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Class 6(66)
Emperor: Anthems to the welkin at dusk
28/10/11 || cadenz
Introduction
The Norwegian wave of black metal in the 1990’s produced many gems, like Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis dom Sathanas”, Darkthrone’s “Transilvanian Hunger”, Satyricon’s “Nemesis Divina” and Emperor’s debut, “In the Nightside Eclipse”, to name but a few. The times were exciting, and not only because of the buzz generated by the church arsons and murders, but because there were so many excellent new bands producing excellent albums, and they all sounded different from each other. All the “big” bands had their own personal sound, clearly distinguishable from each other. Emperor made a huge impact with their debut, bringing keyboards to a dominant position in the soundscape, and taking the compositions to more sophisticated spheres, and new ground was broken in the black metal world. Three years would pass before the sophomore manifestation would be born, and when it did…oh, boy.
Songwriting
10. Ihsahn is, and has always been, a man with a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish. In order to perfect Emperor’s “sophisticated black metal art”, as the album’s back cover states them performing, the mainman/frontman/vocalist/guitarist/composer/lyricist/arranger reportedly took classes in classical composition, arranging and instrumentation. And it shows. Not only are the songs on “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk” full of memorable riffs and melodies, all parts are imaginatively arranged to draw all possible potential from the material, build up energy, maintain it and reach unfathomable emotional heights by careful placement and reliance on a fully dedicated, passionate execution from all participants. And that we are granted.
The songs are filled with diverse stuff; supersonic tremolo assaults, chaotic orchestrated bombasticism with strings and horns, soaring and majestic melodies, relentless blasting etc. The balance and flow is so well-kept between harsh and beautiful, harmonic and disharmonic, fast and slow/mid-tempo, that the complex song structures, instrumentations and riffs sound natural and organic. Truly a compositional masterpiece within the metal world. Even the intro track is perfect, a dramatic build-up to a triumphant fanfare and the words “I am the Emperor!” – kick in “Ye Entrancemperium”, with an energetic and primitive intro riff composed by none other than Euronymous (RIP), and we’re off to a rollercoaster ride through the black and jagged landscapes created by one of the greatest bands in black metal history.
Production
9. It’s like the album has been drenched in a sea of chaos and filtered through a black web of evil. If your music is as complex and multi-faceted as “Anthems” is, you have two ways to go. Either you make the production crystal clear with distinct instrumental separation, or you press everything through the same filter and get a uniform, homogeneous, soundscape. Obviously Emperor chose the latter, and to great effect. Even though some details drown in the ocean of massive orchestrations and blastbeats, all the essential bits have been polished and lifted out of the mix. The overall sound picture is raw, chaotic and evil. Just the way it should be.
Guitars
8. Disharmonic savagery, vast and lofty melodies, lots of multi-string tremolo picking. The guitars oftentimes play second fiddle (har, har) to the keyboards and vocals. All according to the masterplan.
Vocals
9. High-pitched shrieking is Ihsahn’s main choice of voice here, and it is harsh and piercing as fuck. His conviction and passion is undeniable, check out the ending of “The Loss and Curse of Reverence”. Sends shivers down my spine, every time! The Notodden mastermind also utilizes clean vocals that bring a distinguished air to some parts, like in the outro of “Thus Spake the Nightspirit”. Great stuff.
Bass
7. The bass usually follows the guitar riffs, but sometimes wanders about beneath the chord structures. Could’ve done a bit more of that, as I love more active bass lines on black metal albums. Good examples of this: Khold “Krek”, Dødheimsgard “Kronet til konge” and all early Ulver recordings (even though I’m hard pressed to call them black metal).
Drums
9,5. Trym is a fucken beast. His blasts are so enraged and animalic, it sounds like he’s so full of hate towards his drumkit that he’s trying to beat the living crap out of it. Listen to “The Loss and Curse of Reverence”, from 4:10 and onwards – the UNLEASHING of the FUCKING FURY!! I always headbang the shit out of everything and everyone when that transition and blast part comes on. Trym also displays very fast kicks, great tom fills and some subtle cymbal work. I’d give him a 10 if he wouldn’t sway just an eeny-teeny bit in tempo at times; although this gives a more organic feel to the music, and I would never want to quantize the drum tracks, it’s enough to take off half a point. Still, worship him.
Keyboards
10. The keyboards were played and orchestrated by Ihsahn, and feature both (sampled) traditional instruments from the classical orchestra world, like strings, trumpets, flutes, timpani etc; as well as some synth pads. The keyboards are almost omnipresent, though their role varies from part to part. They alternate between being at the forefront playing the main melody, playing a supporting role with a secondary melody, and just plain filling and backing up the soundscape with chords and harmonies. Any which way, they are a huge part of Emperor’s sound, and are used expertly as one could expect from a musician as talented and educated as Ihsahn.
Lyrics
7,5. Symbolic. Pretentious. Misanthropic. Thought-provoking. Satanic. Self-absorbed. Vague. Transcendent.
Cover art
9. You can’t go wrong with a Doré illustration. Absolutely stunning work of art, small minus for the green filter effect.
Logo
8. An iconic logo. The middle E is probably the strongest visual trademark in black metal, together with the Mayhem and Satyricon logos, and Abbath’s corpse paint.
Booklet
6. Standard stuff with recording info and all the lyrics printed with gold font on some ugly photos of stones.
Overall and ending rant
The atmosphere that permeates this disc is unique; if I was a pretentious bastard I’d call it divine. In an anti-Christian way. The bold statement “Emperor performs Sophisticated Black Metal Art exclusively!” on the back cover is hard to back up, but damn – these Norse fuckers pull it off. “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk” has been one of my favorite albums since it was released, and I wouldn’t want to change one single second on it. The songwriting is genius, the execution is immaculate, the production is great…if this isn’t perfection, what is?
- Information
- Released: 1997
- Label: Candlelight
- Website: www.emperorhorde.com
- Band
- Ihsahn: vocals, lead guitars, keyboards
- Samoth: guitars
- Alver: bass
- Trym: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Alsvartr (The Oath)
- 02. Ye Entrancemperium
- 03. Thus Spake the Nightspirit
- 04. Ensorcelled by Khaos
- 05. The Loss and Curse of Reverence
- 06. The Acclamation of Bonds
- 07. With Strength I Burn
- 08. The Wanderer
