Oh Christ this is hard
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Saturday, 25 July 2020 16:25 (three years ago) link
Cosmic Keys or Into the Infinity, i think. But.....need to spin it again.
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Saturday, 25 July 2020 16:26 (three years ago) link
Hearing 'Towards the Pantheon' live this year was transcendent though
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Saturday, 25 July 2020 16:27 (three years ago) link
As an aside, I must say I've never liked Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk nearly as much. That sense of transcendence, as you put it, was inexplicably lost when they stopped being teenagers.
Leaning towards 'Into the Infinity of Thoughts' myself – what a perfect opener.
― pomenitul, Saturday, 25 July 2020 16:40 (three years ago) link
Never actually hear «Anthems» until a few years ago. Didn’t like it much either. No mystique.
As for the poll, I’m going for the hit. «... Wizards» it is. Opener runner up.
― Mule, Saturday, 25 July 2020 16:49 (three years ago) link
Also worth noting that this album basically invented cosmic BM… among other sub-subgenres.
― pomenitul, Saturday, 25 July 2020 16:50 (three years ago) link
My favourite black metal album. "Infinity of Thoughts" is the most iconic track to me, but it's all one dark castle.
― jmm, Saturday, 25 July 2020 17:40 (three years ago) link
If I could I would play "Inno a Satana" on repeat as loud as possible on outdoor loudspeakers on Halloween. No, every day.
― King SunnO))) Adé (Tom Violence), Saturday, 25 July 2020 20:11 (three years ago) link
The dungeon synth version from the Reverence EP is no less awesome imo.
― pomenitul, Saturday, 25 July 2020 20:15 (three years ago) link
Speaking of EPs, the earlier, trve klvt takes on 'I Am the Black Wizards' and 'Cosmic Keys to My Creation & Times' are also very much worth hearing. Ditto for 'Wrath of the Tyrant' and 'Night of the Graveless Souls'.
― pomenitul, Saturday, 25 July 2020 20:16 (three years ago) link
Emperor EP is great.
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Saturday, 25 July 2020 20:17 (three years ago) link
I prefer Anthems slightly more but this is still an all time classic
― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Sunday, 26 July 2020 10:04 (three years ago) link
guess it's because I heard Anthems first and it was one of my first experiences with BM. this sounds ridiculous but at the time, it didn't occur to me that this music was made by human beings, let alone a bunch of people barely out of their teens. I just assumed it literally got made thousand years ago by demons and someone disinterred the tapes or something
― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Sunday, 26 July 2020 10:07 (three years ago) link
it literally got made thousand years ago by demons and someone disinterred the tapes or something
I thought this was canon?
― pomenitul, Monday, 27 July 2020 01:25 (three years ago) link
I appreciate Emperor and this album for basically legitimizing symphonic BM, which, if you're discussing second wave black metal, still gets treated with derision when compared to UBER-KLVT "I RECORDED THIS ON MY COUSIN'S FISHER PRICE TAPE RECORDER" necro shit.
some symphonic shit used to bug me too because by the time Dimmu Borgir was done with it, it was basically "synths do all of the work, while guitars chug-a-lug on generic power chords underneath". Emperor was one of the few bands who married both well with sophisticated arrangements.
like, there are some gorgeous synth bits throughout this album, but the riffs underneath are fairly fuckin' creative throughout - some of them punch in you in the mouth, too. and some riffs are melodically pleasing as well (i.e. "I Am the Black Wizards" main riff), or atmospheric ("Into the Infinity of Thoughts"). the synths and guitars just interlock so well.
the album first really sunk in for me when I was driving to school early one day at 6 am, with the sun just rising, and playing this album for the 45 minute trip.
I will always love, love, love Anthems as it's the first one I've heard and I think it's a beautiful alb, and I got to hear it all live, but this album is probably their masterwork.
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Monday, 27 July 2020 04:26 (three years ago) link
"I Am The Black Wizards" by a small margin, but the whole thing just blends together in one glorious haze, agree this is an undeniable 10/10. The EP/7"/demo material is pretty great too but those re-recorded songs on the debut were a major step up I think.
Anthems has some good sections but in the end it was a poor attempt to recreate Nightside. I really hate the mix too. And the lyrics are stupid, compared to Mortiis' wonderfully silly cosmic ramblings.
― Siegbran, Monday, 27 July 2020 09:44 (three years ago) link
This album hits an ideal for having really similar sounding tracks without being too similar.
I slighty prefer Anthems because it was more transcendent for me.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 30 July 2020 21:50 (three years ago) link
Into the Infinity of Thoughts is in my top black metal songs, it never ceases to amaze me. It is so fluid, I love the constant ascending and descending, it is fast, angular, and then you have those solemn moments as if passing in a clearing. Awesome stuff. Many of their other songs play with the same elements, but none are so.. easy. Cosmic Keys and Black Wizards as well obv.The first Emperor song I heard was The Acclamation of Bonds. A little too complex for its own good, but the same cascading idea and mix of freezing-hot qualities. I suppose we're doing Anthems next.
― Nabozo, Friday, 31 July 2020 17:08 (three years ago) link
I suppose we're doing Anthems next.
Sure, I wouldn't mind revisiting it despite (or because of) my reservations.
― pomenitul, Friday, 31 July 2020 17:11 (three years ago) link
too much braggadocio on this one imo
― the quar on drugs (Simon H.), Friday, 31 July 2020 17:45 (three years ago) link
Dunno. Even the Emperor acknowledges that he would be nothing without his wizards:
Mightiest am IBut I am not alone in this cosmos of mineFor the black hills consist of black soulsSouls that are already died one thousand deathsBehind the stone walls of centuries they breed their black artBoiling their spells in cauldrons of black goldFar up in the mountainsWhere the rain fall not farYet the sun cannot reachThe wizards, my servantsSummon the souls of macrocosmNo age will escape my wrathI travel through time and I return to the futureI gather wisdom now lostI visit again the eternally ancient cavesBefore a mighty emperor thereupon cameWatching the mortals "discovering" my chronicles, guardedBy the old demons, even unknown to meOnce destroyed their souls are being summonedTo my timeless prison of hateIt is delightful to feast upon the screaming soulsThat were destroyed in my futureHow many wizards that serve with me with evil, I know notMy empire has no limitsFrom the never ending mountains blackTo the bottomless lakesI am the ruler and has been for eternities longI am themFrom the never ending mountains blackTo the bottomless lakesI am the ruler and has been for eternities longMy wizards are many, but their essence is mineForever they are in the hills in their stone homes of griefBecause I am the spirit of their existenceI am themI am themI am them
Far up in the mountainsWhere the rain fall not farYet the sun cannot reachThe wizards, my servants
Summon the souls of macrocosmNo age will escape my wrathI travel through time and I return to the futureI gather wisdom now lostI visit again the eternally ancient cavesBefore a mighty emperor thereupon cameWatching the mortals "discovering" my chronicles, guardedBy the old demons, even unknown to me
Once destroyed their souls are being summonedTo my timeless prison of hateIt is delightful to feast upon the screaming soulsThat were destroyed in my future
How many wizards that serve with me with evil, I know notMy empire has no limits
From the never ending mountains blackTo the bottomless lakesI am the ruler and has been for eternities longI am them
From the never ending mountains blackTo the bottomless lakesI am the ruler and has been for eternities longMy wizards are many, but their essence is mineForever they are in the hills in their stone homes of griefBecause I am the spirit of their existenceI am them
I am themI am them
― pomenitul, Friday, 31 July 2020 20:21 (three years ago) link
I AM THE RULER AND HAS BEEN FOR ETERNITIES LONG
― pomenitul, Friday, 31 July 2020 20:22 (three years ago) link
Wrath of teh Tyrant's millionth reissue coming out on vinyl soon.
I used to hate that one but I've grown to appreciate it as their true 'necro' release. not the one i'm gonna spin the most but it's fun to hear them in that raw state.
― XVI Pedicabo eam (Neanderthal), Friday, 31 July 2020 20:26 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Saturday, 8 August 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Sunday, 9 August 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
my vinyl of this just came in. picture disc.
coming down off of an MDMA high to this
― popeye's arse (Neanderthal), Sunday, 9 August 2020 04:59 (three years ago) link