Emperor

1991年，有“黑金屬之王”稱號的Emperor樂隊成立，他們開始嘗試新的風格和技法，進一步發(fā)展了挪威的黑暗金屬音樂；他們最突出的試驗是在純黑暗金屬中注入了交響因素，側重于氣勢的營造，鍵盤樂器占據(jù)了突出位置，并開始注重音樂的旋律性。1994年，他們的第一張專輯《暗面之蝕》（In The Nightside Eclipse）即成為黑暗金屬的經(jīng)典，音樂在嘈雜和狂躁中暗藏著凄涼的旋律，合成的交響曲般的音響寬廣恢宏，主唱歌手的演唱具有爆炸性和沖擊性，展示了一幅黑暗降臨時震懾魂魄的恐怖圖景；這張專輯共有八首作品，給人以一氣呵成的感覺：《陷入無盡的思索》、《點燃寂靜的陰影》、《給予我創(chuàng)造和時間的宇宙之秘訣》、《遙遠之地的廣闊浩瀚的森林》、《即將到來的眾神》、《夜之天空的莊嚴》、《我是黑暗的巫師》和《心中的魔鬼》。
 
暴力事件似乎總是鐘情于挪威的黑暗金屬樂隊，Emperor樂隊也不例外，1994年，鼓手Faust因殺人而入獄，樂隊不得不重組。在經(jīng)歷種種挫折之后，Emperor最終樹立起自己的王者之尊。1997年，史詩般的《獻給黃昏蒼穹的贊美詩》（Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk）出版了，它包含了序曲和終曲在內的十首作品。序曲《起誓》在鍵盤樂器奏出的冷而美的旋律和隱約傳來的夜鳥啼鳴聲中開始，令人置身于神秘幽暗的境界之中，音樂如同斯堪的納維亞群山寂靜密林深處漂浮的霧氣，陰森而寒冷，然后在中世紀的號角和戰(zhàn)鼓中，不間斷地進入第二曲《Ye Entrancemperium》，接下來的曲目是：《夜之靈魂如是說》、《被打亂的魔法》、《威嚴詛咒的遺失》、《鐐銬的歡呼》、《我與力量一同燃燒》、《迷路者》、《渴望中的靈魂》和終曲《魔鬼的歌劇》。整張專輯給人以迷幻感和凄涼感，尤其以瘋狂速度敲擊的鼓聲，渲染出極度狂暴的效果，歌曲的內容是對遠古宗教的幻想和對大自然的描繪，終曲如一首專注于內心世界的交響曲，最后，這首黑暗的史詩伴隨著鐘聲的敲擊而結束。關于這張專輯，美國《極端金屬》雜志評論道：“在他們具有爆炸性效果的恢弘樂章中，我們可以感受到與之不協(xié)調的人類的悲哀。”英國《令人恐怖者》雜志則稱之為“血腥之王”。
 
在這張象征著他們藝術生涯頂峰的《獻給黃昏蒼穹的贊美詩》之后，Emperor又開始了新的嘗試，他們在1999年出版的《均衡IX》（IX Equilibrium）中，融入更多傳統(tǒng)金屬音樂的元素，比如沒有使用純正的黑金屬演唱方式，鍵盤樂器也沒有占據(jù)主導地位，似乎也不像以往專輯那樣狂暴，而是增強了幻想的色彩，但依舊驚心動魄，不可否認，Emperor在這張具有開創(chuàng)性的唱片中，又再次引導了黑暗金屬音樂的潮流。
 
When attention first focused on Norway's almost cartoonishly violent black metal scene in the mid-'90s, Mayhem were dubbed its godfathers, but most of the critical accolades were bestowed upon Emperor, whose musical innovations have had more impact on the genre than any other band. Norwegian black metal was rife with anti-Christian sentiment, but Emperor found novel ways of expressing it in their music; while their music could be furious and violent, the group was also influenced by the darkly majestic melodies of Norwegian folk and classical music, which very effectively supported their lyrical subject matter (even if it was frequently unintelligible). Emperor evoked not only Satanic horror, but also the frigid loneliness of bleak Scandinavian winters; additionally, images of pagan nature worship recalled an ancient, idealized pre-Christian past in which Scandinavian culture was one of the world's most dominant (resulting in the sound being tagged &Viking metal& by some). However, even as Emperor's music garnered worldwide acclaim in the heavy metal community, legal difficulties and lineup shifts ensued when a number of bandmembers became involved in the anti-Christian activism and general violence that characterized Norway's underground metal scene at the time.
 
Emperor's original lineup featured vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Ihsahn, bassist Mortiis (who has been credited with the band's initial interest in Norwegian folk), and drummer Samoth; this trio recorded a demo, Wrath of the Tyrant, in late 1992, and soon added drummer Faust (born Bard G. Eithun), with Samoth switching to guitar. The quartet recorded a split EP with the band Enslaved titled Hordanes Land, after which Mortiis was forced to leave the group — and the country — for unspecified reasons; he moved to Sweden and pursued a solo career, often appearing costumed as an elf. New bassist Tchort signed on for Emperor's full-length debut, In the Nightside Eclipse, which earned critical praise and an international cult following upon its release in 1994. However, around the same time, Samoth was convicted of arson after burning down a historical wooden church; Tchort was sentenced for burglary, knife assault, and desecration; and Faust was locked up for arson, burglary, and murder, stabbing a homosexual acquaintance 14 times outside the Olympic Park in Lillehammer after the man made a pass at him.
 
After Samoth's parole, Emperor regrouped with new bassist Alver and former Enslaved drummer Trym. A three-track EP, Reverence, was recorded in late 1996 as a precursor to 1997's acclaimed Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, which refined and expanded on the accomplishments of the debut. Alver departed afterwards, leaving Ihsahn and Samoth to split bass chores on record; session bassist Tyr and keyboardist Charmand Grimloch began touring with the group to fill the holes. Emperor's third album, IX Equilibrium, followed in 1999, and the following year the group issued its first concert recording, Emperial Live Ceremony.