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Emperor > In the Nightside Eclipse > Reviews
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse

Of course it's a 100. - 100%

Mikesch Lord, November 29th, 2023

Let me start this impossible review with something very strange: I don't know if the lead guitar melody of the opener "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" has a pattern of chords that everyone stumbles upon when touching a guitar long enough or if all of those bands that I want to accuse of theft were copying Emperor with or without really knowing it consciously, but I have had so many moments in my life where I was listening to a black metal song and suddenly thought to myself: "Wait a minute, that's that melody from Into the Infinity of Thoughts!". To this day I don't know if this is a testament to this album being saved and preserved in the collective mind of the scene it influenced from the ground up or if that progression of notes just sorta happens to anybody that tries out his instrument intensively in a certain amount of hours. But not a month goes by where one of the greatest guitar melodies of all time does not cross my path in a song that is definitely NOT "Into the Infinity of Thoughts". That's one of the many oddities that surround this album. Another one would be the fact that this record was recommended to me many years ago by a depressed alcoholic that is now dead. He hated almost every part of existence and this album was one of the few things he actually truly loved. So I guess I dedicate this review to him. Rest in peace, man. I still miss you.

Sometimes a review is not really a review but just a deranged little loveletter from someone that has spent a little bit too much time with an album. Oh Emperor, I wish I knew how to quit you! I don't know how often in my life I have listened to "In the Nightside Eclipse" but I have spent more than a little bit too much time on it. The states in which I did let the music of this CD into my life ranged from pure hedonistic joy to absolute mind crushing pits of sadness and desperation. And I have to confess that there have been days where I cursed this album because it has ruined other albums for me like an innocent first love has enough potential to degrade every lady that follows. The past shatters the future without mercy. No matter how talented, fresh, smart, sophisticated or original a band in my fucked up path was, most of the time it didn't even come close to the mythological and historical greatness of Emperor's debut. That's not always a pleasurable experience and it somehow makes this album an intellectual prison where I walk up and down my tiny little cell and wait for my death and rebirth in the blue landscape by Necrolord on the cover. But I would rather lock my heart inside something extraordinary like this dark and evil juwel than praise empty bands that did nothing for music, life and art except cultivating a stolen image that they did not invent or defend.

Furthermore, it was always a good social, personal and psychological indicator for me if someone did "get" this album or not. Black metal was not just always divided with other styles of entertainment, on multiple occasions it was also divided with itself. There will always be those annoying attention seeking people that put attitude over atmosphere by celebrating the superficial raw coolness image of a Darkthrone-shirt in the lunch room at work but shrug their shoulders in gross and miserable ignorance when someone mentions the groundbreaking, revolutionary effort und artistic success of Emperor that can never be paid back its weight in gold, fame, thanks or glory. If you claim to be a black metal fan and exclude the beginnings of Emperor from your worship, I most certainly will look down on you and your musical opinion and I am not even sorry for that. I am a douchebag after all.

It's rather rare that I am actually scared by a drum performance because a drum kit in itself is nothing to be afraid of. It's just a little BOUM and BAM, man! No need to shit any pants here. But the muffled, ghost like blasts with their wolfish sprint and the high octane ringings and sudden cymbal crashes out of nowhere, the fat and rich mid tempo punches and some terrifying rumbling echo fill rolls do get me in a mood that can be considered positively uncomfortable. I think that my desire for reverb and echo in general can be traced back to this album because that's how it's done. Make everything sound like it's old as shit and too far away, that helps with the existential absurdity and makes everything sound more important than it actually is. This is my shit, thank you very much! If I didn't know that the guy behind the drums actually did kill someone and you told me that for the first time, my response to that would have probably been something like: "Well, of course he did. Have you listened to his drumming? I'm only surprised he killed just ONE person."

I don't really know what I have been doing when I was as old as these guys on this record, but it couldn't have been much more than masturbating in my own filth and trying to smash an empty beer can against my head. These boys did not waste their youthful energy like my broke ass, they invented a form of riffing that wasn't just highly original for the time but also a sophisticated, functioning universe in itself with its own rules of magnificence and aesthetics. The guitar melodies on "In the Nightside Eclipse" are stranger than strangeness itself, more beautiful than any known and constant interpretation of beauty, darker than the night, more furious than any oath of vengeance and smart like a guy that just invented a spaceship all for himself without telling anyone else about it. One of the ultimate classics of black metal does not only contain the crib of classic Norwegian black metal tremolo riffing but a form of melody construction that could rightfully be declared as "progressive", as much as I hate that term because in the metal scene it is often synonymous with "boring". Listening to a song of the Emperor debut feels like discovering the poetry of an electric guitar for the first time all over again, it's a wild mix of neoclassical longing, vicious strength and that special feeling you get in your stomach when you are alone in the woods at night and you just heard an unknown animal walk over some brittle twigs. This is one of the ultimate strengths of this album: The ability to set you back for thousands of years and make you experience nature as a mysterious and threatening entity. You are not only a spectator, but also the animal and the brittle twig itself. You are the trees and the stones and the moon, you are so much more than human. All thanks to this record.

Did you notice that the really unique vocalists of the second wave have never been imitated successfully by anyone? Abbath and Attila for example are still as unique today as they have been at the beginning. Ihsahn is another one of those that shall never be copied. His high end shrieks seem to be a bit too melodramatic and over the top for the cold, distant soul of the music and I love everything about that. That fella on the first Setherial record came pretty close to those satanic inhuman duck quacks but he didn't quite reach the absurd heights of his number one inspiration. There is something that stuck out for me as an ugly fact about metal in general: It's really not as cool and scary for outsiders as you think it is. More often than not, the screams of Ihsahn did not evoke any kind of terror for the people in my life, they just thought it was really weird and a bit ridiculous that somebody would behave like that with his voice on an album. All that was left after these humiliating incidents was my love for the music and not much else.

Emperor did not age gracefully, the last two albums and the solo project of Ihsahn could never capture the magic like their youthful predecessors did with such ease. Maybe it was never meant to last forever. I don't really care, I was put on this planet in roughly the same time period as "In the Nightside Eclipse". Many people before me did not get that lucky.

Black lightning in a bottle - 99%

Absinthe1979, August 12th, 2023
Written based on this version: 1995, CD, Modern Invasion Music

1994 was an extraordinary year for black metal, especially in that exotic north-western corner of Europe called Norway.

It was the year that so many astounding epics were released. Before the clichés there were the classics, all coming out of that mysterious country in that fortuitously cursed year of 1994: ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’, ‘Transilvanian Hunger’, ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’, ‘The Shadowthrone’, ‘Pentagram’… and the mighty ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’. They are all utterly untouchable, and what is equally extraordinary is the fact that no two of these albums sounds the same – they all have their own styles and identity. By 1995 when the albums started appearing in my local music store due to an open-minded store owner, it was mesmerising to work through an entirely new musical enterprise.

After the intricate yet turgid expression that was the self-titled EP and the even rougher ‘Wrath of the Tyrants’ that came before it, Emperor found that secret x-factor that allowed them to take the transformative step from bright-eyed black metal bashers to profoundly successful symphonists. Without question, the first thing that I think of when contemplating ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ isn’t so much the immortal classic tracks – although I’ll get to them shortly – but the overall lightning in a bottle atmosphere that was captured on tape. The sound of the album recorded at Grieghallen studios and captured so brilliantly by the inimitable Pytten seems to breathe and lift off into the air, hovering amongst the tops of pines in vast mountain ranges. ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ reminds somewhat of albums like ‘October Rust’ and ‘Cruelty and the Beast’ – not in sound or style, obviously, but in that it carries that indefinable quality that transcends the individual instruments to become more than the sum of its parts. The atmosphere is total and it goes far beyond the sound of a band made up of mortals jamming away.

The strange, almost alien, introduction works perfectly at setting that indefinable sense of atmosphere. The muted explosion of ‘Into the Infinity of Thoughts’ launches into an ascending blast riff while those all-conquering symphonic keyboards move it into a realm of blackened energy. When Ihsahn announces, “As the darkness creeps over the northern mountains of Norway, and the silence reach these woods I awake and rise” I can still feel the exoticism and wonder that I felt upon first hearing those words in the mid 90s. While the sentiments expressed through these lyrics would go on to become cliched and lifeless by the time the trend swept the globe, their utterance here and in that moment exudes authenticity and credibility. The atavistic impulse that permeates this album is embodied in that line.

Even at a young age, both Ihsahn and Samoth’s guitar work was on the complex side, especially for a second wave black metal album, and they pushed some sonic boundaries. Faust’s drums sound incredible and his performance is tasteful, hinting towards a deep seeded desperation and earnestness. There’s an energy to his playing that complements the music above it perfectly. There is a genuine sense of power and mystery at work behind the performances, all underpinned by a sense of self-belief and palpable passion.

Some of these tracks are classics and as good as anything produced in the field of black metal, ever. ‘I Am the Black Wizards’ is a melodic masterpiece, with the lead guitar line moving serpentine-like across a musical base filled with energy and pathos, while its ending is drenched in atmosphere. The enticingly named ‘Beyond the Great Vast Forest’ sways along at a slower pace with a sultry darkness, while ‘The Majesty of the Night Sky’ contains a mid-section that opens up into a slow and glorious movement before the track ends with a diabolical swinging riff and an explosion. The final track ‘Inno A Satana’, with its clean vocal calls echoing across a pine-covered valley between majestic mountain peaks, is a magical moment caught for posterity.

The Necrolord album cover is absolutely iconic, depicting stylised mountains, forest and a very enthusiastic dark castle. The Gustave Dore designed death-rider from the self-titled EP also makes a fitting appearance below the Emperor logo. The inlay booklet is simple yet perfect, with the centre page image of a mountain framed by dusk aptly encapsulating the atmosphere of the tracks. The back cover, with its classic four framed band member images remains impactful.

It is difficult to avoid describing ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ without hyperbole, but it’s really the only way to adequately express the composition, performance, atmosphere and impact of this album. While a touch more variety might have added something to the structure of the album, it is hard to fault this masterpiece.

If this album is ever remixed and remastered to sound more 'modern' and 'appealing' like the disasters that were Mayhem's 'Grand Declaration of War' and Cradle of Filth's 'Cruelty and the Beast', it will be a real tragedy. I’ve seen Emperor play live a few times, most recently on their tour where they played ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’ in its entirety (with Trym on drums rather than Faust), and while it was certainly a great night, it didn’t and couldn’t have the impact of the original album despite their better skill, equipment and experience. No matter how perfect it was performed, or how great the sound was, the album could not be replicated because the album was created in a special moment in time where youthful naivety, passion and energy were the key ingredients. This is why a 'better' production does not, and cannot, work in this genre, because it's about atmosphere.

The album was black lightning in a bottle, miraculously recorded for all time.

The Album that Changed Black Metal - 100%

AxlFuckingRose, February 13th, 2022

It's hard to pinpoint a specific detail of this album that makes it so great, mostly because there are so many things to love about it. The use of synthesizers adds a symphonic feel that nobody could have seen meshing with the raw black metal sound so well. Ishahn gives one of- if not the- best vocal performances of all time. He sounds unhinged and possessed, like the music Emperor composes is a direct channel from Satan himself. But what's most intriguing about Emperor on this album is that they aren't writing about Satan at all, there music revolves more around mythology, magic, and war. Of course, the band members still wore the corpse paint and they were Satanists (one of them even went to jail for murder), but what distinguishes Emperor from most other bands in black metal is that they didn't rely on the Satanism to propel their music to the forefront of the genre- they didn't have to. The music is that good.

Ishahn and the beastly Samoth craft a flurry of excellent guitar riffs for the songs here, each of which is carefully designed to complement- not overbear- the synthesizers. And perhaps, that's what makes this record so likable. The theatrical song structure of "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" and the triumphant and catchy riffing of "The Burning Shadows of Silence" are enough to hook any listener. Couple this with Faust going absolutely bananas behind the kits and you get an orchestral arrangement of a vast array of influences. Admittedly, there is little variation in the songs themselves; much of them have soaring riffs and harmonies interwoven to the rhythm. This doesn't matter though, because the sound is so unique and performed with so much care that it sounds fresh even by the seventh or eighth track of the album.

The influence this album had is hard to quantify. After its release, everybody wanted to throw synthesizers into their black metal. Bands like Darkthrone, Burzum, and Bathory were hardly relevant anymore, it had to be ultra-melodic and symphonic. That's an exaggeration of course, but the black metal scene changed virtually overnight with the release of this album. But as many copycats as there were, none could top this beautiful debut from Emperor.

Every song on here is amazing. From the pretentious song titles to the ominous intros to the grand presentation, this album is a brilliant mix of novel elements that would change the landscape of black metal forever. "The Majesty of the Nightsky" and "I Am the Black Wizards" are excellent B-side tracks that deviate slightly with more proggy song structures, but still follow the theme of the album. Production-wise, everything is glossy and coated in a self-indulgent layer of theatrics. But it works. This album was meant to be experienced, not just listened to. The gargantuan levels of distortion on the guitars and the synthesizers caked in melody are the perfect ingredients for a frosty, eerie black metal album. Immortal and Dissection would build off of this formula in the coming years, but noone did it like Emperor did.

As the darkness creeps over the Northern mountains of Norway... - 95%

Slater922, March 15th, 2021
Written based on this version: 1994, CD, Candlelight Records

Say what you want about how a lot of symphonic metal bands are generic and repetitive, because while that is true to some extent, you can't deny the fact that the genre can sound awesome when it's done right. Emperor is definitely one of those bands that got it right, as their 1994 debut album "In the Nightside Eclipse" started the symphonic black metal genre and is considered a classic among many black metal fans. Even after all of these years, "In the Nightside Eclipse" remains an unique album that many symphonic metal bands today fail to replicate.

One interesting thing about this album is the instruments. At its core, it is a black metal album, so there are plenty of blackened guitar riffs that bring in a dark atmosphere. However, the symphonic instruments on this album are unique and give the tracks a more lighter tone. One great example would be in the first song "Into the Infinity of Thoughts". The song has these soothing echoes that play in the background as Ihsahn is shrieking the lyrics, giving the vocal moments a rather angelic tone. The keyboards in this song also play these melodic and joyful tunes, and they flow well along the chaotic guitar riffs. The production is also different, as it is more cleaner and polished than most other black metal albums that were released at the time. While it seems like a bad idea on paper, the way it's executed on the track gives it an epic and scary atmosphere. While the symphonic instruments can be a bit too much at times, particularly the ones in "Beyond the Great Vast Forest", they are able to give this album its own identity from other black metal projects.

Another great part on the album is the vocals. Ihsahn does the vocals on this album, and he does an amazing job at it. His voice mainly consists of shrieks, but he also adds in a slight gurgle in them to make him sound like he's truly dying. One of his best vocal performances on the album is in the track "I Am the Black Wizards". There, his vocals sound more aggressive and powerful, which flow well to the more dark and epic atmosphere. His voice is also fitting to the lyrics, where it talks about ruling over other wizards. The might in his voice gives the listener the feeling that he really does rule over the wizards. Ihsahn's vocals on this album are great, and they flow through the grand atmosphere of the album well.

Even the lyrics are an important part to the album. Most other black metal albums at the time focused on extremely dark topics, but "In the Nightside Eclipse" switches things up a bit. Take the lyrics in "Inno a Satana" for example. In that song, Ihsahn chants and praises his lord Satan and also shouts out "Thou art the Emperor of Darkness" a lot in the track. On paper, the lyrics seem basic, and even slightly bland, but the way they're executed on the track makes them feel more important. The atmosphere on the track is more vicious and chilling, so the lyrics have more of an evil tone. It also helps that Ihsahn includes more chants and singing along with his shrieks, so the lyrics have more of a powerful feel in them. The lyrics on this album are basic, but the way they're executed makes them feel enhanced.

Overall, this is an excellent way for symphonic black metal to start. The instruments are absolutely beautiful in its mix of soft and harsh sounds, and Ihsahn's vocals give the songs a more vast feel. There's a reason why this album still holds up after all of these years, because even if a lot of symphonic metal albums today are generic and boring, you still have a fantastic album like "In the Nightside Eclipse" that reminds you what symphonic metal sounds like when it's good.

Good...But That's It... - 65%

EvilAllen, March 3rd, 2020

Emperor are currently active at the time of this review, but they're always on-and-off these days. I'm just going to be really brief on the nonsense and see if I can get down to the real detail. These guys are well-respected in the black metal scene, easy to see why, they're talented and deserve credit. This album is good, but in my honest opinion, it's not a godsend, it's not incredible, it's got some decent vibes...but I'm not exceedingly crazy about it. However, this album has gotten legendary status, and I've been wanting to own this CD because it's worth getting and because of its success. It deserves an anual listen at the very least. But this is where I draw the line... I think this album is better as individual tracks, rather than a whole because it just doesn't excite me as much as it would others. And that's just me being honest...and fair.

This album has stood against the test of time and has been constructed to be very, very long-lasting. But let's hop right into the actual content of this CD. See, I already know people will read this and bitch and complain, being triggered at what I say simply because they want to feel like they're a victim and I hurt something they loved...the point is, this record just isn't exactly what people think it is. It's good, really good, but don't treat it as a gem. It's OK if this album is handled a little rough, it's been taking beatings well for years. And when I say beatings, it's the overwhelming love that too many people give it. Sorry, got off-topic again.

This record's production rough, foggy and mysterious. The vocals are heavily obscured by the massive amount of reverb and weak production of the tape they must've used back then. However, the music and construction themselves are better. Though, still not amazing. The guitars sound extremely thin, the bass sounds like an iron ocean, just struggling to make successful waves onto the land ahead. The drums are just, well, overly-compressed and noisy. I understand if this shit was deliberate, but it would have been nice if the band could have kept their original stems and had this remixed entirely, then remastered from the remixed stems. Complex music is hard for me to judge, simply because of complexity. But now, with the production being so, so lo-fi, it's even harder for me to determine on thing from another. Even the keyboards are drowned, in what appears to be, a swamp (filled with goblin creatures)? Sorry, was talking about the artwork if you didn't know that by now.

But speaking of the artwork, that's probably my favourite part, it's strong in the shade of blue, a lot of hand-drawn detail...but the colour is lacking verity, that's all. If one song stands out to me from the rest, it would easily be "I Am the Black Wizards". Which...you know, is a strange title for a song because of the pural that's being used for "wizard" (without the "S", but I shouldn't have to explain that "S" makes it pural, just in case you really do think I'm an idiot). The lyrics are quite fine, well-written. Only a few people could write that well back then. It's almost like a..."Shakespearean" concept. Finding this CD in stores, is actually pretty hard...been trying for awhile, but I gave up, even though I would like to own it.

My final words are just to say that this album does deserve the credit for being such a memorable piece, but it wasn't possible without its creators, of course. The thing is, it just isn't amazing to me. These guys still blow Dimmu Borgir out of the water...those guys just suck... They think they're good because they're black metal and come from Norway, but then bands like Emperor come in and thump them to death because at least Emperor aren't garbage. They can at least create something, have it stand the test of time and still be a finely-crafted piece...but then again, in some contexts, I am speaking for the fans, too. Overall, it's a good piece...just not for me, personally. That's all.

Thou art the Emperor of Darkness. - 100%

The Clansman 95, August 12th, 2019

Emperor have always been a unique act among the Norwegian black metal scene. They have always leaned towards a rather epic approach to black metal, and probably they were the very first to do so, not to mention the idea of incorporating in their sound keyboards and orchestrations, thus creating an unmistakeable (and possibly one of the most appealing) brand of extreme music, at least for what's concerning the 90's timespan. This theory may as well be proved by the fact that they are one of the best-selling black metal acts of all times, having sold more than 500,000 copies of their records up to nowadays, something that is really saying something, if you think that they always stayed really true to their roots and their artistic identity, writing music always for the sake of their passion and their beliefs, rather than landing on poppish or commercially winking releases.

That said, Emperor are, and always will be, among the "big four" of Norwegian black metal, alongside with bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem and Ulver, holding the place of both creators and innovators of an incredibly resonating musical reality, thanks to masterpieces as their first full-length, named "In the Nightside Eclipse". As I stated above, Emperor have always had a certain inclination for the epic side of the compositions, as fully displayed in their second release "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk", but they never underestimated the importance of atmosphere when it comes to write their music, a fact that is true for the entirety of their discography, but most of all for this specific album.

Although the keyboards are extensively present for the whole fourty-eight minutes of the CD, they are employed mostly to create the atmosphere, with protracted chord arrangements and synths, building a sense of mystical and freezing daydreaming, complemented by the occasional orchestration matching the guitar work. Speaking of which, this album stands as a monolith for anyone who claims black metal can't technical: the guitars play beautifully intricate and malevolent patterns, and they often play different riffs that perfectly complement each other, as clearly displayed in tracks as the famous "Inno a Satana". The drumming is really varied as well, alternating furious and monotonous blast beat sessions with calmer and more atmospheric parts, adding depth and complexity to the songs' structures.

The vocals consist in high, desperate shrieks performed by an (at the time of the recording) ill Ihsahn, a circumstance that ended up making the album even more emotional and passionate. Add a perfect production, matching the "raw" and primitive attitude of black metal with not-so-lo-fi mixing values, and the recipe is complete. I could go on for hours talking about each track of the lot: from the full blast of "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" to the evocative epic "Cosmic Keys to My Creation and Time", passing for the ominous "Beyond the Great Vast Forest", to the legendary ending duo of "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Inno a Satana", the album is not only a work of art, but also a real declaration of intents, a spiritual testament speaking directly to the listener's soul, both on the musical and the equally studied lyrical side. I suggest you to have an appropriate listen of this masterpiece, if you haven't heard it already, or to listen to it again, if you haven't in a while: albums like this are the reason why metal music deserves not only to be listened to, but also respected, revered and handed down from our generation to those who will follow. All hail the mighty Emperor: for Thou art the Emperor of Darkness.

Amazing vision - 94%

gasmask_colostomy, June 14th, 2019

I think one of the reasons why this album is so beloved is that Emperor had so much more ambition than any other original group in the Norwegian wave of black metal. The creative thinking department must have been on overdrive to get so many epic elements into the slightly simplistic sound of the genre circa 1993 (the album was recorded the year before its release), especially if one considers that keyboards were rather an unknown quantity at that point. It’s not really suitable to call In the Nightside Eclipse a symphonic black metal album, since nothing orchestral actually emerges from the cacophony, nor do Emperor break from the tradition of sprawling riffs covering most of the songs, though denying this album’s significance in the development of black metal would be plain wrong.

Personally speaking, I’m a heavy supporter of the style peddled here for a couple of reasons, the first of which is the undeniable atmosphere permeating the lengthy songs. Like other key black metal debuts from Mayhem and Darkthrone (technically their second full-length), the pacing of certain songs proves key to their atmospheric appeal, not only because it breaks a slightly monotonous assault of jangly riffing and decrepit vocals, but also because the transitions into slower sections offer a thoroughly different kind of drama. ‘Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times’ drops into a massive slow-paced riff at its conclusion, turning the chaotic swarm of the earlier part into a magisterial statement of power and malignance, plus emptying your stomach in just the way great doom riffs should. The steady mid-section of ‘Beyond the Great Vast Forest’ does almost the same thing by amplifying the scope of the experience tenfold and emphasizing the mysterious potential of the song’s theme. Both are killer moments and completely arrest my attention on every listen. Nevertheless, I feel that In the Nightside Eclipse would have benefitted from a little more of this, especially as the two songs featuring the most obvious slower riffing are consecutive in the tracklist. The second atmospheric feature – the keys – on the other hand, feature more of what I call “presence”, hovering over the unholy tangle of guitars and drums rather like the moon shines down on the rabble on the cover (which captures the vibe of the music just perfectly, by the way). Anointing the songs with soft light as they do, the keyboards shouldn’t become too much to cope with for any but the most hardened of kvlt fans, mostly using simple melodic lines or choir effects to contrast and magnify the riffing.

A curiosity I’ve noticed when reading other reviews for Emperor’s debut: most reviewers seem reticent to describe the riffing in detail, if at all. For a generally fast-paced album, that seems odd. Perhaps that comes down to the mix, where the keys and vocals dominate with higher volume and some of the fast notes get mirrored by Faust’s varied and skillful drumming performance, which is certainly a little too low to receive the recognition it deserves. Back to the riffs though, because that’s where my interest lies. We don’t see the same effect as with other early black metal of making the riffs subservient to the blasting or focusing on lashing basic grim patterns onto the most hateful vocals imaginable; instead, we get something complex, note-based, and often dissonant. The darkness of the mid-paced riffs relies on lower notes and power chords often played out of harmony to create a jangly effect of uneasy movement, while some of the quicker material drifts very close to where Mayhem stood on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, though with a couple of extra twists and turns. The few epic sections could draw comparisons to Bathory’s Blood Fire Death, particularly when blastbeats become scarce, since the sound opens up into strident, vaguely thrashy patterns, such as during the bridge riff of ‘Towards the Pantheon’. A fantastic cover of ‘A Fine Day to Die’ on the reissue just confirms the influence.

While Emperor certainly deserve praise for musicianship and ambition, the jury remains out on songcraft. Averaging over six minutes apiece with only two cuts running for barely less than five, the eight songs from In the Nightside Eclipse present rather a challenge for the listener. Many of them have repeating parts, not to say actual choruses, though the density of sound that pervades the majority of the listen resembles a forest to fight through, in which I often find myself tantalizingly lost. I can’t absolutely say that I would like the songs to all be more memorable, because that feeling of being abandoned in the massive wilderness is probably one of the finest outcomes you’d want from Norwegian black metal; however, I would have appreciated greater use of contrast in structuring sections of the music. Standout features certainly include those powerful slower parts I mentioned earlier, the melodic semi-leads and ambient keyboard interlude in ‘The Majesty of the Night Sky’, and the tumescence of ‘Inno a Satana’ as it reaches for a suitable climax to the album. It might just be exposure talking, but ‘I Am the Black Wizards’ carries a lot of the most memorable fast riffs, especially the main theme, which is honestly to die for. The drumming reaches its pinnacle there too. Listening to such a busy album does highlight plainer parts though, and in that regard I wouldn’t mind seeing ‘Towards the Pantheon’ left out altogether, if only to keep variety and interest high for the whole 48 minutes.

Emperor’s debut full-length has been called perfect many a time, and that’s not an opinion I could entirely argue against, even though I don’t think of it as such. Problems with levels in the mix steal a little power from the music while producing much of the necessary chaos, resulting in Tchort’s bass turning up incredibly rarely and the creative riffwork of Samoth and Ihsahn being neglected to focus on the keys, a fate also destined for Faust’s drumming. Along with the knottiness of the songwriting, the shadiness of the mix makes this album more of an insidious trap for the listener than an unfettered delight – a labyrinth of darkness, if you will. Some people also complain about the vocals, Ihsahn’s voice rasping in slightly more evil fashion than Abbath’s low croak, yet I wouldn’t want anything more full-bodied to conflict with the busy instrumental ideas. Accepting that these small issues are indeed imperfections isn’t the trouble for me, though I believe that those imperfections provide In the Nightside Eclipse with depth and mystique that a more clinical version of the album wouldn’t have. An amazing vision witnessed through a tangle of dark branches.

Wow...this one sucks. - 10%

Human666, December 12th, 2018

I don't see any reason to pretend that I like anything in life, when there is no reason to like it. Actually, no one needs to force himself to like something he doesn't really care about. The reason why many people fall into this trap, of hailing something that they don't really care about and has no real value for them, is the false assumption that by doing so they raise their value in the eyes of those who lead the horde. That's a common sheep thinking, and trust me fellas, you don't want to be a sheep!

In the Nightside Eclipse doesn't deserves to be hailed as a classic. In fact, given its utterly vague content, it doesn't deserve to be discussed at all.

In order to be considered trve by the kvlt community, an album must have an awful production. Though I don't consider myself as a high member of the kvlt community, I can assure you that this album has one of the shittiest productions ever made in the history of recorded and commercially distributed music. Sometimes it can benefit the music, take for instance the 'Deathcrush' EP by Mayhem that came out in 1987. The production was horrible, but at least you had some seriously piercing riffs that went along quite well with that mess. In the case of In the Nightside Eclipse, we got horrible production with horrible "trying-too-hard-to-be-progressive-symphonic-black-metal" dragging pile of unimaginative riffs. But more on that later.

As I just said, the production of this album is awful. The guitars, which are the backbone of this genre, have a flat and fragile tone. Lot of mids, not enough thick bottom, and there are too many moments when they just get buried beneath the drums. The bass guitar simply doesn't exist, you can't hear it. I wonder if they forgot to press the unmute button. The drums actually have a nice tone, you can hear the cymbals and kick drum quite well. The snare is kind of muffled, but it suits well the other parts of the kit. Keyboards mostly use some sort of synth strings and occasional choir voices, but most of the time it's too loud and overpowers everything else in the mix.

One of the major reasons why this album sucks so bad, is its unbearable repetitiveness and overlong song lengths. The same formula is used during the whole album: a mishmash of fast indistinguishable guitar riffs with no clear melodic theme are thrown at you one by one alongside the same blast beats we've heard in countless songs that came out before 1994. Once in a while there is a deceleration of the tempo, some generic triplets guitar riffs are presented with monotonous keyboards that go nowhere and just go through the motions until the fast pace returns with probably the same shitty riffs you've heard before.

I Am the Black Wizards has one of these rare moments in these 48 minutes of boredom that made me think this album was actually going to reach some sort of point, even if it's a little too late. However, I wasn't surprised that despite the first couple of riffs which had some sort of melodic theme and distinct character, it wouldn't be long till the urge to stretch the song longer than it should be will result in another overlong, predictable load of disposable riffs.

As for the vocals... there's really nothing even slightly worthy here. The lyrics are split in arrays of indecipherable shrieks that don't add much to the already droning pile of monotonous, interchangeable guitar riffs. Simply bad and meaningless performance.

The main problem of this generic album, is that by the time it came out, it had to be much better to even be considered sufferable. It didn't bring anything new to the genre of black metal; there was already a solid array of albums with the same character but with better material. The songwriting is just bad, you can't repeat the same idea 8 times and stretch it for 48 minutes without it ending up being dull.

Overall, In the Nightside Eclipse is an overlong, tiring experience that is utterly meaningless and redundant. I wouldn't recommend this album for anyone.

Matchless - 99%

Felix 1666, May 27th, 2018

The Norwegian black metal big bang covered a lot of facets. Gehenna showcased its sad face, Immortal were responsible for the rumbling part. Ancient spat fire and delivered an eerie touch, Gorgoroth focused on pure brutality and Mayhem added occult vehemence. And what about Emperor? Simply speaking, they lived up to their name. The imperial "In the Nighttime Eclipse" catapulted them directly to the top. They were the kings of Norwegian black metal, maybe not alone, but in a kind of condominium with Mayhem. They gave the sinister art of their homeland the most intelligent, flexible and musically most valuable face. Already their debut mirrored their overflowing creativity and its only disadvantage was that one thing became quite obvious: the black metal frame could be too narrow for the musicians. I don't say that the nine pieces suffer from an overdose of progressivity, by far not. But all songs are filled to the brim with thousands of ideas. Very good ideas, no doubt about it. It happens a lot - breaks, tempo changes, different atmospheres, different voices, different riffs and melodies. But everything fits together and despite their complexity, the flow of the songs always plays the main role.

A special feature of the album is the perfect balance between guitars and keyboards. The latter are neither mere accessory nor do they claim to be in the driver's seat. They simply add value to songs such as "The Burning Shadows of Silence", just listen to their fragile howling at the beginning of this song. They appear like haunting ghosts that try to take possession of the listeners soul. At the same time, the guitars ensure the black metallic intensity. Not to mention the nagging of Ihsahn. Equipped with a lot of reverb, his performance breathes the spirit of the pioneering days of Norwegian black metal. He combines rebellion, resistance and malignancy in a charismatic way and his sometimes grotesquely distorted yet extremely grim approach fits the music very well. He delivers the contrast to pretty melodic, from time to time nearly symphonic keyboard-driven sequences - you can verify this inter alia during a melodic part with a Gehenna-esque line in "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times". This track offers, like almost each and every song here, the whole spectrum of fury, velocity, harmonies, tragic, occultism and musical brilliance. All tracks are artworks that stand on their own feet and despite their interwoven structures and the homogeneity of this debut, they develop a unique individuality very quickly. No doubt, this matchless document of total blackness yet compositional aspiration has its own (fascinating) character - and this is exactly the feature that so many albums do not have, at least not to this extent.

Emperor are not prone to self-limitation. The pretty soft beginning of "Towards the Pantheon" is nothing that makes the hearts of underground fetishists beat faster. But the degree of heaviness and intensity is growing, slowly, but steadily and, by the way, it goes without saying that this almost solemn start belongs to the most atmospheric moments of the full-length. Of course, the production plays its part in this context. Maybe it is no immaculate mix in objective terms, but with regard to the special requirements of the black sub-genre, it comes very close to the level of perfection. The guitars have the power to hurt the listener with their aggressive basic tone, while the keyboards embrace the audience gently but firmly. The drums do not fall by the wayside, only the bass guitar is slightly sidelined. However, only technocrats will moan about this fact in view of the exciting overall impression. Hard to believe that such competent musicians had a weakness for criminal activities as well. I obey the law (and this is one of many reasons why I am boring, I know.) That's why I condemn their deeds, especially those that Faust and Samoth have done. Yet similar to Varg Vikernes and other scatterbrains, these things do not diminish the excellence of the more or less perfect "In the Nightside Eclipse". So one thing is for sure, without the Norwegian black metal explosion, the nineties, the decade without thrash metal, would have been ten years of absolute mediocrity.

A milestone and major source of influence - 100%

grimwinter13, June 8th, 2017

The history, controversy, and impact of black metal is of no unfamiliarity to us, just as we all recognize Emperor as a major player in that era. Black metal was truly defined in the 90s, and I firmly believe that In the Nightside Eclipse is the finest example of the genre. Even Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas falls slightly short of Emperor here, in my honest militant opinion. But it's not contemporaries like Mayhem and Gorgoroth I would compare Nightside to.

In the Nightside Eclipse can easily stand out from its contemporaries, and if anything is better seen as an innovative work that instead looked to the future of the genre. Not just later bands in Emperor's 'child' - the symphonic black metal genre they created and owned - but any of the other more artistic subgenres: ambient, DSBM, progressive black. While Immortal were pounding out blast beats and crushing spines, Emperor took to creating a much darker, more visual form of black metal. The cover art itself, a depiction of Tolkein's orcs marching to the Black Gate, sets the overall tone of Emperor's epic sound.

While many might disagree with me, Emperor were both symphonic and ambient. With all of tracks clocking in at around 5-9 minutes, each song is more a piece, or a movement so to speak. The lengthy pieces spend time focusing on something more than just being faster than the northern winds - each guitar riff, each orchestral section, every lyric, every tempo change is thought out carefully and played somewhere between ferociously and gracefully. In the Nightside Eclipse, even with how evil it is, it's really quite beautiful.

And best of all, it's something more than just a collection of songs. This isn't one of those albums you put on your phone and pick one song to listen repeatedly. No, it's an album best heard in its entirety, front to back. The full 50 minutes captures an atmosphere so unique, even Emperor themselves couldn't replicate it or top it later.

But if I were to have to choose favorite songs, my picks go to "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Beyond the Great Vast Forest". The latter is the most melodic, putting emphasis on the symphonic parts and atmosphere. "I Am the Black Wizards" is maybe the fastest and heaviest on the album, being the one song closest to the more raw, blast beat-driven sound you'd hear from Mayhem or Immortal.

In the Nightside Eclipse also stands out in terms of production. While black metal's very life force may come from the sheer power of 'being recorded with a potato', one cannot deny that the clearer, more balanced production on this album worked very much to Emperor's benefit. Faust and Samoth are the most prominently heard members, but Tchort is in no way drowned out. Actually, Ihsahn's banshee-like howls are the most backseated aspect in the mixing - giving them less of an in-your-face punch, and ending up being an eerily distant 'screech in the night'.

The influence In the Nightside Eclipse left on black metal is remarkably important. Following symphonic acts (Dimmu Borgir and Marduk for exmaples) took direct inspiration from this album. The haunting atmospheric elements and patient song structures drip all over DSBM artists like Xasthur and Leviathan. This album was major game-changer. If someone asked me, "What is black metal?" I would immediately hand them a copy of In the Nightside EclipseDe Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, I would feel hard-pressed to make such a quick statement like that when compared to Emperor's ultimate masterpiece. And for a bonus: Anthems to the Welkins at Dusk was a perfect follow-up. Lots of people actually prefer Anthems to Nightside. And I totally understand their reasoning. Still, I give all the credit to the one that started it all.

Gaze upon the frozen kingdom - 100%

BlackMetal213, January 28th, 2017

You know, I may start doing reviews of classic albums more often. Emperor was one of the first bands to truly get me into the black metal genre and it was with this album, "In the Nightside Eclipse". This was released in 1994 but was not Emperor's first offering. Prior to this, they released the "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo in 1992 as well as the 1993 self-titled EP that would be released as a split as well, with Enslaved. "In the Nightside Eclipse" includes two songs that were previously released from the "Emperor" EP in the names of "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times". These songs remain unchanged to my ears save for the sound of the production. This is considered a definitive classic for black metal and for good reason. The atmosphere and rawness of this album is instantly recognizable. Let's get into it.

The album begins with the epic "Into the Infinity of Thoughts". After that brief opener, which sounds like Satan himself rising from the deepest depths of Hell, the actual song begins. Being my first Emperor song ever, this brings back many memories whenever I hear it. It is chaotic yet wonderfully beautiful. This is actually a commonality among all of the songs here. Black metal is known for its extremity of course but the atmosphere is just as important. Guitars on this album are extremely fuzzy and distorted yet complimented greatly by beautiful keyboards and hateful vocals. The vocals here are kept mostly harsh save for some clean moments we can here in the closer "Inno a Satana". But I digress, and I will touch more on the other instruments later. Guitar wise, this is not as complex as Emperor would become on following albums. There isn't as much of a progressive nature in the song structures at this point. For sure, "In the Nightside Eclipse" is the blackest Emperor's brand of metal ever was. Instead of technical guitar solos, which this album completely lacks, we hear a bigger focus on melody and simplicity, and of course, atmosphere. Make no mistake, however, this is NOT just simple music. In fact, it's one of the most musically "huge" albums I've ever heard.

"Towards the Pantheon" begins with a gorgeous clean guitar melody and, like most of the songs, follows a traditional symphonic black metal formula with huge sounds and grandiose melody. I would like to discuss two more songs. "The Majesty of the Nightsky", with its title alone, does the overall sound of this record a huge justice. Literally, this is the soundtrack for gazing at stars on a cold winter's night. Or wandering a frozen forest at dusk. I think my favorite song on this album, even after the amazing opener "Into the Infinity of Thoughts", is "I Am the Black Wizards". This is a rerecording of an older song that, with this album's production value, sounds far better here. The fuzzy guitars compliment the gorgeous melodies quite well. For instance, the tremolo riff during the song's introduction and through the first verse. This is repeated in a slow, almost doom metal-esque fashion later on. Really, the guitars are what make the album sound as cold as it does but they certainly are not the ONLY contributing factor to this.

Being a symphonic black metal album, the orchestrations are just as important as the guitars most of the time. Such as the case with the guitars (including Samoth, who also provides guitar work here), Ihsahn also records keyboards. Keyboards play a key role in every single song on this album. Usually they are in the background behind the guitars, but still audible. At times they do get their own sections and a bit of a break from the distorted madness. Some of my favorite moments are when they soar higher than the guitars in songs like "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" during a bit of a break. One thing that sticks out is how unorthodox the song structures are here. According to Varg Vikernes himself, the musicians in this scene worked very hard to assure they strayed away from traditional song structure. On this album, that becomes very clear.

Symphonic black metal has become somewhat of a parody in itself thanks to bands that "made it big" and aren't "true" such as Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth (come on, I HAD to mention these bands at least once in this review). Emperor, after "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk", moved into a more "friendly" and "easier on the ears" style of symphonic/progressive black metal with their final two albums "IX Equilibrium" and "Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire & Demise". This caused a bit of a divide within the fanbase and many people were not too happy about the change, assuring that Emperor had "lost it". I don't really agree. While "In the Nightside Eclipse" IS Emperor's magnum opus, most important album, and them at their best, it is not the ONLY Emperor album. I enjoy "Anthems" quite a bit and even the final two are good to my ears, with "Prometheus" actually being my second favorite Emperor album. It really does suck that the band split up and after 2001, ceased to write and release new material aside from live albums and such from reunions. Ihsahn's solo work is extremely good but I would for sure kill for a new Emperor album. Unfortunately, that probably will never happen. So, thank the gods we still have this!

Falls short of the moon, ends up amid the cosmos. - 75%

ConorFynes, March 1st, 2016

I know I should like In the Nightside Eclipse even more than I do. In past reviews, I make no disguise of the fact that I got into black metal via my interest in progressive and experimental rock, and this is arguably the first album that attempted to merge the genre with a progressive scope. Emperor are a band I could use to shut up any music snob who snipes black metal as necessarily brutish and unmusical. Indeed, most of the Second Wave probably falls under that description, but Emperor were highbrow by contrast. They brought about the rabid aggression of fast black metal, but with it a regal sophistication that seems years beyond the capability of some teens from Norway.

In the Nightside Eclipse deserves to be hailed as a classic. Even if I hated the album, there's no way to argue against the fact that it changed things. The artsy "Third Wave" may not have come to pass the way it did if they hadn't laid the groundwork for complexity. This is by no means the first use of synths or even the first symphonic black metal album (that honour goes to Master's Hammer's The Jilemnice Occultist) but it took the symphonic elements to previously unheard heights. It's a pretty awesome album by today's standards, but I cannot fucking begin to imagine how it would have sounded in 1994.

This is the sort of symphonic black metal opus with layer upon layer of detail to hear. The riffs themselves are fairly technical, but alongside the band's pocket orchestra, it's an overwhelming amount of sound for a 90s black metal band. Therein lies everything that's wrong and right about In the Nightside Eclipse. It was mind-bogglingly ambitious for its day and has stood the test of time because of that hubris. At the end of the day however, the technical limitations are too much to make the most of Emperor's spooky symphony. Their aim outstretched their practical reach here. The result is an atmospheric, dense album where some of the mystique lies in the fact you know the mix has robbed you of hearing everything in its full glory.

I should get my biggest thought towards In the Nightside Eclipse out of the way first. Production was never a focus of the original black metal bands, yet it became one of the genre's most defining aspects. People will talk about shitty production on some of these albums. I think they're missing the point. The productions may have often been low-rent, but the raw fuzz did wonders for a lot of the atmospheres, to the point it sometimes feels more evocative than the performances themselves. When I say In the Nightside Eclipse has a horrible production, it's because I think it works against the intent of the album. The fidelity's a cut above the stuff their mates were doing, but their symphonic angle made a much higher fidelity to do justice to all of the layers.

In the Nightside Eclipse has got to be one of the most disappointing productions I've ever heard. I don't blame Emperor for this. Their resources and recording experience were both limited. It's undeniable that the muddy production takes a way from the album's potential however. When I'm listening to the album, I know I'm hearing great music, but it's almost like I'm hearing the album played from the other end of a telephone. Because they needed to fit so many synths in with the guitars, everything sounds undermixed, and thereby underwhelming. The drums are well-played but weak sounding, the guitars are muffled, and the vocals make a thin shriek that don't hold a candle to the distinctive howl frontman Ihsahn would develop from Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk onward. Really, the only thing that seems to fit in its right place are the synthesizers. I'm not sure I could think of a better word to describe Emperor's keyboard offerings here than "spooky". It's eerie in a Gothic haunted house sort of way, and the atmosphere links up with the album cover like nothing else ever could.

While there is only one really bad thing about In the Nightside Eclipse, there are many good things. While the muffled production keeps me from appreciating this music for all its worth, it is the sort of album that's only grown on me the more I hear it. Striking listeners at once with the epic 9 minute "Into the Infinity of Thoughts", it's immediately clear that Emperor could very well have established themselves as the thinking man's alternative to standard black metal. As composers, they already had the mark of potential legends. The surprise dynamic shifts they guide the songwriting are most satisfying when you're totally familiar with the album and know when to expect something new.

"Into the Infinity of Thoughts" is one of the best songs Emperor ever wrote; in an album that was arguably too epic for its own good, the opener manages to stand out as a self-contained journey of its own. I've heard the other highlights on early EPs. "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times", "Beyond the Great Vast Forest" and especially "I Am the Black Wizards" were re-recorded for this album and stand out nicely, though I think I preferred them in their more carnal forms. In the Nightside Eclipse is very well written. Purely speaking in terms of composition and technicality, there have been many bands that spend their entire careers aspiring for something like this. Emperor had parts of their craft nailed from square one.

Possibly more than any other album, In the Nightside Eclipse is a reminder that the Second Wave really is worth a lot of the hype and mystique that's still tossed its way. Regardless of the insipid burnings or the murders, the concentration, kinship and rivalry between bands, each doing their own groundbreaking thing, is almost surreal. On the other end of the spectrum, Burzum was taking this relatively new sound to new atmospheric heights. Immortal had their speed, Mayhem had death, Darkthrone had punkish intuition and Enslaved upheld a pagan past. Emperor, on the other hand, had sophistication. Their mentality was anathema to most of the Second Wave, and despite whatever technical limitations seemed fixed to hold them back, few bands emerged from that scene with as distinctive a sound as theirs.

Excellent - 90%

Iron Wizard, February 27th, 2016

Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse is a very strange album. It represents the bridge between that raw, traditional black metal of bands like Darkthrone and Mayhem, and the dramatically overproduced symphonic black metal of Dimmu Borgir. In the Nightside Eclipse is definitely a symphonic black metal album. In fact, it is the first black metal album to go this far with symphonic keyboards.

The first thing that really jumps out at me with this album is its production. It is extremely raw, the guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers, and vocals come together into one huge storm of noise. The album has a very full sound to it, despite the thin, buzzsaw guitars. The noise heard on this album is in no way unpleasant. It is very atmospheric, and also quite interesting to hear.

The synthesizer parts on In the Nightside Eclipse are fairly prominent, and definitely a new thing for black metal at the time, but they do not take over the mix like they do with bands like Dimmu Borgir. The guitars are by far the most prominent in the mix, with the keyboards layered over top for added atmospheric effect. The guitar riffing itself is excellent. Most of the riffing is quite fast, with a few slower parts scattered here and there. "I am the Black Wizards" "The Burning Shadows of Silence" both contain some of black metal's most memorable guitar riffs. Looking at the technical side of things, the guitar playing is actually not that technical. The riff writing is great, but the playing is relatively messy.

Faust is well known for his fast, intricate drum beats involving various blastbeats and fills. His talents are showcased relatively well on In the Nightside Eclipse. The drums could be slightly higher in the mix, as he is playing some really cool parts that really deserve to be heard more.

Ihsahn is a really odd vocalist. He shrieks the lyrics in an indecipherable way. "The Burning Shadows of Silence" has some great harmonized screams that are somewhat unsettling. While his vocals may be a bit unconventional, and "disgusting" sounding, he is definitely great at creating a creepy feeling with his voice.

To summarize In the Nightside Eclipse, it is good, but not quite a masterpiece.

"There is no noise, only sound." - 92%

Qayn, January 12th, 2015

Ihsanh was once questioned about what he would suggest to a first time listener of "In the Nightside Eclipse". He answered that he would advise to "try and listen beyond the noise", to listen to the music and the expression within it, in his own words to "listen to what's inside the music and not the extremity of music". I would like to start with "the extremity of the music".

"In the Nightside Eclipse" is the first full-length of Emperor, released in 1994, alongside Mayhem's "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas", Burzum's "Hvis lyset tar oss" and Satyricon's "The Shadowthrone". This marked a historical year for Norwegian black metal, the controversy surrounding several church arsons was in the public press. In May 1994, Burzum's Varg Vikernes was found guilty for burning down Holmenkollen chapel, Skjold church and Åsane church, Emperor's member Samoth (Tomas Haugen) was sentenced to 16 months in prison for participating in the Skjold church burning alongside Varg. Faust (Bård Eithun) was also arrested in the same year, convicted to 14 years imprisonment for Magne Andreassen's murder. Tchort (Terje Schei) was convicted to 2 years imprisonment for assault. This left Ihsahn as the only band member remaining outside of prison, and Emperor didn't release another album in three years.

Black metal was given a lot of media attention during that period, and a lot of people were dragged into this new "black metal scene", that was still in its embryonic stages. Some people were simply curious about this new extreme anti-Christian and misanthropic group of individuals and to find out a reason behind their actions, others wanted to sink deeply to this new "occult satanic circle", some read about the underproduced raw and violent sound in musical magazines and wondered what it was all about.

When one approaches black metal, one will find extremity in the expression, music and attitude of its practitioners; Emperor was no exception to this rule. The "underproduced" Lo-Fi sound in albums released from the Norwegian scene in 94 would be part of this counter-culture movement, "In the Nightside Eclipse" is one of the pinnacles of this movement, one that would inspire several practitioners of black metal for years to come and it too opted via this aesthetic choice. This Lo-Fi approach has been justified by several means - to stay true to the genre's underground roots and to make the music sound more "raw" and "cold", and an attempt to make black metal inaccessible to the mainstream and "those who are not committed", in most cases however it meant simply a lack of resources to record better.

Ihsahn's advice, for me, has several different meanings. The "extremity of the music" would be not only the harshness of the recording, but the whole layout surrounding the release itself and how it is consumed. Any form of art is emotional either in its creative process or how it is perceived by those exposed to it. Black metal once was a genre that people usually were invited to be exposed to by close friends, people could also choose to be exposed to black metal after reading about the "Satanic cult in Norway". There was a sense of being a part of something almost forbidden, something exotic and new, and this adds to the uniqueness of the experience of enjoying an album. This was an age when most people used cassette players - friends would agree upon who would buy which album so that they could all afford to buy the maximum variety and then record each other's purchases in a cassette that they could take home and enjoy, these were "little rituals" that people growing up with vinyls and cassette tapes are very familiar with, and this added to the listening experience. This, for me is part of what made the albums of this generation so intense, so adored and looked back upon with such nostalgia.

The Lo-Fi approach of the albums of this generation, for me granted the opportunity to quietly enjoy an album surrounded by those closest to me. People would sit there, silent, paying attention to what was being played. Anyone who spoke would make it difficult to understand anything behind this constant "humming" noise in the album, so everyone would just listen. And that, this silence, this is what I believe is something that is lost, and will not be recovered so easily. "In the Nightside Eclipse" is an album to be enjoyed in silence for what it is - various musical nuances dancing behind a "mist", a mist that would hide this ritualistic dance if anyone was to break silence. This "quasi religious" silence, in the likeness of what is found while attending any religious meeting adds to the emotion of the experience, and imprints its footprint in our memories for years to pass. "Religiously" being a part of something, can be a very extreme feeling, and this is part of the extremity of the music we find in black metal and on "In the Nightside Eclipse".

20th-century American composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, he believed that "There is no noise, only sound." and Emperor's first release, for me, takes part in this concept.

The album was recorded in the Grieghallen Studios, a music hall named after Edvard Grieg (who was music director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 1880 until 1882). Several black metal acts were recorded in the same hall - Gorgoroth, Immortal, Burzum, Mayhem and Taake all made recordings in the very same studio. The artwork was inked by Kristian Wåhlin, also know as Necrolord. He is also responsible for several other album covers - Dark Funeral's "The Secrets of the Black Arts", Dissection's "Storm of the Light's Bane", Mercyful Fate's "Dead Again" and Blut aus Nord's "Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry" to name a few.

The album was recorded by Ihsahn, Samoth, Faust and Emperor's one time bassist Tchort. Songwriting was handled by Ihsahn and Samoth along with the guitar playing we can ear on the record, Ihsahn also performed all the keyboards. Faust handled all the drum work on all tracks. The lyrics were written by Ihsahn and Samoth, with the exception of "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times" and "I Am the Black Wizards", these were written by former bass player Mortiis, and the songs themselves are re-recorded versions that originally appeared on the "Emperor" EP.

The music found in this release is influenced by its musicians side projects and previous musical endeavours, Thou Shalt Suffer had already released the EP "Open the Mysteries of Your Creation" and the demo "Into the Woods of Belial" and these are often cited as big influences on "In the Nightside Eclipse" by the band members themselves. Recording a Full-length would be the next logical step for Ihsahn and Samoth and they fulfilled this via Emperor and Thou Shalt Suffer prepared them for this. Faust had been in the studio before, performing drums on Thorn's "The Thule Tape" and Tchort had recorded "Hallucinations of Despair" on the death metal act Green Carnation.

This is a group of musicians that had been in the studio before, and this can be noted in the way "In the Nightside Eclipse" was recorded. There are several elements in the music that we could trace back to Bathory's "Under the Sign of the Black Mark" and even to Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". The eight songs (counting "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" as one with the intro) in the album, feature high pitched vocals performed by Ihsanh, that display a characteristic tone quality that sets is apart and immediately recognizable to any black metal enthusiast. What makes the album special for me, is the way the compositions employ various rhythmic crescendos and diminuendos, this way the songs end up having more strength the moment the emotional intensity erupts, take for example "Towards the Pantheon", the section found between 2:50 and 3:50 is a great example of how this is employed, and the abrupt explosion of sound from rising from silence in the transition between this piece and "The Majesty of the Nightsky" is another testament to what would make Emperor unique in its craft - the ability to use sound and the way the dynamics of sound can affect our most intimate nature.

"In the Nightside Eclipse" is a release that molded future black metal musicians to portray black metal not as noise, but as sound.

Originally posted on http://shrineofmadlaughter.blogspot.pt

Too grumpy to give this a real title right now - 55%

MutantClannfear, January 3rd, 2015
Written based on this version: 2004, CD, Candlelight Records (Reissue, Remastered, Enhanced)

Similar to At the Gates and Pantera for most seasoned metalheads, Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse is, to me, an intimidating and frustrating work which is hard to divorce from the bad habits it spawned. While not an outright bad album in its own right, it was both the primary impetus for and suffers from what I would declare to be the single most toxic trait of black metal as a genre: grandiosity. I'm sure other bands later down the line helped quite a bit as well, but as far as I'm concerned this was the most important early release that seemed to declare to the world that this kind of thing was okay. Nay, not even okay, but acceptable! Encouraged! An ideal to be strived for!

By "grandiose", I'm referring to this album's composition, which I suppose could be best compared to that one early episode of SpongeBob SquarePants where the title character, a complete wimp as far as talking cleaning appliances go, decides that considering his circumstances as a weakling, the best way to impress people is to buy some cheap inflatable roid-loaded arms and walk around wearing them like he's hot shit. And everyone in the show believes it, too! Everyone sees this complete doofus walking around with these dorky intertube arms slapped over his usual yellow twigs with fingers on the end, and they all buy into it hook, line, and sinker! That's basically In the Nightside Eclipse: the riffs are SpongeBob, and the presentation is Anchor Arms.

The mix of In the Nightside Eclipse is set up to be this big, monstrous experience that hits you like a glacier in motion. All the traditional metal instruments are carved out to some extent - the bass is nearly inaudible, the drums are huge but have no low end, and most damningly, the electric guitar is almost entirely scooped out. This arguably gives the album a lot of space, and space would be a good thing in most circumstances, but it's a moot point as the band have apparently only set up that space to fill it up with the loudest choir/string synths ever. Seriously, if you haven't heard this album in a while, go back to it just so you can remember how loud and obnoxious the synth work is. It's as if Ihsahn is standing right up in your face, saying, "ISN'T MY SYNTH WORK SPOOKY!? CAN YOU HEAR IT YET? IT'S PRETTY SPOOKY, ISN'T IT? TELL ME IT'S SPOOKY!" Whenever the synths are blaring, the guitars just sound like vague fuzzy scraping underneath; 15 years later metal bands like Vemod would find ways to do this sort of thing with enough interplay between the guitars and synths that the end result wouldn't feel like the latter unintentionally drowning out the former, but the ability to achieve that was apparently still an unknown craft around the time In the Nightside Eclipse was released.

Now, the lesson to take away from this isn't "synths are literally cancer and taint the pure representation of TRUE UNHOLY BLACK ART" or some goofy shit like that, but rather that synths shouldn't act as an integral element of the sound unless the music itself is already rock-fucking-solid. Put simply, Emperor's is not. Now, don't get me wrong, none of the riffs here are really bad when evaluated in a strictly melodic sense - not at all. On the contrary, there are a few here that are actually pretty great - the very first riff in "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" is a good example, and "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times" opens with a nice one. But the problem is that for the most part, In the Nightside Eclipse is a bit more behind the times than its contemporaries were in terms of riffing, and so it attempts to mix older black metal riffs with a newfound early-90s level of seriousness and pretense, to limited success. This seems to have missed out on the developments that bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem and Burzum had picked up on, who were shifting to a more technical and focused style of black metal with more chords, more layering, and more blasting. Emperor, on the other hand, are still hanging onto the Bathory standard at this point in their career - on this album, there's a notable degree of thrash still present in their sound, the melodic progressions are basic and pretty unexciting (most of the riffs here which I actually especially like are isolated tremolo streams that actually are up to the standard set by Emperor's contemporaries by 1994), and the rhythm is usually either blunt and stomping, or bouncy and galloping. These elements worked wonderfully when used by Bathory himself, and they would work just as well here if the original sense of minimalism were maintained, but In the Nightside Eclipse seems confused as to whether it wants to wholeheartedly worship Bathory or present itself as a piece of high art. It aims for common ground between the two and doesn't get either right.

It's riddled with several other serious flaws, as well. The songs have no business being as long as they are, considering most of the riffs don't seek to progress the songs in any noticeable way (Bathory riffs tend not to be especially good at doing that, anyway). Also, I'm not sure how it's managed to avoid general mention, but the vocal performance is absolutely terrible. The screams are extremely high, but there's no element of force behind them. In other words, they are impish rather than anguished. They represent the huge sound of the album very poorly; something as vast and layered as this was intended to be definitely deserves something a bit more, I dunno, vast. Ihsahn's vocals here mostly just feel like a beetle attempting to narrate an epic journey, except you can't trust what he has to say about it because he's a fucking beetle, what is he supposed to know?

I'm on the fence as to how much at fault the album or band itself is for this, but it seems to have played a pretty big part in spreading the general sentiment of "Anybody can make a big majestic black metal album! Yes, you! Even if you lack the songwriting skills to pull it off, just stack some synths on top of it and make it sound big and people will eat it right up!" In the Nightside Eclipse lacks the melodic cohesion, the complexity, the compositional genius that its creators would have needed to truly justify changing the presentation of this from "raw 4-track" to "big synth-laden journey", and yet people seem to have cheered it on all the same because WOW IT'S BLACK METAL WITH BIG SYNTHS GIMME. Thanks to that sort of attitude, in the 21st century you can hardly walk ten feet without tripping over a black metal band that polishes over their faults with fancy-pants crap. You get bands writing these completely hackneyed and uninspired black metal albums and then going into professional studios and spending hundreds of dollars to get everything recorded and mixed. The fuck is the point of that, other than to generate some cheap and contrived illusion of the music being worth more than it is at face value? Oh, wait, it's because that's what people actually want to listen to nowadays. Thanks, Emperor.

An Intense and Mind-blowing Masterpiece - 100%

metal22, February 25th, 2013

Wow! That is the best way to describe this otherworldly first release by the mighty Emperor. In fact, this is probably one of the most immense and atmospheric albums in metal. The sound could never be emulated as coldly and darkly as it is here. Compared to the raw and primitive 'Transylvanian Hunger' by Darkthrone, this album goes all out on atmospherics. The choirs mixed with the icy guitars and demonic vocals make this album sound like it was forged by Satan himself.

The opening track, 'Into the Infinity of Thoughts', is a leviathan of a track to say the least. The eerie intro soon bursts into a barrage of pitch black evil, creating the kind of imagery that is seen on the album artwork. This can be said for every song on the album. Each track is a journey into a realm of despair and darkness, mainly due to the anguished vocals and inhuman choir sounds that blend perfectly together. Track 3 is probably the best example of this. Also, 'I Am the Black Wizards' is without a doubt the finest song on the album with both brutal metal sections and symphonic musical genius.

The main problem some people have with this record is the production quality. With these songs, though, I wouldn't have it any other way as the harsh and echoey overall sound is what gives the album its inhuman power. These anthems of pure evil needn't have the amazing production values of some bands today, as it would take away the atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, 'The Majesty of the Night Sky' has an opening riff that cannot be described. This is sheer musical perfection in the genre.

This is not an album that anyone can just 'whack' on in the background willy nilly. It must be listened to intently and taken in like the musical drug that it is. When the openings to some of the tracks kick in, I feel like I am opening a portal to another dimension. 'In The Nightside Eclipse' is a flawless, yet intimidating musical experience that has gone down in history as one of the most bleak and notoriously evil releases in metal. It is both beautiful and nightmarish, a vast tundra of black metal perfection.

Possibly one of the greatest metal albums of all time.

Furious Majesty - 95%

TowardsMorthond, May 5th, 2011

On their first full-length release, Emperor performs melodic and atmospheric black metal of epic and symphonic quality, presenting an enigmatically dark and mystical soundworld of sublime experience. These songs present their composite ideas in a dramatic unfolding of events in continuity, with dynamics in pace and mood designed to represent self-appointed meaning applied to an experience isolated within its momentary filter but valued as a progression in the journey of life, portrayed by anticipatory and reflective transitions in harmony, guided by flowing perceptual melodies of transcendent aspiration and atmospheric astonishment, exemplified most astoundingly in the chilling beauty that is the final moments in “I Am The Black Wizards”, the mighty explosion into blasting ascendancy in “Inno A Satana”, and the cold, windswept soundscape defining the breakdown in “The Majesty of the Nightsky” and its thrilling rise to reverential affirmation.

“Too long I have suffered the desert sands of time
But as I drown in darkness it will release the sign My soul will leave this mortal coil of flesh and earthly life
to fly into the mist of night
into the nightside eclipse
and experience existence on the other side”

Streaming melodic riffs in extended phrases form the defining character of each song with representational distinction and progressions towards tonal and rhythmic changes, communicating the purpose of hierarchical sequence observed in nature’s ferociously necessary order of operation, reflected in the substance of the inner-self, magnified in the character of spiritual striving and agonizing existential discovery. Keyboards provide a variety of gleaming reflections to sweeping guitar melodies, casting an epic glow of magnificent majesty to enhance a stunningly diverse atmospheric range of frigid, dark, and profoundly melancholic moods.

“As the Darkness creeps over the Northern mountains of Norway
and the silence reach the woods
I awake and rise... Into the night I wander”

A persistent but effortlessly drifting rhythmic motion moves these songs through the blossoming of their thematically reflective events, propelled by drumming of powerful determination in stamina and definition of percussive patterns, mostly at whipping speeds of gliding motion, breaking down to slower movements to build anticipation for passages of grand revelation. Evil and obscure phantom shrieks emerge from the shadows as absurd voice of the dark forces of nature, self-liberated from the expressive limitations of rigid, structurally ordained vocal arrangement, rather finding ambiguous space within the riff-patterns to explore the emotional levels of a given thematic episode.

“My wizards are many, but their essence is
mine
Forever they are in the hills in their stone homes of
grief
because I am the spirit of their existence
I am them.”

Through the recognition of essential universal nothingness perceived in the purity of darkness, Emperor identifies an aristocratic self-empowerment as independent creator of substance and meaning within the connective identity with the power and beauty of nature, merciless as it is without the concept of mercy to fulfill its ends, and experienced as a spiritual awakening process of increased knowledge and awareness, aesthetically communicated in the extreme passion of romantic sensitivity, but with the unyielding strength of purpose-oriented wrath and serious creative motivation beyond the standards of expectation. Richness in artistic imagination and innovation of ideas gives Emperor the gift of compositional genius to which is applied a technique in service of conjuring the primal wisdom and majestic beauty of nature through modern instrumental warfare in a brilliant and inventive musical spectacle of fierce individuality and transcendent glory. The only flaw is the uneven and vague production, which gives great clarity and emphasis to keyboards and guitar sound, but blurs distinction of the full range of the drum kit, and drowns out vocals to the extent that a significant degree of the vocalist’s expressive presence is often lost to the oblivion of indistinguishable sound; the far more organic sound of the self-titled EP would have been much more suitable to this material, evidenced in the comparison between that release's versions of “I Am The Black Wizards” and “Cosmic Keys To My Creations and Times” and the more bombastic versions presented here, stripping Emperor’s music of a certain degree of primal ferocity, but not enough to significantly impact the experience of one of the most compositionally imaginative, beautifully atmospheric, melodically resplendent, and expressively powerful albums in black metal’s history.

For once, the bestowment of royalty is deserved - 100%

autothrall, October 29th, 2010

A lot has been said about Emperor through the years, and not all of it flattering (Norwegian black metal + popularity = walking target), but indisputably they were and will always remain one of the most important of the 'second wave' bands within the genre. They also bear a distinction as one of the most 'dignified' in the field, having conquered several shores with their mighty live performances and then choosing to avoid the pitfalls of stagnation when they felt they no longer had much to offer. This decision came after four full length efforts, each of which marked a notable stage of evolution, Ihsahn and Samoth never content to rest on their laurels by rehashing or sidetracking their writing process.

My personal interest in their work waxed and waned through these changing tides, being of the tiny minority that found Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk and Equilibrium IX to be flawed outings beyond a few particular tracks, and later developing a fondness for their divisive grand finale, Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire & Demise. However, I have long treasured their debut In the Nightside Eclipse, not only as the masterpiece of Emperor, but one of the absolute pinnacles of the genre, the sort of rare accomplishment that is reached only a few times in each generation. In fact, I'd go so far to claim that In the Nightside Eclipse is greatest 'symphonic' black metal album ever written, even if that symphony consists of only Ihsahn with a keyboard and vivid imagination.

So much about this record is enormous. The cover is by far one of 'Necrolord' Kristian Wåhlin's most beloved images, a beautiful but menacing moonscape of towers and bridges, vortex clouds, woodland expanses, haunting spirits and battle starved humanoids, almost like the final battle of The Lord of the Rings being played out across a 2D nightmare diorama set against the band's impeccable logo and a wisely chosen, archaic title font: every depraved D&D maniac's dream come true. The production itself is airy and horrific, falling somewhere below a polished state without the intentional marring of fidelity committed by so many of the band's countrymen and peers. Complaints about the mix might be seen as partially valid, for example the rhythm guitars feel mildly faint against the swelling synthesizers and rasp, impish drawl of Ihsahn, but I can honestly say that I would have it no other way, and the very 'flaws' themselves of the production only add to its memorable nature.

It also invoked a stark balance of terror and majesty that thousands of others have attempted but so often failed to emulate. Sure, In the Nightside Eclipse is rather dated in the grand scheme of its genre, but there is this timeless, authentic quality found somewhere in the margins of highly effective composition and thematic intent that has never ceased to thrill, and when I think back on many late autumn or winter night drives I took to and from my university, along the sparsely populated back roads of central and western Massachusetts, listening to this as my drug of choice, I still get the occasional shiver down my spine. Perhaps I'm just a spineless pantywaist for admitting it, but this album used to scare the fuck out of me, as I attempted to conjecture about the Norse madmen responsible for its existence and what a pale wraith of uncultured American flab I must have been by comparison...

There are also songs. Eight beautiful, flawless songs that foster the cold moonlight and stir the despotic winds of egocentric fantasy. Twilight wanderings from the bleak core of the human psyche, the devious spirit, to the expanse of endless, distant fires that leer at us from beyond the known sphere upon which our flesh depends, the cosmic eaves of horror and uncertainty that bear down upon the soul. The cleverly (?) titled "I Am the Black Wizards" is probably the best known of these, a clarion call to battle against a thousand years and suns, a tribute to all black and blazing phantoms of antiquity. Samoth's guitars are scathing delights that resonate like frozen fire across the punishing prowess of Faust, the tongue of Ihsahn spewing wretched poetry, the backbone of Tchort rumbling beneath like a ghastly march towards oblivion. The gorgeous sequence at 1:50 is strung out across the starlight like a chorus of waning angels, twisting into a powerful momentum worthy of even Bathory's epic Blood, Fire, Death, and at 4:00 you can prepare yourself for one of the most captivating, eerie melodies in all human history.

'My wizards are many, but their essence is mine
Forever there are in the hills in their stone homes of grief
Because I am the spirit of their existence
I am them.'

"Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times" travels from an icy momentum to a schizoid funnel of discordant, driving chaos, then back again as the snarling erupts, while Faust gets so much exercise that it's a wonder he didn't suffer one or many heart attacks during the recording. "Inno a Satana" fills out like a contaminated muse, licking the wind with soaring, clean vocals and more of the brazen, synthesized choirs that work as well here as on nearly any other recording on Earth, while "The Burning Shadows of Silence" thrives on stun, whipping breezes of dementia that adorn the scintillating ghostlike savagery of the keys. "The Majesty of the Nightsky" rolls over you, transforming you into some fallen, final chess piece before the sailing Nordic melodies around :40 sweep your ashes and sorrows into the dust of ages, and the 9+ minute epic "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" cycles through its grim, ambient intro to some of the most threatening but beautiful black metal to ever lock up the joints of men. Really, every fucking song on this album is unmitigated awesome, and I am nearly as awestruck today as I was when I first heard it.

You could say that Emperor were the first of their kind to take the 'high road' in black metal, to transform this vile and infectious new brand of extremity into something so much more grandiose than it might have deserved, while Darkthrone was well underway mastering the 'low road' of delicious primacy that was born of Hellhammer, Venom and Bathory. In the Nightside Eclipse is so desperate and inspired that even Emperor could not and never will surpass it, and clearly a standard was being set well out of the reach of most impersonators, even with over a decade of interim in which to refine it. Ambitious as they are, and try as they did, the later efforts do not possess this same level of consistency, exchanging atmosphere for the technicality inherent in progression, and the precision of bigger budget, studio accessibility. I wouldn't trade this album for a 100 Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, and to my ears, it remains one of the greatest of its kind, alongside A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, Transilvanian Hunger, Black Shining Leather and Blood Fire Death.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Great songs, bad mix - 75%

Muloc7253, August 16th, 2010

The production on this kills it a bit for me. It should be a lot better than it is really, when it kicks in after the rolling orchestral intro, those savage riffs and lightning-fast drums, combined with the thunder sounds and Ihsahn's shrieked vocals ("as the darkness creeps across the Northern mountains of Norway, and the silence reaches the woods, I awake and rise...") it really sets the listener up for a journey through "wastelands of phantoms lost" and "great vast forests".

And I won't lie, it does deliver. 'Comic Keys to my Creations and Times' is especially a highlight, some excellent melodies and it flows really well, and of course everybody knows 'I Am the Black Wizards'.

But - the overall sound really ruins what is (probably) great music. The guitar tone is really softly-rounded, and making a lot of the riffs really indistinct if not inaudible beneath the overly loud keyboards and thundering drums. People talk about how hard the album sounds when it kicks in, and how great that main riff is in 'I Am the Black Wizards', but don't much talk about the stuff in the middle. They just went too far trying to create that wall-of-sound and ruined it a bit for me, even if the material is still good I can't help but feel a better, perhaps less grandiose production job would really improve 'In the Nightside Eclipse', but as it is its an album with great songs and a terrible sound. Shame.

My version has two covers as bonus tracks, Mercyful Fate's 'Gypsy', which is an excellent rendition (second highlight after 'Black Wizards') and Bathory's 'A Fine Day to Die', which doesn't sound much different from the original.

Yes, I like Black Metal too - 95%

draconiondevil, November 25th, 2009

If I didn’t know any better, I would say that this album was recorded through the use of a time machine to go to the future and record the end of the world itself! This is pure unsaturated black metal in all of its cold fury! The album starts with a bit of a pointless intro but it does lead into the first song and it does fit the album. After that you get some really complex riffs, sick drumming, and amazing symphonic keyboards.

The guitar playing, as I mentioned before, has some really complex riffs. The guitars are all over the place but it still has some sense or organization. It’s really neat how they get the riffs to intertwine themselves with the keyboards. And they manage to have shrieking over top of that! This is an unmatched aural assault! The best example of the complexity of the guitar playing is on the song “I Am the Black Wizards”.

The keyboards are really what this album is all about. This is SYMPHONIC black metal after all. The keyboards go along with the riffs and really add atmosphere to this album. Without keyboards this album would be really boring and hardly worth listening to. This is one of the few albums/bands that uses keyboards and actually needs them. This is not your lame Dimmu Borgir keyboard playing just for the sake of keyboards. They are an integral part of the music and the album just would not work without them.

The drumming is the backbone of any metal album, especially a black metal one. The drums are slow but consistent and in time during the atmospheric sections where the keyboards take over and they are really fast with well-timed blast beats during the fast aggressive sections (yes, symphonic metal can be fast AND aggressive!!!). The best example of the drumming on this album is the little drum solo on the beginning of “Inno A Satana”.

The vocals are shrieky like all black metal vocals and to some this can get a little monotonous. The vocals on this album are more high pitched than most and you can hear the difference between Ihsahn and other black metal vocalists. The best part about the vocals is how he is able to shriek and scream all of the lyrics overtop of the already complex and powerful instrumental sections.

This album is a masterpiece of the black metal genre and Emperor themselves are all musical geniuses. I recommend this to anyone who is trying to get into black metal or anyone in the black metal scene who miraculously has not heard this yet.

Highlights:

- Beginning of “Into the Infinity of Thoughts”
- Atmospheric section in “Towards the Pantheon”
- The riffs to “I Am the Black Wizards”
- “Inno A Satana”

Forever I am the spirit of their existence... - 98%

Idontsuckdick, December 18th, 2008

Ah, yes, Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse. Here stands the most revolutionary black metal album ever. In its time where other pioneers such as Burzum and Ulver were laying out there grim ideas backed up by simple guitar with complex chords and chilling keyboards, Emperor stood one step ahead of them with fast and dissonant guitar, complex keyboard rhythms, and mighty blast beats. It really takes quite the genius to not only create your own style of music, but beat the crap out of every band that tries to copy you. Alas, that is why Ishahn is my man crush (sorry Paul Gilbert). Most people ask how is it that the originals of every genre (for example, as Possessed is to death metal) are always the best. Well the way I see it is if you are smart enough to create and pioneer a new form of music, you obviously can create excellent music. This is an album so cold your furnace will explode. This is an album so grim you will never enter a dark forest again. This is an album so satanic; you will take Satan as your guide. Yes, this is every kvlt hater’s most despised album, In the Nightside Eclipse.

What is it that makes this album so special? Isn’t it just raw, repetitive, generic black metal? Wrong. After many listens and much time studying the written music itself one comes to realize the complexity and flow of the music. This album displays such a powerful mood of reverence reflected by the ambient keyboards and full, raw sound. There isn’t just grim lyrics reflecting the power of Satan and the beauty of nature, but the album actually draws the listener into the world beyond humanity. If you truly understand the music, you will be taken to the dark endless hills of Norway, as referred to in “I Am the Black Wizards”. The complex chord progressions were conceived purposely to create the effect of the lyrics. When Ishahn sings about gazing into the sky and its endless swirl of stars, the world we do not understand, and the beauty of the world as it is away from society, and into the fathomless depths of nature, the music reflects this feeling and theme. If you close your eyes at some points in this album you will awake in a world you are not familiar with, fathomless to your mind. You as a listener will not focus on what the musicians are playing, but how the sound combines as a whole.

Together Ishahn and Mortiis created some of the best lyrics I have ever heard. They are extensive and emotional, and reflect their connection to Satan and nature. Inno a Satana is a good example of the Satanism of this album. The lyrics speak of accepting Satan as your guide, as he will guide you through “hatred and strife” and in return you will endlessly serve him. Cosmic Keys to My Creation and Times is a song that represents the beauty and mystery of the unknown world created by forces we do not understand.

Ishahn really knows how to make the thick, ambient effect of black metal. The rhythm guitar and bass play chords that reflect the lead melodies, but are in the background and seem to glide slowly along the surface. At certain points a guitar will play a chord and then tremolo pick a single note, while letting the chord ring out, and this really creates an awesome dissonant effect. The keyboards don’t just sit there and hold out chords, but play eerie and cold melodies, or at least chords that move quickly. The sound projected by them is always a bone chilling symphony sound or a bright choir, displaying some epic feel.

The two best songs on the album are The Majesty of the Night sky and Inno a Satana. The Majesty of the Night sky is a more energetic song with ever so epic keyboards. The blast beats (sorry folks, no Trym) are fastest and most spread out in this song. Midway we get a really cool keyboard lead and a creative catchy beat. This is one of those moments where you feel yourself in a different, more reverent place. Ishahn speaks some of his pretty poetry and it continues a bit. But then the guitar plays by itself and ascends up the whole range of the guitar twice, higher each time, then out of nowhere every instrument is back in with a high energy ending that stops out of nowhere and an explosion rings out and leads into the next track. Inno a Satana is everyone’s favorite song. If you have not heard this song you are not a black metal fan. This is the song that offers yourself over to Satan, asking him to guide you. The lead guitar part is as epic as hell and is backed up by beautiful clean vocals, chilling harsh vocals, and reverent keyboards. At the end of the song we have the greatest minute or two of music history. This conclusion of the album will send chills down your spine and give you goose bumps. First every instrument breaks and the guitar starts picking a cool chord progression, and drops a major step back and forth. The rhythm guitar, bass, and drums join in and the blast beats start up until the end. The harsh vocals continue to shriek and the clean vocals chant “INNO A SATANA”. This continues with the energy building up and up and then the guitars bang out a lovely a minor chord while Ishahn whispers Inno a Satana, with the keyboard holding out the final chord and then fading out. If you are someone who has not heard this song yet, I suggest you do. The ending is really freaking epic.

The opening song is also really cool. It is Emperor’s longest song and has this evil mood to it and an awesome chord progression. It is the perfect opening track, with fast guitars, many breaks and transitions, and eerie lyrics.

So why is this album so good despite the fact it is just old and experimental black metal? Well, it really beats the crap out of every other black metal band. I have yet to find any black metal band, except for Bishop of Hexen, that creates music as good as this. This is the epitome of black metal and shall be loved forever and ever. This is a must have for your metal collection, especially if you are a black metal fan. Don’t worry, this isn’t your generic kvlt crap band, such as darkthrone, this is epic and excellent music.

An epic cold and evil classic - 100%

Taliesin, March 7th, 2008

Emperor's first album, remains their best, and only essential album in my opinion (Anthems to the Welkin At Dusk being an above average album, but nothing on this level), but this opinion is not shared by all. The usual complaints, production, writing, etc., are marred by a general lack of understanding of purpose. Emperor were still heavily inspired by the necro aesthetic of black metal, the use of space and sound and writing to create a landscape of darkness, and beauty in chaos and ugliness. These works are not just well crafted songs, but also beautiful soundscapes, black metal in purest terms, even though it bears little in resemblance to say Transilvanian Hunger. However to state there is no similarity would be incorrect, both feature production as an essential feature of the search for atmosphere, and both are fueled by hatred and love of their Norwegian landscape and a mysticism of death, evil and darkness.

In The Nightside Eclipse is a focused blast of cold icy emotion from beginning to end, reaching from Into the Infinity of Thoughts to grab you and take you into their dark world. Some songs go into more conventional material, for example there has always been a kind of punk like, Bathoryish aspect to certain riffs in The Burning Shadows of Silence to me, a kind of regressionism that stands in contrast to the murky symphonic beauty of such tracks as Cosmic Keys To My Creations and Times or Towards the Pantheon. But these regressionist sections also hearken back to the ugly primitive days of Wrath of the Tyrant, a necrotic recording that seems to breathe of dust and dungeon, whilst this album is the cold air of a winter mountain, where a dark emperor rises to bring the apocalypse, or ragnarok of sorts upon the sleeping men and women of Christianity.

The sheer malice and evil of purpose that is in the performances still burns with intensity to me. Emperor seem possessed on this recording, performing with a raw strength of will and a cold evil, not the primeval hatred of Ildjarn, but the calculating malice of a tyrant enraged to great warfare. This distance seems to be the true coldness of the recording, whilst they storm in their hatred, the melancholy of the truth of the world, and the longing for the fantasy to come true seems to veil all things.

The music itself is written with a cyclic style, riffs go to riffs, but return to their original place at times, a kind of motif is established in each song that is repeated, whilst the songwriting will often move into other more complex patterns, melodies and structures. Unlike the repeating with ever increasing variation of patterns and melodies that Abigor possessed, Emperor infuse a more Wagnerian aspect into their music, a sweeping narrative that is no true attempt at narrative, and lyrics and vocals simply amplify this. Lyrics are filled with a dark mysticism of death, evil and nature, a reveration of the true dark powers of the Earth. The repeating motif of the Emperor rising (which would be repeated in various ways in almost all of their recordings) is most strong on here, for it has with it the idealism and fantasy of youth. Perhaps this Emperor will join with Satyricon's shadowking and Immortal's ravendark horde and they will cover the Earth in Norse plague bearing darkness (note I am not poking fun at these bands, for I like this kind of stuff, simply showing it was a common theme).

In the Nightside Eclipse seems to bring to mind to me vision of Melniborne, the kingdom of Elric, from the writings of Michael Moorcock. Dark towers where beings beyond good and evil live in a way that seems unthinkably vile to any who possess normal "good" values, but a way that in of itself is not evil, simply a way of life. Perhaps is it just me adding too many things to something, but Emperor's music brings forth an atmosphere such as I get when reading those books, but this is a digression, not so much part of the review but a personal observation.

Complex, yet submerged in a mist, this album requires an attention span to understand, those without one are those who are most willing to spit upon it, or to state that it is not "true" etc. But I feel the best aspect of the old black metal scene was that each band was unique, this is unlike Immortal, Enslaved, Burzum, Darkthrone, Mayhem, Satyricon, and all the original second wave Norse bands, and yet it is tied to all, as they are all tied to each other in terms of symbolism, emotion and atmosphere. Many different pathways to a similar goal, this is the lesson that was lost somewhere in the development of the style.

Listen to this recording, you may or may not like it, I leave no guarantee, but I will state that it is one of the first black metal albums to draw me into the dark world of fantasy I feel most of these old bands sought to create, and it is in my opinion one of the essentials.

Great album, but I have some beefs with it. - 87%

woeoftyrants, April 12th, 2007

Emperor's half of the Hordane's Land split proved to be a chronicled classic in the Norwegian scene already, and the band's debut affirmed them as possibly the most progressive band from the country at the time. Their atmospheric tendencies and high degree of musicianship had put them above their countrymates who preffered clattering in the garage over making true epic art, and that is shown in spades on the band's debut.

If you thought that the split album showed the heighth of Emperor's songwriting abilities, you're in for a surprise. The re-recorded old material is now given a new sense of vibrancy thanks to instrumental intensity on all fronts, including the deep layering of ghostly, haunting synths. For proof of just how much the band have progressed, take a listen to the mass opener "Into the Infinity of Thoughts," which toggles atmosphere with vicious, epic black metal. Various sound effects of wind and thunder make their appearance, and the stand-alone passages of the synths give the song that forest-like, nocturnal atmosphere. Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, it is a beast to be reckoned with. None of the other tracks are nearly as long, but the band use their time wisely in capturing the listener into cathedral, wintry feelings. There is plenty of talent to boot here as well; Ihsahn and Samoth tastefully utilize clean minor chords on "Towards the Pantheon" before launching into a full assault with piercing keyboards, bludgeoning blast beats, and a maelstrom of power chords, and the sweeping ending of "Inno a Satana" has gone down in the black metal books as a true classic with legitimate reason. Regardless of what progressive tendencies may appear in the band's sound, it is still a pure black metal record, as proven by "The Majesty of the Nightsky." In the Nightside Eclipse is a flawless example of the black metal formula for songwriting; the narrative, epic structures that take listeners on a high-speed ride through frosty, nightside landscapes.

Ihshan's vocals are a minor qualm for me, though. His vocals aren't too prevalent in the mix, and when they are, it's generally somewhat irritating when they are. Parts of "The Burning Shadows of Silence" and "Inno a Satana" seem semi-whispered in harsh tone, but it's hard to make anything out because of the production. His screams are not as fierce or intense as what they were on the Emperor EP, and have a nasally, forced feel to them at some points. The clean vocals on "Inno a Satana" are also a listening challenge, and Ihsahn's voice itself was nowhere near to the point of power acheived on the band's following albums.

Though the production superbly aids the atmosphere, the claustrophobic and mid-range guitar tone makes some moments lose the power they could possess with a more "black metal" tone. Faust's drums sound significantly clearer and louder than the EP, and the progression of his semi-technical style is wonderfully displayed. The keyboards, I think, can be too overpowering despite the contribution in mood, as they can muddle the guitars and make things hard to dissect.

Minor squabbles aside, Emperor's debut is marked as a classic with damn good reason; their musical abilities were superior to that of their comrades, and they took the word "atmosphere" to an extreme with this album. Not to mention the insanely detailed cover art. Damn.

Emperor - In The Nigtside Eclipse - 89%

Technogoat, March 23rd, 2007

Realistically, few bands can truly claim to have so heavily influenced an entire musical movement. However, with regards to Emperor, the aforementioned claim seems particularly justified. Having already released a relatively successful split EP with fellow Norwegian metallers Enslaved; the band’s first full-length effort saw them delving much further into somewhat uncharted territory within the early, simplistic Black Metal genre.

The haunting and cyclic introduction of opener “Into The Infinity Of Thoughts” creates an almost supernatural ambience, drawing the listener deep inside its alluring splendour, until finally rupturing under a striking resonance of thunder. Immediately, the band, as if spawned from the storm itself, let their primal ferocity surface. Drummer Faust leads the way, guiding the onslaught with extreme precision and varying pace. The accompanying guitars of both Ihsahn and Samoth sound appropriately painful and malicious, with Tchort’s bass guitar also enjoying a suitable level of audibility inside the overall mix.

The overwhelming energy conveyed during this magnificent initiation is strengthened even further with Ihsahn’s employment of subtle, poignant keyboard passages throughout. The beautiful melodic segments towards the end of closer “Inno A Satana” and throughout the majestic “Towards The Pantheon” are both particularly prominent and memorable, illustrating an intelligent and well-considered song writing ability. Vocally, the multi-instrumentalist Ihsahn creates an array of rasping and guttural screams, placing further emphasis on the dark, austere feeling of the entire composition. This is particularly stressed whilst reading the lyrics in unison, which are full of shadowy images and depressing tales of medieval gloom and ghostly figures.

A major criticism of this album over the years has focussed primarily on the apparently poor production job, yet the truth is quite the opposite: the production, shrouded in noise and filth, is extremely fitting to the album’s overall theme of mystery and obscurity. It was characteristically recorded at the infamous Grieghallen Studios, the site of most early Norwegian Black Metal recordings, but still sounds wholly innovative in comparison to the works of many other acts of the time.

Whilst remaining faithful to the ideals of the genre, with this opus, Emperor effectively managed to begin to cut loose from the developing droves of generic and tiresome sounding Black Metal bands, undeniably creating an inspiring and grandiose masterpiece. Never a band to compromise their artistic integrity or to bear the brunt of predictability, “In The Nightside Eclipse” was the beginning of Emperor’s path to innovation within what would unfortunately become an overly stagnant and derivative music scene.

Originally written for http://www.blastwave.co.uk

With music like this, who needs air-conditioning? - 91%

Robert_the_Bruce, April 21st, 2005

To call 'In the Nightside Eclipse' the best black metal album ever recorded would be something of a mistatement. Why? After due deliberation, a thought struck me: this isn't an album at all...

It is the Armageddon caught on tape.

When the world finally comes to an end, we can all be assured that this CD will be played, as it is the perfect background music to a decisive clash between good and evil. About fifty seconds into the opener "Into the Infinity of Thoughts", I felt as if the temperature in my room dropped twenty degrees and the lights had gone out. Yes, the album is THAT cold and evil. In fact, one sweltering 102-degree summer day, I gave the disc a spin and I was still shivering. The opening track goes on for nine minutes and not one second is wasted. Like any good opener, the tone is established for the remainder of the album. Of particular note throughout are the keyboard sounds. To me, they sound not unlike a choir of angels that mourn the plight of Earth's unfortunate, hell-bound souls during their final few moments alive. Ihsahn's demonic shrieks are like the voice of a vengeful god, meticulously annotating the whole spiel. The next song, "The Burning Shadows of Silence" isn't quite as frenzied as its predecessor, at least during the beginning. Like the rest of the album, the guitar work comprises primarily simple, tremolo picking, which is done well and tastefully. The keyboards also darken the atmosphere during this number, though they are more synth-stringy and not as organ-like as those used on the first track (which lent that apocalyptic feel to it). In case you had any worries about any light managing to peep through, "Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times" should be of some reassurance. The opening riff is the black of night in musical form. Whenever the moon is full, I make sure to give this song at least one listen--usually several! The organ-synths are back again, though the guitars take center-stage here, until the pace slows down and the keyboards are out in front again. Brilliant.

Track four unfortunately got saddled with a cheesy title ("Beyond the Great Vast Forest") but begins in grand style, featuring an intro riff that follows a rhythm reminiscent of the Maiden gallop. There are time changes and brutal, melodic riffs aplenty, and the keyboards change from the organ-synth to the synth-strings and back at just the right moment! The next song redeems itself in the song title department and carries the distinction of being the very first Emperor track I ever heard. Following the melodic keyboard intro, the ferocity kicks in, punctuated by Ihsahn's almost-reptilian vocals. I knew at about 2:10 in that I absolutely HAD to get my hands on this album. To this day, I'm not regretful about it in the slightest.The second half of this song features some pretty crazy riffage (though the instrumentation throughout the entire album is maniacal).

"The Majesty of the Nightsky" has this Nordic sound to it that (almost) makes me want to don a viking helmet and go on a expedition that entails much pillaging and massacre after having listened to the song. Additionally, there's this one section a little under two minutes in when the guitars almost sound like men groaning, a neat effect. At 2:23, things calm down and keyboards take over; adding to the ambience is the sound of a howling wind (as if the listener needs more reasons to feel cold). After the song ends on a chaotic note, the band's best-known composition, "I Am the Black Wizards" begins, with that infectious riff rumbling along in the beginning (and it reappears several times throughout the song, too!). At about one minute and three quarters in, one of the more harrowing moments pops up, featuring a doomy keyboard melody accentuated by Faust's carefully placed beats. The last third or so of the song is in a different meter than what came before it and features that catchy-as-fuck riff and a mixture of black vox and foreboding spoken words. The piece-de-resistance, "Inno a Satana" points at the direction the band would take in later works. This song differs from the other seven in that the listener gets to hear Ihsahn's clean vocals. I much prefer the evil shrieks, but he does a more than adequare job here. The Iron Maiden influence again rears its head in the rhythm for the first three quarters of the song, then the tempo gets kicked up about five notches and the madness finally concludes with Ihsahn fiendishly whispering the title.

As many have pointed out, the production is lousy on the album (are you there, Tchort?), but who ever said that Judgment Day has to sound all pretty and stuff? In fact, I view this as a plus, as the sound is absolutely HELLISH and cleaner production may very well have removed the frigid feel of the music (a reason I do not like this album's successor quite as much as 'Nightside'). Overall, this album is incredible. On the jewel case, Emperor proclaim that they play sophisticated black metal exclusively, and that claim is fully corroborated by the eight masterworks contained therein.

Into The Infinity Of Emperor - 97%

High_On_Maiden, May 10th, 2004

Emperor is an infamous name in black metal, however some people view the whole length of their career as a band. What release of the band you prefer depends a lot on what music you are into in general, as the rawer, harsh, melodic material of their first releases later morphed into more immense, epic concepts and later still into a more technical, robotic barrage. This aside though, In The Nightside Eclipse is for me an album that none of their other releases – nor indeed those of hardly any other band – can really top.

Although I said that Emperor moved to an epic, immense approach later on (Anthems…), this release is in fact arguably equally so. The buzzing guitars dance with distorted melody which even when fundamentally simple create an infinitely deep, hypnotising atmosphere, and the distant, tortured vocals add a great deal to this. Listening to tracks such as the opener – Into the Infinity of Thoughts – is like gazing into the dark lakes that feature lyrically, and at times actually jumping into them and being immersed and lost in dark, swirling sound.

The drums of Faust – often overshadowed by later drummer Trym – are competent and effective, being mid-paced but energetic, with blast beats and pulsing rhythms supporting the other elements well. Many of the songs feature great melodies which are both catchy and haunting, such as I Am The Black Wizards and Inno A Satana; both showcasing the high level of song writing that I strongly believe to be present in this album.

The production has been knocked by some, but I feel the texture that has been achieved is ideal, and delivers the music in perfectly eerie and epic waves. As mentioned, I personally enjoy the detached nature of the vocals, as they are not engulfed by the guitars but rather enhance the dark feel of the music. Where later releases offer a crisper, cleanly delivered attack this album comes at the listener in an organic, colder way which I really enjoy.

The use of keyboards I feel adds to this. While various modern acts are criticised for their leanings to keyboard use and such, the use of this instrument on this album is thoughtful and effective, without overshadowing the other instruments at all. They add further depth to the melodic ideas and are executed with great result.

Lyrically the album is more than competent, as many of the lyrics themselves bear an equally shadowy, eerie quality to the music. Those to tracks such as Beyond the Great Vast Forest help the listener to visualise the underlying themes of nature and beauty, while I Am The Black Wizards lyrically offers an alternative, fantasy subject matter, these being written by the infamous Varg Vikernes.

This album is for me one of few pinnacles of harsh, cold, melodic and beautiful black metal, and is certainly an essential of the genre, and indeed of any metal fan’s collection. Listening to this album truly takes you into the infinity of Emperor, and black metal overall.

Embark on a journey into the darkness... - 90%

BlademasterDezo, August 11th, 2003

Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse" is considered the genre-defining album for black metal. It certainly has all the right ingredients for good black metal. Heavy riffing, sinister keyboars snaking between the guitar lines, hard drumming, shrieky incoherent vocals that sound like they're coming from the seventh level of hell, and lyrics in praise of Satan. And unlike many other black metal releases that employ keyboards, this album uses them sparingly.

The album is not an easy one to listen to. Not because it's bad (far from it) but because it's one of those albums that needs to be taken as a whole; listened to completely and with each track in order to truly enjoy its majesty. The lyrics read like descriptive prose rather than poetry and are not overly convoluted. By being easier to follow than, say, Dani Filth's more convoluted writings, Emperor communicates its messages in a more understandable way that doesn't leave you scratching your head. The only hiccup is that some spelling and grammar errors are present, but I attribute that to English not being this band's primary language. Considering that, the lyrics run circles around those written by many native English speakers, so I definitely salute that.

Each song illustrates a stage in a journey to a darker form of enlightenment, from journeying through the mountains and forests to fulfilling the goal of becoming a dark wizard in service of the dark lord himself. Thus the entire album comes off as a sermon of stories. I listened to this album intently studying the lyric sheets as I went along. This is by no means casual listening. This is intense listening, requiring much concentration. This is not an album where I can just listen to songs willy nilly- this one that must be swallowed whole, head first. My favorite tracks are "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" and "I am the Black Wizards."

The album, while quite good, has its share of stumbling blocks. One is the production. The guitars sound somewhat muddy, the drums are slightly fuzzy, and there are too many instances where the vocals are drowned out by the instrumentals. This album would have benefited from better production, but has so many other positive merits, that many folks can overlook it.

The remastered version I have also features a pair of bonus tracks: a cover of Bathory's "A Fine Day to Die" and Mercyful Fate's "Gypsy." The production on these tracks is much better than the album proper. However, they are the weakest tracks on the album. The Bathory cover is rather boring, though Isahn's vocals are more coherent. The Mercyful Fate cover is nothing to write home about either.

So do I recommend the album? Absolutely. Despite the shoddy production and the fact that there are better black metal bands out there, this is still a very good album that I feel anyone who enjoys this style of metal should listen to. I certainly enjoyed this album and feel it deserves its place among the black metal elite. The whole storytelling format made this one of the more cohesive albums I've had the pleasure of listening to.

Quintessential Norwegian Black Metal - 95%

webermg, March 13th, 2003

Sometimes, an album comes along that truly defines a genre. Of course, this is a subjective thing, as no one will agree on which albums define which genres, but it's safe to say that everyone has their preferences. Well, when it comes to black metal, Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse does just that.

For their first full-length release, Emperor combines blazing guitars, majestic synths, and amazing percussive texture to create a sound that is truly supreme in its sorrowful nihilism. From the beginning, the listener is awash in images of pagan legends, bleak soundscapes, and hopeless screams of anger.

It starts off with an ominous intro that reminds me of soldiers marching into certain death, and then blasts into the first song, Into the Infinity of Thoughts. It's the longest song at around eight minutes, and one of the best, with several breaks and tempo changes that create an epic feel that has rarely been rivaled. The next song, The Burning Shadows of Silence, has fewer lyrics than the rest, and is one of the bleaker tracks as it speeds along. Next is Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times, in which synths are masterfully used to create a whirling blizzard of sound, that builds to a climax and then comes down to a mellow conclusion. Definitely a highlight. Beyond the Great Vast Forest is one of the slower songs, and is a re-recording of My Empire's Doom from the Wrath demo.

The second half of the CD begins with Towards the Pantheon, which opens with a simple synth melody, then rips into one of the fastest songs on the album. A marvelous song. The next song, The Majesty of the Nightsky, starts out loud and at a moderate pace, and then cuts into an amazing synth midsection, only to resume the aggression later. Seriously, the synths in this album have to be heard to be believed. Next comes one of the best songs of Emperor's entire career, I Am the Black Wizards, which begins with pure aggression, and slowly winds down throughout the length of the song, until the end, where Ihsahn screams "I am Them" over a background of chanting. Truly mindblowing. Following that is Inno A Satana, which combines chanting and screaming for a truly magnificent combination. But, the power of this song lies in the climax, as the instruments are whipped into an orgasmic frenzy that culminates with Ihsahn whispering "Inno...A...Satana!".

Truly amazing CD. Emperor avoids the lyrical pitfalls that other bands fall into with pointless, cheesy, blasphemous lyrics (coughmardukcough) and creates lyrics that paint a picture of a fantasy vision of pagan Norway. The lyrics fit the music excellently, and the lyrics to Cosmic Keys and I am the Black Wizards were written by none other than Mortiis himself, a former member of the band.

Overall, this has to be heard to be believed, and no black metal release -- or any other metal release for that matter -- that I've heard can come close to surpassing the greatness of this release.