Historical Tidbits. The norwegian metal evolution through the ears of a native. In their youth, Ihsahn and Samoth met at a rock music seminar. The two young men began playing together under various names; first Dark Device, then Xerasia, then Embryonic. The group soon evolved into the now well-known band Thou Shalt Suffer. Soon, however, Samoth began to write music outside of Thou Shalt Suffer, and together with Ihsahn and a new bass player called Mortiis (later of his own eponymous band Mortiis), Emperor was formed. After a short while together, the band released a demo entitled Wrath of the Tyrant. It quickly gained popularity in the underground and attracted the attention of the then-start-up label Candlelight. Soon afterwards, a record contract was signed, Samoth moved to rhythm guitar, Ihsahn continued the vocal duties and lead guitars, and Faust was recruited as a drummer. The band was signed to the infamous first black metal label, Deathlike Silence Productions, and planned to release their next album soon, though the band never managed to release any material while signed to DSP. In the summer of 1993, the band began working on their first full-length album. Emperor ceased wearing corpse paint; they stated that it was becoming a trend and losing its original significance and symbolism. In 1994, despite various bandmembers incarcerations, In the Nightside Eclipse was released, and earned Emperor widespread acclaim and a large fanbase. At the end of 1996, Emperor entered the studio to record Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. Featuring a much more progressive sound than their earlier works, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk won the album of the year poll in many metal magazines around the world, including UK Terrorizer and US Metal Maniacs. The band recorded their third album IX Equilibrium and toured Europe and the United States. It was around 2000 when Samoth and Trym started to gravitate more towards death metal, while Ihsahn directed his musical exploration towards the more artistic and progressive side of extreme metal, as shown by his side project, Peccatum. Thus, in 2001, Emperor decided to disband after releasing one final album, Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise, composed entirely by Ihsahn. Emperor reunited from 2005 to 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours, and again reunited in 2013 youtube/watch?v=bbegOR_bHhw
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:20:07 +0000
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