fans ”and to strictly separate oneself as a person. He does believe that "certain aspects of my personality and my musical interests fit into the usual genre image, but what makes Black Metal an icon for fans was largely irrelevant to my work."

In 1999 a split CD with Thorns was released , on which "all material originally from Emperor is only available here in rather eccentric versions". In addition, in 1999 the band recorded a work that was more oriented towards Death Metal and at times reminiscent of Morbid Angel with the name IX Equilibrium . In contrast to the first two albums, it was not recorded in the Grieghallen studio in Bergen , but in the Strype Audio Studio in Oslo; She considered the production of her first two albums unsatisfactory, which was probably due to her style: "Too fast, too many guitars and orchestral parts - that can hardly be produced in a balanced and powerful way." The music also contained " fewer keyboards, significantly more metal, with a distance to the typical black metal style ”. Ihsahn did not, however, argue that her style has "changed dramatically. There is only one shift towards more guitar riffs - which are structurally similar to our earlier work. I've always written almost all songs for the guitar, the density of the keyboard sounds is a question of the arrangement. We chose to focus mainly on the guitars on this album. Samoth and I almost never play the same melody line, so that the necessary complexity and atmosphere arises even without orchestral passages. "The band broke through, according to Robert Müller from Metal Hammer ," apparently consciously the familiar image of Emperor as a black metal band. 'The Source Of Icon E' works with classic Power Metal vocals, 'The Warriors Of Modern Death' is strongly reminiscent of Viking Metal à la Bathory ”; Ihsahn confirmed that it was not a pure black metal album, but "a disclosure of all the inspirations that contribute to Emperor's style - be it traditional heavy metal , thrash or progressive rock ". While Samoth and Trym played in the death metal band Zyklon , Ihsahn turned to the more progressive sides of extreme music, which he lived out in his side project Peccatum and his solo project Ihsahn. According to Müller, this showed that Ihsahn “defines himself primarily as a musician and hardly as a lyricist / philosopher, although this aspect also contributed a large part to Emperor's uniqueness”. Since “a creative divergence between the musicians involved” had been emerging for a long time, the band decided in 2001 after the release of their last album, Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire & Demise , which was mostly composed by Ihsahn dissolve. According to his own statement, Ihsahn had “de facto started” with this album to bring out his solo albums as Emperor releases, and Müller also wrote that it became clear “that Ihsahn did all the compositional work for this work.” Compared to the previous album, the CD “worked” More oriented towards traditional aesthetic values, the listener searches in vain for excursions into traditional metal regions. But most of the pieces seem more progressive than ever ”. The band “no longer achieved the“ simple grandeur ”of the first two albums, but a stroke of genius like the majestic surging 'In The Wordless Chamber' raises the bar a bit higher for the following bands."

With Emperor's record company Candlelight Records wanting to put out a compilation, Ihsahn and Samoth put together tracks for Scattered Ashes - A Decade of Emperial Wrath to "make it decent." However, the sound carrier does not contain any unknown songs. According to his own statement, Ihsahn was surprised to find that "in the meantime [...] every song by Emperor that was ever put on tape had already been published somewhere".

In 2005 the band got together again and played at the anniversary celebration of the Norwegian Scream magazine; In addition, she announced appearances at Wacken Open Air and the Inferno Metal Festival Norway in 2006 . In addition, the band went on a US tour in 2006. This announcement was received mixedly by the audience and in some cases led to controversial discussions. Ihsahn "makes [...] no [sic] secret of the fact that everyone involved had the commercial clearly in mind - even if it was natural for him not the only reason. 'The Wacken gig was filmed anyway, so we decided to film more material around it, both live and backstage - if only so that at some point I could show my grandchildren how I was on stage in front of 70,000 people.' “The appearances at the Inferno Metal Festival and the Wacken Open Air appeared in 2009 under the title Live Inferno . In 2007 the band played in Notodden and London before resigning because continuing Emperors felt "wrong". Unlike Samoth 2006, Ihsahn excludes a new studio album:

“If we made an album that sounds like Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk , people would scold. If it sounded different, she would also rant - because it doesn't sound like anthems . If we only make an album because the fans want it, it would be a paradox again. Because who wants an album from us that we don't want to write? "

- Ihsahn : Metal hammer

In 2013, Ihsahn announced at Wacken Open Air that Emperor would play an anniversary show there in 2014, among other things. However, there will be no album or tour, the band will only appear at selected festivals. Bård “Faust” Eithun , who was active in the band from 1992 to 1993, is said to be on the drums .

Discography

Demos

Albums

EPs

  • 1993: Emperor (also as a split with Enslaveds Hordanes land )
  • 1994: As the Shadows Rise
  • 1997: Reverence

Sampler contributions

Other publications

  • 1999: Thorns vs. Emperor (Split CD)
  • 2000: Emperial Live Ceremony (Live album)
  • 2000: Emperial Live Ceremony ( VHS / DVD )
  • 2001: Emperial Vinyl Presentation (box set)
  • 2003: Scattered Ashes - A Decade of Emperial Wrath (Best-of)
  • 2009: Live Inferno (double live album and DVD)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Emperor: Prometheus (The Discipline Of Fire And Demise) .
  2. ^ Gunnar Sauermann: Special: Black Metal in the USA . Black America . In: Metal Hammer , August 2007, pp. 87-90.
  3. ^ Robert Müller: Emperor . Final audience . In: Metal Hammer , June 2009, p. 64.
  4. Biography ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.emperorhorde.com
  5. Chad Hensley: Legion of the Night . An interview with Emperor . In: EsoTerra , No. 6, 1995.
  6. Michael Moynihan , Didrik Søderlind: Lords of Chaos , First Edition, Feral House 1998, ISBN 0-922915-48-2 , pp. 107-112.
  7. Michael Moynihan, Didrik Søderlind: Lords of Chaos , First Edition, Feral House 1998, ISBN 0-922915-48-2 , pp. 94f.
  8. ^ Symphonic and Monumental Black Metal Art . In: Rites of Eleusis , No. 2, 1995, p. 47.
  9. a b c d Robert Müller: Emperor . Of dreams and deeds . In: Metal Hammer , July 1997, p. 38.
  10. a b c Robert Müller: Emperor . Thoughts . In: Metal Hammer , April 2003, p. 120.
  11. Robert Müller: Thoms vs. Emperor . Thoms vs. Emperor . In: Metal Hammer , March 1999.
  12. ^ Robert Müller: Emperor . IX - Equilibrium . In: Metal Hammer , April 1999.
  13. ^ Robert Müller: Emperor: Balancing act . In: Metal Hammer , March 1999.
  14. Robert Müller: Emperor - The Will to Perfection . In: Metal Hammer , April 1999.
  15. a b Robert Müller: Emperor . Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire & Demise . In: Metal Hammer , November 2001, p. 91.
  16. a b Robert Müller: Emperor . Final audience . In: Metal Hammer , June 2009, p. 64.
  17. a b c News . In: Metal Hammer , November 2005, p. 16.
  18. News ( Memento of the original from July 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.emperorhorde.com
  19. a b Emperor . On all fronts . In: Metal Hammer , February 2006, p. 11.
  20. ^ Robert Müller: Emperor . Live inferno . In: Metal Hammer , May 2009, p. 99.
  21. ^ Gunnar Sauermann: Emperor: Black Heart . In: Metal Hammer , February 2007, p. 82f.
  22. No one would be satisfied with a new Emperor album, says Ihsahn  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , May 4, 2008, accessed November 27, 2012.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.metal-hammer.de  
  23. Emperor , accessed August 15, 2013.
  24. EMPEROR: No New Studio Album Or World Tour , August 6, 2013, accessed August 15, 2013.
  25. Reunited EMPEROR To Headline Next Year's WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival , August 2, 2013, accessed on August 15, 2013.
  26. Drummer BÅRD 'FAUST' EITHUN Confirms Involvement With EMPEROR Reunion , August 4, 2013, accessed August 15, 2013.

Web links

Commons : Emperor  - collection of images, videos and audio files