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Emperor is a seminal and infamous Norwegian black metal band that was formed in 1991, dissolved in 2001, and reformed in late 2005. The group was founded by Samoth on drums and Ihsahn on guitar and vocals.

Biography

Cover of "Wrath Of The Tyrant"

In their youth, Ihsahn and Samoth met at a rock music seminar. The two young men began playing together under various names; first Dark Device, then Xerasia, then Embryonic. The group soon evolved into the now well-known band Thou Shalt Suffer. Soon, however, Samoth began to write music outside of Thou Shalt Suffer, and together with Ihsahn and a new bass player called Mortiis (later of his own eponymous band Mortiis), Emperor was formed. After a short while together, the band released a demo entitled Wrath Of The Tyrant. It quickly gained popularity in the underground and attracted the attention of the then-start-up label Candlelight. Soon afterwards, a record contract was signed, Samoth moved to rhythm guitar, Ihsahn continued the vocal duties and lead guitars and Faust was recruited as a drummer.

In the summer of 1992, a series of events were set in motion by the black metal inner circle. Members of Mayhem and Samoth, along with various other black metallers, set out to burn down the ancient churches of Norway. Also in 1992, Faust was in Lillehammer to see the newly constructed Olympic park. A homosexual man approached him and suggested that they go together in the nearby forest. Faust agreed, and once in the forest, stabbed the man to death. He was not convicted until a year later. After Faust committed the murder, he went with members of Mayhem to burn bibles and hymnals at a nearby ski-jump. In the summer of 1993, the band began working on their first full-length record. Emperor supported the famous British symphonic metal group Cradle Of Filth on tour, and after this tour the band ceased wearing corpse paint; they stated that it was becoming a trend and losing its original significance and symbolism. In the autumn of that year, the police began to investigate the murder of Euronymous of Mayhem, naming Varg Vikernes (of Burzum) as a suspect; this investigation eventually led to the incarceration of Samoth for arson, and of Faust for the murder of the homosexual man in Lillehammer.

In 1994, In The Nightside Eclipse was released, and earned Emperor widespread acclaim and a large fanbase.

After Samoth's parole, the band was joined by Trym on drums, and in the end of 1996, Emperor entered the studio to record what is their most definitive album to date - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk. Featuring a much more pompous and progressive sound than their earlier output, Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk was a much more commercial effort, winning the album of the year poll in many popular metal magazines around the world, including UK Terrorizer and US Metal Maniacs.

Now continuing their career as a trio, with Ihsahn handling keyboards, vocals, guitars and bass, the band recorded their third album IX Equilibrium and toured Europe and the United States. It was around 2000 when Samoth and Trym started to gravitate more towards death metal, while Ihsahn directed his musical exploration towards the more artistic and progressive side of extreme metal, as shown by his side project, Peccatum. Thus, in 2001, Emperor decided to disband after releasing one final album, Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise, composed entirely by Ihsahn.

Following the breakup, Samoth and Trym continued playing in the black/death metal outfit Zyklon, while Ihsahn concentrated on his family project Peccatum.

The band played a surprise three-song show in Oslo on 30 September 2005, at which they announced a series of full concerts to take place in California, New York City and Europe in 2006. As of February 2006, they were also scheduled to play at the Inferno festival in April and Wacken Open Air in August. Samoth unfortunately was unable to take part in the US tour dates due to problems entering the country, so Emperor performed without him.

Discography

Cover of "In the Nightside Eclipse"

Studio releases

Emperor [12" EP] - (1993)
As the Shadows Rise [7" EP] - (1994)
In the Nightside Eclipse - (1994)
Reverence [EP] - (1996)
Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk - (1997)
IX Equilibrium - (1999)
Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise - (2001)

Live and compilation releases

Emperor / Hordanes Land [Split CD] - (1993)
Emperor / Wrath of the Tyrant [Compilation] - (1998)
Thorns vs. Emperor [Split CD] - (1999)
Emperial Live Ceremony [Live] - (2000)
True Kings of Norway [Split CD] - (2000)
Emperial Vinyl Presentation [Box Set] - (2001)
Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath [Compilation] - (2003)

Demos and bootlegs

Wrath Of The Tyrant [Demo] - (1992)
As the Shadows Rise [7"] - (1994))
A Midsummer Night's Dream [Bootleg] - (1995)
Conquering Europe [Bootleg] - (1997)
Live in Frostland [Bootleg] - (1999)

Videography

Emperial Live Ceremony [VHS/DVD] - (2000)

Band members

Ihsahn.

Current members

Ihsahn (Vegard Sverre Tveitan) - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard - (1991-2001, 2005-)
** Also involved in Peccatum, Thou Shalt Suffer, Ildjarn and Wongraven.
Samoth (Tomas Haugen) - Guitar (Drums) - (1991-2001, 2005-)
** Also involved in Zyklon, Thou Shalt Suffer, SCUM, Gorgoroth, Satyricon, Ildjarn, and Burzum.
Trym Torson (Kai Mosaker) - Drums - (1995-2001, 2005-)
** Also involved in Zyklon and Enslaved.

Former members

Alver (Jonas Alver) - Bass - (1995-1998)
** Also involved in Dødheimsgard.
Tchort (Terje Schei) - Bass - (1993-1994)
** Also involved in Satyricon, Carpathian Forest, Blood Red Throne and Green Carnation.
Mortiis (Håvard Ellefsen) - Bass - (1991-1992)
Faust (Bård Eithun) - Drums - (1992-1993)
** Writes lyrics for Zyklon, and played for Thorns, and Imposter. He was asked to play for Dissection, but declined the offer due to differences in beliefs. He currently plays for SCUM and Aborym who he had previously written some lyrics for.

Live and session members

Sechtdamon (Odd Tony) - Bass (2006)
**Also involved in Zyklon and Myrkskog.
Charmand Grimloch (Joachim Rygg) - Keyboard (1998-2001)
**Also involved in Tartaros
Tyr (Jan Erik Torgersen) - Bass (1998-2001)
**Also involved in Borknagar and Vintersorg.
Ildjarn (Vidar Vaaer) - Bass (1993)
** Also involved in Ildjarn and Thou Shalt Suffer.
Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) - Drums (1992)
** Also involved in Mayhem, Arcturus, Winds, Age Of Silence, Immortal, and Dimmu Borgir.

External links

* Emperor Official Homepage
* Emperor lyrics at DarkLyrics
*
* Emperor at Encyclopaedia Metallum
* Emperor discography at Lost Souls Domain

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Emperor (band): Encyclopedia BETA

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Emperor (band)