― John Darnielle, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Siegbran Hetteson, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Ihsahn seems to be trapped into overambition. He's a limited vocalist, a competent guitarist and reasonably good songwriter of epic metal. When he made the most of his limitations, his music worked. Now that he's working beyond his abilities the resulting music is somewhat annoying. From a musicians point of view, I can understand he's trying to expand his horizon. But the guy needs a critical editor...
― dleone, Sunday, 2 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― John Dahlem, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Anyway so I'm not a huge Norwegian Black Metal fan, meaning I own some dozen albums--certainly not a big collection by any stretch of the imagination. From what I've read the general divide is that casual fans of metal/prog all find Anthems and Nightside pretty equally terrific, the even earlier stuff raw, sporadically inventive but rather dull and the later stuff a bit too bombastic (although I do know a few people that think the last record Prometheus one of their best). This is pretty much my opinion. On the other hand, huge NBM and "serious" metal fans hold that all us non-"serious" metal fans are fools and that even Nightside is a bit of a sell-out and that the EPs and stuff done before Mortiis left are the only things worth owning (and they say the same thing about Satyricon, Enslaved, Darkthrone, etc--don't buy past X date as these bands began to suck/sell-out/lose inspiration/etc syndrome). These are definitely generalizations, but I'm guessing that if you're not one of the latter types (and I'm assuming anyone asking this question wouldn't be--your a hanger on/trainspotter like most of us are) you'll probably find Anthems (and maybe even Prometheus with its heavy prog/classical motifs) a fascinating and exhilirating listen.
― Alex in SF, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
It would've been interesting how Emperor would've sounded if they had kept the lo-fi fuzzy sound and raw energy of the demo/EP days. Probably a lot like Belkètre or Graveland's "The Celtic Winter".
And by the way, for those who like In The Nightside Eclipse, the 1996 album Nord by swedish Setherial is very much recommended. It's a near carbon copy of ITNE, it really sounds like a lost Emperor recording with the added bonus that it's even more energetic.
― Siegbran Hetteson, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
http://www.geocities.com/nailburn/offy.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/nailburn/levisshop.jpg
Also, why is it called black metal? I dont see any black people doing it.
― marinecreature, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― John Dahlem, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
That's exactly what ended the creative peaks in black metal (first wave '84-'87, second wave '89-'93, third wave '94-'96) - the people involved grew up and started to think too much about what they were doing instead of just doing it. Idem with any genre, for that matter. Drum 'n Bass spiralled into mediocrity once the people in the scene 'grew up'. Punk was best in its most idiotic, naive, black/white sloganist anti-society phase. Such bands/artists were innovative and exciting just because they were idealists, extremists, purists, juvenile demolishers, idiots savant.
And Black Metal, as in dark, occult, negative.
― Siegbran Hetteson, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― John Darnielle, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 4 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Siegbran Hetteson, Wednesday, 5 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Andrew L, Wednesday, 5 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 5 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
OK. Lemme step back from that a bit.
1. I have yet to hear the new Today is the Day album that has yet to be released on Relapse.
2. The Mastadon album is giving the Immortal record a rather serious run for its money, as is Electric Wizard's "Let Us Prey," a meta album title so good it's flat out amazing it's taken humans until the 21ST CENTURY to name a metal album that. (Electric Wizard are really ,really good at this naming metal albums thing. "Come My Fanatics" and "Dopethrone" are also great, great album names.)
3. But I digress; nothing in points 1 or 2 has anything to do with black metal. Immortal is a well known black metal act. Their early records, such as "Battles in the North" and "Blizzard Beasts" are as genre-defining as Emperor, in my opinion. The new one "Sons..." is just fantastic. When it's one, you will feel like Hannibal leading elephants or something.
4. Emperor is indeed an excellent band. But the Nazi thing...one of the fellows in the now-defunt Emperor named his new band Zyklon, which is just fucking rude.
― Joe Gross, Monday, 8 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Siegbran Hetteson, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I don't think this is really accurate - as a metaphor for what? General misanthropy? The entire genre of NSBM certainly isn't metaphorical. Also, why pick the German word for "cyclone"? In order to reference Zyklon B, I think, pretty clearly.
― John Darnielle, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
i grew up just outside of tampa florida, and spent my formative years during the peak and wane of the death metal phenomenon. the brass mug, ace's records, the asylum in st pete ... all staples, all good times. then came black metal, which i love but don't have the exact same connection to due to mainly nostalgic reasons.
the first black metal record i heard was In the Nightside Eclipse, and i've never liked it. the thing is, i really, really like black metal, and i have for years. geez, i dunno. that was probably 1995 or something? so 13 years later i still like black metal, and i STILL don't like Emperor.
am i missing something?!
― Cameron Octigan, Thursday, 29 January 2009 18:58 (fifteen years ago) link
really digging the latest reissue/remaster of Nightside. much better than the one from 1999.
― Neanderthal, Sunday, 6 July 2014 16:23 (ten years ago) link
http://concert.arte.tv/fr/emperor-au-hellfest
― StanM, Sunday, 6 July 2014 21:30 (ten years ago) link
I've now received that 20th Anniversary Edition thing, I should do a 4-way listening test between these two versions and my original and the 1999 remaster (I need to dig those up from the basement). But at first listen the Alternate Mix doesn't actually sound that different - not in the way that for example the remastered/remixed "Individual Thought Patterns" does.
― Siegbran, Monday, 7 July 2014 12:07 (ten years ago) link
Am i right in thinking Prometheus is a heinous underrated album thst gets, um, eclipsed by the first two records?
Anyway. In terms of atmosphere I have to say Emperor really are my favourite BM band
― Sade of the Del Amitri (dog latin), Friday, 20 September 2024 09:45 (yesterday) link