Emperor
Formed: 1991
From:
Telemark,
Norway
Last Known Status: Disbanded
Background
Beginning life as a trio in the spring of '91 with Samoth (drums/vocals), Ihsahn (guitar) and Mortiis (bass). The band quickly recorded and circulated the now legendary "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo. It was this that brought them to the attention of the then still fledgling Candlelight record label . A deal was inked, Samoth moved to guitar and Bard Faust was recruited for the now vacant drum stool. By the end of the year the band had been once more into the studio to record their half of the "Emperor / Enslaved" split CD which was to eventually surface early in the following year. Mortiis departed for the band, and was after a while replaced by Tchort.
In autumn of '93 a series of headline grabbing events (which are now quite sufficiently documented. For further reading check "Lords Of Chaos". Emperor would suffer the temporary loss of Samoth and the permanent loss of Faust, due to prison-sentences. However, before Samoth has to do time, the band managed to put together a new line-up, with new bass-player Alver, and a session-drummer.
Even though the band was seriously disturbed by the unpleasant confrontations of the imprisonment's and line-up difficulties, the entity of Emperor came out even stronger in the end. By the time Samoth was paroled, Trym (ex. Enslaved) had joined the band on a permanent basis, and the bones of what would become their most epic and majestic material to date were taking shape.
By the end of '96, now fully prepared and rehearsed, they were back in the studio. First firing off the "Reverence" EP to announce their return to the fold and then following up in early '97 with what is without doubt the single most ambitious and important black metal release to date......"Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk". An album of epic savagery. Not only beautiful but bestial in it's wide ranging scope.
Emperor have now moved so far ahead of the field that it would be unfair to even consider them a black metal band any longer. Utilising elements of their more traditional metal roots, operatic vocals and of course their trademark symphonic riffing the band have created an album so mature that it may well take the rest of the competition years to catch up.
Latest Emperor News
Below is our complete Emperor news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
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Dissection Name New Single
Reactivated Swedish death metallers Dissection, featuring guitarist/vocalist Jon Nödtvedt, have set "Maha Kali" as the title of their upcoming single.
"Maha Kali", described by the band as "a hymn to the wrathful black hindu goddess of Mahapralaya, the great dissolution of cosmos, Jai Maha Kali," will initially only be available directly from Dissection via their official web site and on tour.
As previously reported, Dissection are currently in the studio with a full lineup, working on their first studio recording since 1995's classic album "Storm Of The Light's Bane".
Nödtveidt was recently released from prison after spending seven years behind the bars for murdering an Algerian homosexual. A short-lived collaboration with former Emperor drummer Bård "Faust" Eithun ended in December over "the demands of Dissection's Satanic concept." A documentary DVD and a new studio album are expected sometime in 2005.
Former Emperor Drummer Answers Fan Questions
Former Emperor drummer Bård "Faust" Eithun has answered a number of fan questions via his official web site. Several excerpts follow:
On the passing of Bathory frontman Quorthon:
Anyone who have had a relationship to extreme music in one form or another will have come across the death of Quorthon, the mastermind of Swedish forefathers Bathory. After his death, the hailing texts have been many. I will not be one of those who glorifies Quorthon and say how much he has meant to me. I never liked idolizing people. I happened to love the music of Bathory and the creepy and eerie aura that surrounded the band, but to idolize is not for me. Anyway, there is no doubt that one of the originators of the true black metal movement has died. As a result of this I will appear in an all-star cover band on the Bergen Hole in the Sky festival in August. Featuring people like Samoth, Apollyon, Grutle, Satyr, Abbath, Gaahl, Nocturno Culto and Ivar it is clear that it will be an honourable moment to perform the old Bathory classic tracks.
On upcoming projects:
I am still striving to get myself occupied musicwise. I am tired of people announcing different projects and name dropping the biggest stars just to get a 15 minutes of attention themselves. I don’t care about 'stars' as long as I know I cooperate with a bunch of good guys. The era of rock- and metal stars ended with the 80's.
On the possibility of a reunited Emperor with him in it:
I don't think so. Firstly, a reunion in itself is unlikely to happen. Secondly, if a reunion should happen by any chance it would be more right that it would be Trym because he can after all play the entire set of Emperor classics. Me, I can just do the tracks I participated on. Sometimes it`s better to let sleeping dogs still sleep. Why concentrate on the past when there is so much happening now?
On whether he will become a full-time member of any other black metal projects:
It's unlikely I will take part in a 100% black metal project, since the music and lifestyle doesn`t excite me as it once did. However, I like dark music with a twisted approach so something in the similar lines would be likely.
Read the full article at Bard Faust.
Emperor Reissue Details
Philadelphia: Candlelight Records today confirms October 19 and November 2 as the reissue dates for Emperor's four genre-defining albums. Wrath of the Tyrants, In the Nightside Eclipse, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, and IX Equilibrum, all currently out of print in the US, have been reworked with additional bonus footage and material unavailable on both European and US-licensed versions.
In documentary style, each of the four recordings have been enhanced with live and studio footage. "Wrath of the Tyrant," being part one, "includes very rare, exclusive footage of pre-Nightside rehearsals plus live outtakes from our first tour (in support of Cradle of Filth, 1993)," says guitarist Samoth. "In the Nightside Eclipse," part two, "includes edited material from a live show in Oslo for the song "Towards the Pantheon," as well as various other clips from live recordings in 1997."
"Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, starts off with a band interview on Finnish TV talking about Anthems and then various live clips from 1997-98, including cool clips from the Dynamo Festival," continues Samoth. "Part four, IX Equilibrium, starts off with a clip from the No Mercy Festival tour and then follows us to the US for our first and only headline American tour in 1999." IX Equilibrium concludes the four-part enhancement series with a clip from the Mystic Festival in Poland, the final Emperor performance. More...
Zyklon Members Participate In Windir Tribute
ZYKLON's Samoth (guitar) and Trym (drums), both formerly of EMPEROR, recently participated in a WINDIR tribute along with Cosmocrator (MINDGRINDER) and Invictus (DISIPLIN). They recorded a "brutal" cover version of a WINDIR track in honor of late WINDIR singer Valfar. It will be released on a WINDIR tribute album this fall.
In other news, ZYKLON are now planning a new video for one of the tracks on "Aeon". There will also be an Inferno Festival DVD, which will include several ZYKLON live tracks. More information will follow soon.
ZYKLON have been confirmed for this year's Hole in the Sky Festival in Bergen, Norway. ZYKLON will be playing alongside such bands as VADER, KREATOR, DANZIG, SUSPERIA and 1349. In addition, Samoth will be participating in a special BATHORY all-star tribute band in honor of Quorthon. For more details, go to www.holeinthesky.no.
Satyricon Recruit Former Emperor For US Tour
In the wake of SATYRICON drummer Kjetil "Frost" Haraldstad not being allowed into the country because of VISA problems and a criminal past, ex-EMPEROR drummer Trym will be joining the band on their forthcoming US trek with MORBID ANGEL, SUFFOCATION and PREMONITIONS OF WAR.
Green Carnation's New Album In The Making
Norway's Progressive/ Doom metal act GREEN CARNATION is turning away from the plan of making a MCD, instead the band already started making pre-production demos of new songs for a coming new full- length album which will be recorded from late August `04. A pre-production sample of one new song will be featured on the upcoming DVD which will be recorded in Poland in the end of January 2004.
The band featuring Tchort (a.k.a. Terje Vik Schei, ex-Emperor, Satyricon), are the latest band confirmed for this year's Summer Breeze festival, set to take place August 19-21, 2004 in Abtsgmünd, Germany.