Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Genre - Symphonic Black Metal
In my opinion, this is hands down the greatest black metal album of all time, and probably one of the top 10 metal albums of all time.
Emperor was born in 1991 in the heyday of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, and quickly distinguished themselves with their complex, atmospheric songwriting on their initial works, their self-titled demo and their EP Wrath of the Tyrant. However, this was only a prelude to their greatest work, the culimation of these young musicians's musical development. In 1994, Into the Nightside Eclipse was released (amidst severe turmoil, as guitarist Samoth was arrested for burning down churches, and the scene as a whole was gaining negative press for said burnings and the murder of Euronymous, a major player in the scene.)
1: Into The Infinity of Thoughts
I would venture to say that the rest of the album is but a footnote to this one song. Into the Infinity of Thoughts sets the overall tone; establishes the atmosphere, and provides the emotional context preparing the listener for the world they are about to experience. The opening sequence is dark, yet enticing, drawing the listener into a dark world, raising the tension, heightening the expectancy, almost lulling the listener into sleep...before exploding in a burst of raging energy. Appropriately, the song begins with the theme of "awakening" - awakening from the "sleep" of modern, transient existence, into a timeless majestic reality. And what an awakening it is! Both cosmic in grandeur and primal in fury, led by the powerful drumming of Faust and the distant, chaotic riffage of Ihsahn/Samoth, as well as Ihsahn's vocals, which, far from being typical black metal vocals, actually express the hateful and dark emotions of the music. this song alternates between dizzying emotional highs, and ponderous lows, leaving the listener with the feeling that he/she is caught in a dark, chaotic vortex from which there is no escape. Finally, midway through the song, there is a spoken-word interlude, leaving the listener to contemplate what they had just experienced. But this is only the preparation for yet another emotional ascent, reaching once more prodigious cosmic peaks, expressing the power and majesty conveyed in the songwriting. Finally, as the song winds down, one is left with the feeling that one has just experienced something transcendent yet apocalyptic in scope, leaving one to contemplate the glory of desolation, emptiness, and total darkness.
The Burning Shadows of Silence
Unlike most albums, rather than each song being distinct, the songs are more of a continuation of an overall theme. This song continues with the theme expressed into ItIoF. Listening to the song, one is struck by the overall tone of the lyrics - majestic, chaotic, but yet with a hint of melancholy and sadness. The music seems to embrace "negativity" and channel it into power.
Cosmic Keys to My Creation and Times
The song begins with a synthesizer sequence supported by a strong guitar riff, driven yet again by Faust's drumming and the guitar playing of Ihsahn/Samoth. The keyboarding once again creates the tone of an ancient, mystical, cosmic evil, and the lyrics, sung by Ihsahn, further support that.
Beyond the Great Vast Forest
The Emperor now enthroned, he gathers his army of darkness and foul beasts. This song evokes visions of evil, shadowy daemons walking the dark northern forests, gathering for an attack on the forces of the light. Does this sound cheesy? The power of Emperor, the thing that makes them great, is that they force you to take their music, lyrics, and atmosphere seriously...because at least at this time, they truly felt and believed it.
Towards the Pantheon
This song is one that is somewhat different from the others; more earthly than cosmic, more of a temporal evil than a timeless one. This song, rather than exploring distant cosmic reaches, is more earthly, both lyrically and musically, focusing more on wolves and ice-encrusted forests than dying stars and the blackness of space. In a thematic album like Nightside it may seem somewhat out of place, and yet, it fits in well with the overall tone of darkness and power.
The Majesty of the Nightsky
It is here that we see and hear a descent from the relative calm of the previous few tracks to a return to the chaos which characterized the opening track. The music of Emperor, alternating between evil and melancholy, simultaneously plumbing emotional highs and lows, does not change with this track, as even in the darkness evoked by the music of this track, there is still a feeling of rising, of ascent into heights previously unknown to mankind.
I Am The Black Wizards
If there could be a track which could equal Into The Infinity of Thoughts in power, in fury, in wrath, it would be this one. Leading with arguably the most famous opening riff in black metal, the listener is cast into a all-out aural assualt led by the most ferocious drumwork most listeners will ever hear in their lives. This song can be summed up in one word - power. Not only the power of timeless darkness depicted in the lyrics, not only the power to reach across time and space doing one's will, but the sheer power of the musicianship in the song.
Inno A Satana
This song stands out, mainly because it is different from the rest of the album. Less ferocious, more melodic, less evocative of a raging storm, more evocative of a satanic mass, this song seems to predict Emperor's later musical directions, becoming more bombastic with their subsequent albums. But here, while not a spectacular song, it provides a fitting capoff to an amazing album.
Conclusion:
There is little that cannot be said about this album. It was difficult reviewing each song individually, because the album was not intended that way - it is a work best listened to and appreciated as a whole, revolving around key central themes of chaos, darkness, power, ascendancy, nature, and the contemplation of "evil". It is not an accessible work. It may well take a few listens for it to have an effect on the listener.
However, it is worth the effort to access, because the music is truly spectacular, one of the most majestic works of music in a century, a truly monumental work of art.
