Emperor "Wrath Of The Tyrant (Unofficial Release, Wild Rags Records, WWR070)"

Wrath of the Tyrant is the first demo album by Norwegian black metal band Emperor. It was recorded in May 1992 and self-released by the band shortly after.

Wrath of the Tyrant was originally distributed by the band as a demo shortly after it was recorded. This original demotape had a picture of a chimera on the cover. In 1994 it was re-released through Wild Rag Records with two bonus tracks and different artwork. Tchort, who didn't join the band until 1993, is the person who appears on this cover. A limited edition 12" vinyl was released by Head not Found records in 1995; this version featured a photograph of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh as new cover art. In 1998, it was re-mastered and released with the tracks from the Emperor EP. There are two versions of this re-release; the Candlelight Records version has the cover of the Emperor EP and features video footage of live performances from the band, while the Century Black version has a different cover and lacks the video footage.

Most of the songs on Wrath of the Tyrant were later re-recorded by the band. "Wrath of the Tyrant" and "Night of the Graveless Souls" were re-recorded in December 1992 for the Emperor EP. "Ancient Queen", "Witches Sabbath" and "Lord of the Storms" were re-recorded during the same session and released on As the Shadows Rise. "My Empire's Doom" was re-recorded and renamed "Beyond the Great Vast Forest" on the band's debut album, In the Nightside Eclipse. "Moon over Kara-Shehr" was re-recorded with Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg on drums and released on the compilation Nordic Metal - A Tribute to Euronymous in 1995.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Mortiis; all music is composed by Samot and Ygg.

1. Introduction 02:20   
2. Ancient Queen 03:17
3. My Empire's Doom 04:34  
4. Forgotten Centuries 02:51  
5. Night of the Graveless Souls 02:56   
6. Moon over Kara-Shehr 04:25
7. Witches Sabbath 05:41  
8. Lord of the Storms 02:10   
9. Wrath of the Tyrant 03:58   
10. Witches Sabbath 05:57   
11. Ancient Queen 03:39  

Time:  41:48  

Songs information:

Tracks 10 and 11 was taken from As the Shadows Rise EP (1994).

Recording information:

Tracks 1-9 was recorded May Anno 1992, into the crypts of Telemark.

Tracks 10 and 11 was recorded at Studio SS under the December full moon Anno 1992.

Emperor "In The Nightside Eclipse (1999 Reissue, Remastered, USA, Century Black, 7759-2)"

In the Nightside Eclipse is the debut studio album by Norwegian black metal band Emperor, released in 1994 through Candlelight Records. It was their only album with drummer Faust and one-time bassist Tchort. Considered a landmark in the black metal scene, the album has been ranked by critics as one of the most influential albums of the genre. It contains some of Emperor's best known tracks, "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Inno a Satana".

The album was co-produced by Pytten, who produced Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and Burzum's debut album, as well as albums by Immortal and Enslaved. Faust partially credits Pytten with the sound of In the Nightside Eclipse.

Most of the music was written and rehearsed before the band entered the studio. However, much of the symphonic keyboard sections were composed in the studio at the time of recording as the band did not then have a permanent keyboard player.

Ihsahn was 17 years old at the time of the album's recording, and because he was unable to join the rest of the band members in festivities at the local "rock pubs" in Bergen after the album's recording sessions, he spent large amounts of time in the studio working with audio engineer Pytten. Ihsahn had a preexisting interest in audio engineering and took instruction on recording technology from Pytten.

Although the album was recorded in July 1993, it was not mixed until the following year due to Faust and Samoth's arrests and sentences in jail. In the end, only Ihsahn and Samoth were present for the mixing of the album, though he passed along his input to them in a letter. Ihsahn was ill at the time of recording, and Tchort recalls him spitting blood while recording vocals for the album. Some of the early vocal takes were replaced with ones recorded after he had recovered, as were some of the keyboard parts.

Pytten would later be quoted as follows regarding his feelings on the finished product: "With such long times working on the production, so many hours in the studio, so many replays of the songs, so many tries to get the music right, I can go on... I have to admit my first feeling was relief! But the way I see the album after the fatigue left me is that I have never thought, 'Oh if I only had done so and so instead...' I think, whatever words are put on the production, this is a captured sound that has a lasting quality. I am quite proud of what we all achieved."

The album cover was drawn by Kristian Wåhlin, also known as "Necrolord", depicting a host of orcs en route to Minas Morgul. The part below the band logo is based upon a section of a larger engraving called Death on the Pale Horse by Gustave Doré. That section itself was also used as the album cover for the Emperor (EP).

The interior artwork features a photograph of the Trascau Fortress in Transylvania.

In the Nightside Eclipse has often been referred to as a pioneering influence in symphonic black metal. Although all the key elements of black metal are present, such as fast tremolo-picked guitar passages, harsh screams, and raw, lo-fi production, the use of symphonic keyboard sections is a key part of the album's distinctive sound. According to Steve Huey of AllMusic, "Even if the keyboards mostly just outline basic chord changes, they add a melancholy air to all the furious extreme sounds, turning the one-note ugliness of black metal into something emotionally complex." Kerrang said, "proving that [black metal] wasn’t all about primitivism, instead the composition here is technically and creatively staggering, with ethereal keyboards adding a freezing atmosphere." Ihsahn said: "We had no commercial ambitions; there were none to have. It sounds romantic, but all this music was made purely with artistic motivations, this total, introverted, Norwegian 'keep it to ourselves' attitude is what enabled us to create something that no one else had done."

Some of the lyrics on the final version of the album were partially written by Mortiis, before he left the band. Samoth has suggested that the frequent use of the word "emperor" in the lyrics became a kind of metaphor, "for our own entity, for the dark lord, for the devil, for the strong and mighty." Samoth has cited the power of Norwegian nature as a key inspiration on Emperor's music and this album in particular. They also expressed a fascination with the Viking age, Tolkien's literature, story of Dracula, as well as "everything related to Transylvania, the Carpathian Mountains, the dark corners of Eastern Europe, and folklore." Ihsahn, however, has explained that he never read much of Tolkien's work, although he consciously made use of the language and imagery of fantasy.

The album is widely considered one of the most important releases in black metal, particularly for the second wave of black metal, and has been frequently described as a classic by music critics. The album has gone on to influence countless bands, with many considering it the first true symphonic black metal album. Kyle Ward of SputnikMusic credits Emperor with "[taking] the genre in a direction now seen as a natural extension of black metal's sphere of influence." It is the only Emperor album to feature Tchort on bass, who later went on to play with Carpathian Forest, Blood Red Throne, and others. In 2005 the magazine Decibel adopted the album into their hall of fame, writing that "upon its release in 1995, In the Nightside Eclipse established Emperor as the reigning masters of a more complex, atmospheric style of "symphonic black metal". They also called it "one of the most historically fascinating and sonically influential albums in the annals of extreme metal." That same year, the album was ranked number 292 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. In 2009, Loudwire named it the 18th best debut album of all time. In 2009, IGN included In the Nightside Eclipse in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list; according to IGN, "Emperor inspired the wave of overtly-technical black-metal bands that would rule the underground in the early 2000s. Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth owe a huge debt to this album."

Looking at Nightside, I think there was a lot of buzz and hype about the album even before it came out—with advance tracks spreading around the world, there was a lot of anticipation in the underground about the release. When it finally came out, it quickly became an album that led to a lot of influences in the growing black metal scene—or black metal boom, rather.

— Samoth (2016)

In February 2014, Matt Heafy of Trivium wrote that "Emperor had crafted a unique sound in its combination of the classical with modern metal conventions that had not been executed with such precision before." In July of that same year, In the Nightside Eclipse was listed at number three in Guitar World magazine's list of "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". In 2018, the staff of Revolver included the album in their list of the "25 Essential Black-Metal Albums".

In 2019, Ihsahn was quoted as follows regarding his perception of the album 25 years following its release: "I always look back at albums and think, 'Ah, I could have changed that', but then you go beyond that, it becomes so old that you just appreciate it for being a representation of where you were at that point. And this wasn’t just 25 years ago, it’s almost like another life, being basically a kid. [...] That whole time formed the basis of me being able to do this for 25 years. What a stroke of luck! It’s almost paradoxical to be so thankful for black metal, given the evilness of it all."

In 2020, Nick Ruskell of Kerrang! wrote: "It would be inaccurate to say that In The Nightside Eclipse had a Nevermind effect upon its release. Black metal was still a staunchly underground movement, both by non-commercial intent, and simply because such extreme music doesn’t sell in such quantities. It also came during a truly fecund period, where essential albums like Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Immortal’s Pure Holocaust and Darkthrone’s Under a Funeral Moon would all emerge in a relatively short time. But as time has gone on, it has retained an authority that remains ahead of the pack even now. And always will do." In 2021, the album was elected by Metal Hammer as the best symphonic metal album of all time.

In 1999, the album was remastered and reissued, with two cover songs as bonus tracks: "A Fine Day to Die" by Bathory, and "Gypsy" by Mercyful Fate. For the reissue, the opening tracks "Intro" and "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" were combined, whilst the album was packaged in a paper slipcase covering the traditional jewel case, with both featuring the same artwork. A second reissue followed in 2004, which included videos of live performances from 1997. In 2014, in celebration of the album's 20th anniversary, the band reissued a remastered deluxe version of the album. It also featured the bonus tracks from the As the Shadows Rise 1994 EP, as well as a previously unreleased alternative mix of the album and pre-production rehearsal tracks from 1993. The album was remastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in 2014.

Tracklist:

1. "Intro/Into the Infinity of Thoughts" 9:06
2. "The Burning Shadows of Silence" 5:35
3. "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times" 6:06
4. "Beyond the Great Vast Forest" 6:00
5. "Towards the Pantheon" 5:58
6. "The Majesty of the Nightsky" 4:53
7. "I Am the Black Wizards" 6:00
8. "Inno a Satana" 4:48
9. "A Fine Day to Die" (Bathory cover) Thomas Forsberg 8:28
10. "Gypsy" (Mercyful Fate cover) Kim Petersen, Michael Denner 2:57

Total length: 59:51

"Inno a Satana" is Italian for "Hymn to Satan".

Both "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times" and "I Am the Black Wizards" are re-recorded versions of songs that originally appeared on the Emperor EP.

"Beyond the Great Vast Forest" is a re-worked/re-recorded version of the song "My Empire's Doom" from the Wrath of the Tyrant demo with new lyrics.

Recording information:

Recorded during the seventh full moon anno 1993 at Grieghallen Studios.

Mixed in winter anno 1994.

Produced by Emperor and Pytten.

Tim Turan – mastering with Emperor

Christophe Szpajdel – logo

Tracks 9 & 10 are exclusive bonus tracks.

Track 9 recorded in October 1996 at Grieghallen Studios and track 10 recorded in June 1997 at Akkerhaugen Lydstudio.

Emperor "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk (1998 Reissue, Remastered, UK, Candlelight Records, Candle031CD)"

Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is the second studio album by Norwegian black metal band Emperor, released on 19 May 1997 through Candlelight Records and Century Black.

The album was recorded in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.

The opening guitar riff to "Ye Entrancemperium" is taken from an unnamed Mayhem song. As such, Mayhem guitarist Euronymous is credited in the album liner notes, even though he was murdered three years before the album was written and recorded. A recording of this unfinished track can be found on the Mayhem bootleg Ha Elm Zalag.

In 1996, the EP Reverence, which included the track "The Loss and Curse of Reverence", was released as a teaser for the album. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk was released on 8 July 1997 through Candlelight Records. At the time of its release, it reached number 28 on Finnish album charts.

In contrast to the band's previous album, In the Nightside Eclipse, Anthems showcases a faster, more guitar-driven performance with less usage of keyboards and more clean singing and blast-beat style drumwork. The album's musical approach is explained on the back cover, with a quote that reads "Emperor performs Sophisticated Black Metal Art exclusively". As well, the album's lyrical themes began to move away from nature and satanic elements and began to incorporate more mystical themes.

In 1998, the album was remastered and re-released with the three non-album tracks from Reverence. The band made a promotional video for "The Loss and Curse of Reverence".

According to Steve Huey from AllMusic, the album is a "magnificently-conceived and executed opus that fulfills all of Emperor's promise and ambition. The biggest difference from its predecessor [being] the crisper, clearer production, which allows details in the arrangements to emerge far more readily." He added that there's greater use of classical flourishes, greater variety in Ihsahn's vocals, more audible guitar interplay between Ihsahn and Samoth and more complex and melodic keyboard work, saying: "It definitely builds on the groundwork laid by extreme metal pioneers Celtic Frost and Bathory: the former with its restless experimentalism, and the latter with its determination to create something quintessentially Scandinavian." Finally, he concluded: "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk cemented Emperor's reputation as black metal's greatest band, and Ihsahn as its foremost musical visionary; it also firmly established black metal as an art form that wasn't going away any time soon, and opened up a wide range of creative possibilities to the more progressive, eccentric wing of the genre. In the Nightside Eclipse might epitomize black metal better than any other album, but divorced from outside context, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is black metal's greatest stand-alone creative achievement."

The press agreed wholeheartedly: Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk appeared in many “Album of the Year” polls and won top honors in Terrorizer (UK) and Metal Maniacs (USA).

Writing for Loudwire, music journalist Eduardo Rivadavia named the album as the greatest release in the black metal genre. He explained: "From its messy birth in the mitts of England’s Venom through to its revival by Norwegian bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone, black metal’s fundamental mission has been to frighten and offend with savage sounds and low fidelity recordings. But then came Emperor, with their rare musical sophistication and sculpting blackened symphonies such as 1996’s astonishing Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk – which still stands as the form’s ultimate mature creation."

The album was highly influential on the development of black metal in general following its release. Chris Dick of Decibel wrote that the album "set off a veritable artistic and commercial firestorm" within the genre. He stated: "Though prefaced four months by the Reverence EP, Emperor’s sophomore effort redefined black metal yet again. Like Dimmu Borgir’s breakout album Enthrone Darkness Triumphant months before, Emperor proved there was art and class behind the genre’s much-publicized lunacy. Where murder, arson and intrigue put Norway on the map, it was Emperor’s Wagnerian music that brought black metal and its new precepts to the fore." Greg Pratt of Decibel wrote that same year: "They played sophisticated black metal, and they played it exclusively, and in 1997, on their second full-length, no one could touch Norwegians Emperor at what they did. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is an absolutely majestic record, one that took black metal circa the mid ’90s and added in a touch of... well... sophistication, sure, but also an obvious growth as musicians as well as a nod to some trad metal sounds (which the band would explore more later)."

In June 2016, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk was inducted into Decibel's Hall of Fame, becoming the second Emperor album to be featured in there, the first being predecessor In the Nightside Eclipse. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk as 57th on their list of 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.' In 2018, Loudwire named it the best black metal album of all-time. In 2020, Metal Hammer included it in their list of the top 10 1997 albums.

Loudwire considered it to be among the most essential metal releases of the 1990s for vinyl collectors.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Ihsahn. Music as indicated.

1. "Alsvartr (The Oath)" Ihsahn 4:18
2. "Ye Entrancemperium" Ihsahn, Samoth, Euronymous 5:14
3. "Thus Spake the Nightspirit" Ihsahn 4:30
4. "Ensorcelled by Khaos" Ihsahn, Samoth 6:39
5. "The Loss and Curse of Reverence" Ihsahn, Samoth 6:09
6. "The Acclamation of Bonds" Ihsahn, Samoth 5:54
7. "With Strength I Burn" Ihsahn, Samoth 8:17
8. "The Wanderer" Samoth 2:54
9. "In Longing Spirit" 5:55
10. "Opus a Satana" (orchestral version of "Inno a Satana") 4:18
11. "The Loss and Curse of Reverence - Live" 6:24

Total length: 60:32

The opening to "Ye Entrancemperium" was written by Euronymous (Mayhem).

The cover art is an illustration by Doré.

During the early writing period of this album (before Trym Torson joined), the band was rehearsing with a session drummer who went by the name of Mefisto.

Also released on picture LP by Candlelight Records.

The original US release on Century Black, and subsequent remastered versions, include bonus tracks:

09. In Longing Spirit

10. Opus a Satana

11. The Loss and Curse of Reverence (live)*

12. The Loss and Curse of Reverence (Multimedia Video)

(*Only found on the 1998 remastered version.)

Re-released in 1998 by Candlelight Rec. with remastered sound and 3 bonus tracks:

09. In Longing Spirit - 5:55

10. Opus a Satana - 4:17

11. The Loss and Curse of Reverence (live) - 6:23

Re-released in 2004 by Candlelight Rec. with bonus material includes starts off with a band interview on Finnish TV and various live clips from 1997-98 (including clips from the Dynamo Festival).

Re-released in 2006 by Back on Black as Gatefold LP.

Re-released in 2007 by Candlelight Rec. as a numbered limited edition boxset.

Official music video:

- "The Loss and Curse of Reverence"

Recording information:

Recorded in the memorial hall of Grieg between October & December anno 1996 C.E.

Mixed and mastered between January & February anno 1997 C.E.

Mastered at Strype Audio by Samoth, Ihsahn & Vargnatt Inc.

Remastered at Turan Audio by Tim Turan and Emperor.

Track 11 recorded live at Halford, Berlin during the "Emperial Anthems" tour, October 1997.

Pytten – engineering and production

Yens – sleeve photography

Stephen O'Malley – sleeve design

David Palser – sleeve photography

Christophe Szpajdel – sleeve illustrations and logo

N. A. P. – sleeve design

Embraced "Amorous Anathema (2003 Reissue, Russia, CD-Maximum, CDM 0903-1504)"

Embraced was a Swedish Melodic Black Metal band formed in Malmö in 1993. They released their first demo in 1997, and signed with Regain Records, they then toured Sweden, Finland, and Germany. 

After adding another keyboardist and guitarist, they released their full-length Amorous Anathema in 1998. 

Amorous Anathema is the debut studio album by the Swedish melodic black metal band Embraced released in 1998 on Regain Records. It was recorded in November 1997 at Studio Fredman and mastered at Masteringroom. In 2003 Regain Records re-released the album with two bonus tracks recorded during the Within session.

Track listing

1. "A Dying Flame" 6:33
2. "The End... And Here We All Die" 8:35
3. "Nightfall" 5:26
4. "Princess of Twilight" 5:00
5. "Into the Unknown" 4:12
6. "Memento of Emotions" 7:04
7. "The Beautiful Flow of an Autumn Passion" 3:14
8. "Dirge of the Masquerade" 7:04
9. "Big in Japan" (Alphaville cover) (2003 re-release bonus track) 3:27
10. "Book of Keys" (2003 re-release bonus track) 6:54

Total length: 57:29

A music video was made for "Princess of Twilight".

Recording information:

Recorded at Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden in November 1997.

Mastered at Masteringroom.

Lasse Hejll - photography

Helene Toresdotter - cover art, photography

Göran Finnberg - mastering

Anders Fridén - producer, mixing

Fredrik Nordström - engineering

Ron Boldsurfer - logo

Embrace Of Silence "Where Darkness Swallows The Sun (Russia, Fono Ltd., FOP106CD)"

Where Darkness Swallows The Sun is the second album by Ukrainian Death/Doom Metal band Embrace Of Silence, released February 14th, 2017.

Tracklist:

1. The Desert of Your Mind 04:19   
2. Where Darkness Swallows the Sun 06:20
3. Faceless 06:38
4. Last Winter 06:46  
5. Cyclic Motions 07:09
6. Idols Defame Your Faith 06:46   
7. In the Embrace of the Stygian River 06:19   

Time:  44:17  

Recording information:

Recorded, mixed & mastered at BBR Studio, Ukraine.