On 23 December last year, I saw an incredible Emperor tribute show at ROAR in Observatory. The stellar lineup consisted of A Walk With the Wicked (death metal), Wildernessking (black metal) and Blackcrowned (black metal). The set list that night consisted of the tracks from Emperial Live Ceremony, so when I came across the CD, I eagerly snapped up a copy.
The tracks on this CD were recorded at London Arena 2 in 1999. Sound engineer Thorbjorn Akkerhaugen captured the music well - the sound is of a high quality. However, the guitars seemed to get a little bit lost in the mix at one point. While I was listening to this album, I could get some idea of what it would have been like to have been at LA2; the atmosphere of the performance was also captured on the album.
Curse You All Men! sets the scene with a sinister and grand mood. The melodic guitar parts contrast well with the distorted guitar parts. The keyboards on I Am The Black Wizards add an extra layer of drama to the the song, and enhance its mood. This was the song that first drew me to Emperor (it remains a favourite); its sheer grandiosity has not faded with multiple listens.
The crowd's necks must have been broken after With Strength I Burn - it's a high-energy, headbanger of a song. The high energy continues into Sworn, with some demoniacal blast beats. There are great guitar riffs in this number as well.
The rhythm and atmosphere of Inno A Satana make it another of my favourite Emperor tracks. Lead vocalist and guitarist Insahn does equally well in growling and clean singing. The words ''Inno A Satana'' are sung cleanly, and have a power about them that grabs me by the throat. Insahn's operatic-sounding clean vocals were well-executed throughout the set. Ye Entrancemperium is a fitting closer, with its emperial sound, good guitar work and soaring vocals from Insahn.
Emperor is known as a legend of the Norwegian black metal scene. They definitely deserve that title - melody combines perfectly with wildness to create a sound worthy of their name.
The tracks on this CD were recorded at London Arena 2 in 1999. Sound engineer Thorbjorn Akkerhaugen captured the music well - the sound is of a high quality. However, the guitars seemed to get a little bit lost in the mix at one point. While I was listening to this album, I could get some idea of what it would have been like to have been at LA2; the atmosphere of the performance was also captured on the album.
Curse You All Men! sets the scene with a sinister and grand mood. The melodic guitar parts contrast well with the distorted guitar parts. The keyboards on I Am The Black Wizards add an extra layer of drama to the the song, and enhance its mood. This was the song that first drew me to Emperor (it remains a favourite); its sheer grandiosity has not faded with multiple listens.
The crowd's necks must have been broken after With Strength I Burn - it's a high-energy, headbanger of a song. The high energy continues into Sworn, with some demoniacal blast beats. There are great guitar riffs in this number as well.
The rhythm and atmosphere of Inno A Satana make it another of my favourite Emperor tracks. Lead vocalist and guitarist Insahn does equally well in growling and clean singing. The words ''Inno A Satana'' are sung cleanly, and have a power about them that grabs me by the throat. Insahn's operatic-sounding clean vocals were well-executed throughout the set. Ye Entrancemperium is a fitting closer, with its emperial sound, good guitar work and soaring vocals from Insahn.
Emperor is known as a legend of the Norwegian black metal scene. They definitely deserve that title - melody combines perfectly with wildness to create a sound worthy of their name.
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