Wrath of the Tyrants + Emperor [EP]

Artist: Emperor
Label: Century Media
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 727701787923
EAN: 0727701787923
ASIN: B00000IABU

Release Date: 1999-03-09

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Tracks:

I Am The Black Wizards
Wrath Of The Tyrant
Night Of The Graveless Souls
Cosmic Keys To My Creations & Times
Introduction
Ancient Queen
My Empire's Doom
Forgotten Centuries
Night Of The Graveless Souls
Moon Over Kara-Shehr
Witches Sabbath
Lord Of The Storms
Wrath Of The Tyrant

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Customer Reviews:

Will Stay In Your CD Player for A Long Time. .......2006-12-12

This thing was in my CD player for about a month before I took it out. The legacy of Emperor at your fingertips. This is Unholy Black Metal at it's finest. If you thought Nightside was killer, wait intil you here this. Remastered, but all the raw, evil sounding atmosphere that you get with early Emperor is all over the place. Don't listen to anyone as far as sound goes: for raw, early demo stuff like this, the CD sounds great.
The Wrath of The Tyrant demo has to be experienced and not heard. Basically, light one up, turn up the volume and experience some of the darkest Black Metal ever made-Norwegian style. Should be in every Black Metal collection. 5 unholy stars.

Perfect for the Emperor fan.......2005-09-06

I am giving this 4 (rather than 5 stars) not for any lack of quality but simply because it is obviously a collection-completing type item for a fan of the band. This gives insight into the early sound of the band, as well as providing several classic Emperor songs on the level of their other great work.

From reading these reviews, I downloaded rather than bought this CD, having gotten the impression that the sound was so horrible that it wasn't worth my time. Thus, when I actually heard it, I was pleasantly surprised- you can tell what's going on, although it's very obviously a cheap demo (at least in the "Wrath of the Tyrant" portion of the CD).

First of all, the first 4 tracks, their "Emperor" EP. These 4 songs are perfect for people who love Nightside Eclipse. The production on this is less muddy and reverbed than the aforementioned Eclipse, some could argue even better, even though this was only a demo. The guitars are clear and buzzing, more of a focus than the keyboards, the vocals not as polished as later but still the Ihsahn we know and love. The drums are given the volume they deserve (and didn't get on Nightside). 2 of the songs, as you've probably read by now, were rerecorded for Nightside, and in my opinion, the other 2 should have been too. They're of the same style and caliber of the 8 tracks on that album, and even people who aren't fond of the "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo that comprises the last 2/3 of the album should like these tracks.

The Wrath of the Tyrant demo, track 5-13, is something I personally enjoy, but can't promise everyone will like. If you think you can make it past the bad production and really absorb the darkness and atmosphere of the recording (as well as listen closely to hear the notes being played), I'd say give it a try, but download one of the songs before you buy. The demo's sound is good for the resources they had, but that's all I can say in it's support. About the actual music, well... These are the most violent and chaotic Emperor songs there are, period (despite actually being simpler than later material). Ihsahn screams his lungs out (by that I mean MORE than any other album they did), enhanced by some rather strange voice effects. The gorgeous melodies present on their later material are not as obvious, but there are plenty of classic Emperor riffs in the vein of the Nightside songs. "Witches' Sabbath" is a flat out scary song. This was before Emperor decided to get artistic. This is pure adrenaline, and there's no cheesiness here.

The music contained here has a unique feel to it just like every other Emperor release. If any music can be called demonic, here it is. Recommended to any fan of old Emperor.

Great beginnings.......2005-04-25

Featuring Emperor's side of the Hordanes Land split and the first Emperor demo, recorded on Ildjarn's 4 track tape recorder used to record all of his things (more on that later), this release is essential to any Emperor fan. Though later releases would be appluaded by metal fans more han black metal fans, no black metal fan can deny the power of this record and "In the Nightside Eclipse." Most fans of Emperor's last two records, and perhaps "Anthems.." will probably find this unlistenable, but that's perfectly fine, not everyone will like the world of real black metal, so they should stick with Immortal's last three albums, Emperor's last two or three and Dimmu Borgir, because the world of real black metal is a wild and wooly place, and not for the unwary. However if you loved "In the Nightside Eclipse' just as much as "Anthems.." then this should be a good starting point for getting into real black metal.

The production on the Demo is almost exactly like Ildjarn's releases and Graveland's very early recordings. Meaning, drums, guitars and bass are a wave of pure sound with the vocals screeching above with quite a bit of reverb pilled on to create a hellish caphcony. The drums sound a bit odd, but that's the charm, the whole sound is very true black metal, and not at all the nicely produced semi-death metal that Emperor would later revert to from too much influence from Morbid Angel.

I greatly prefer this to Prometheus, though that has it's intellectual charms (being actually "Thus Spoke Zarathusra" and Not the legend of Prometheus), as this has a vibe to it that is quite appealing to me, and should be to any fan of early black metal. Too bad Mortiis got deported for whatever reason that he did.

The Hordanes Land split is okay, but I actually prefer the strange echoing production of "In the Nightside Eclipse' to this rather dry and dead mix, the performance is very good however, and it shows off Bard Faust's drumming better than Nightside.

The icing on the cake (making this essential) is the bonus computer file, with some live clips assmbled in a underground way from fans who recorded whatever they could. Very cool and shows how Emperor respect their fans, instead of the commercial way of making sure no fan can ever film or record live performances. I was happy to see this stuff, because it really made me happy to see the band play live at a time when their music was still in a sound that I like. Early-Emperor will always remain one of my favorite black metal bands, later Emperor leaves me depressed and confused.

Excelletn release and essential to black metal fans, if not later style Emperor fans, who probably don't like black metal at all.

Emperor's Humble Beginnings..........2005-02-19

Out of the ashes of the death metal band Thou Shalt Suffer, a new force in the Norwegian scene emerged, by the name of Emperor, whom we all would know to grow and love. Before the keyboards, the clean production, and breath-taking lyrics, it's clear to see that Emperor's early material was simply about making simple, old-school black metal with crushing riffs, a haunting atmosphere, and throat-ripping vocals, all while upholding the essence of evil.

The first 4 tracks here are taken from the "Hordane's Land" split with Enslaved. Two of the songs here are legendary in the Emperor catalogue, "Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times" and of course "I Am the Black Wizards", both of which would be featured on the 1995 masterpiece "In the Nightside Eclipse". The production isn't great, but it is still audible on many levels. Faust's stampeding drums whip the listener into obilivion, while the buzzsaw guitars and agonized vocals set the atmosphere. The level of musicianship is amazing for Emperor being a young band at the time. I rate the first four songs as following...

1. I am the Black Wizards- A true Emperor classic, no need to explain this... 5/5

2. Wrath of the Tyrant- An often under-rated song, in my opinion. More straight-forward with a great main riff, and a chaotic song structure. 4.5/5

3. Night of the Graveless Souls- The pace picks up a bit here. Blazing guitars, pounding drums, and nasty vocals. Great song, albeit a bit short. 5/5

4. Cosmic Keys to my Creations and Times- Another classic, stripped-down. Faust shows his endurance and speed behind the kit, and Samoth shows off his tremolo picking skills with the furious guitars. 5/5

Now, onto the actual "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo. The recording quality is zero, it seems like production is almost absent. The whole thing was recorded on a 4-track in true old-school style, using a "necro" sound to acheive aesthetics and atmosphere. The guitars are tuned to Drop-D, adding a sludgy feel to songs like "My Empire's Doom" and "Witches' Sabbath". Samoth played drums on this demo, and does a good job, whilst keeping it to the basics. Ihsahn's vocals are much more raw than usual here. His abrasive-throated screams are layered in reverb and echo, sending chills down your spine, especially on the likes of "Wrath of the Tyrant", and the desperate cries on "Witches' Sabbath". The music is much more straight-forward here, and has a few hints of old death metal. Here are the ratings...

1.Introduction- A bit useless, but sets the atmosphere, nonetheless.

2. Ancient Queen- Stampeding drums, dissonant guitars, and terrifying vocals. This song has it all, and accurately sums up the "feel" for the rest of the demo. 4/5

3. My Empire's Doom- This would later be re-arranged to become "Beyond the Great Vast Forest", but it much more stripped-down, raw, and angry. 4/5

4. Forgotten Centuries- This is fantastic! Chaotic, bizzare time changes, a crushing riff, and a no-frills song structure. This is probably the most evolved track on the demo. 5/5

5. Night of the Graveless Souls- I personally prefer the "Hordane's Land" version of this. The playing seems a bit sloppy, and the echo on the vocals kind of throws the listener off-tempo. 2.5/5

6. Moon Over Kara-Shehr- Things slow down here, and allows Ihsahn's sick screams permeate and terrify the listener. The drumming here is very good as well, and the song structure is great, with some maniacal changes in tempo. 4.5/5

7.Witches' Sabbath- Ihsahn is at his best here, the screaming is comparable to that of Varg Vikernes... truly tormented. The tempo lulls the listener into terror, and the verse is aggressive enough to rip out your spine! Great riffs as well. 5/5

8. Lord of the Storms- A surprise attack with mechanical riffing, no-frills drumming, and a to-the-point structure, clocking in at a little over 2 minutes...But a bit unfilling. 3/5

9. Wrath of the Tyrant- Emperor at their old-school best. A hypnotizing riff, evil vocals, and an apocalyptic atmosphere end the EP on a strong note. 5/5

The bonus material includes a video that pops up when you put the disc in your PC. It includes some extremely rare rehearsal footage, and cips of the band playing at various places on their 1993 tour. The sound quality on some clips isn't great, but is reasonable. It's good to see how the band evolved over time, and how talented they were for being such young musicians.

I would highly reccommend this demo to anyone curious about extreme metal, who needs a starting point. Truly essential to a black metal collection.

Excellent Raw Black Metal..........2005-01-18

First of all I got the re-released version of this on Candlelight Records in 2004. I don't know how much more if any this cd was enhanced than the 1999 re-release besides some video footage which I have not looked at yet. Anyway this is some of my favorite black metal ever. I personally don't mind the lousy sound quality at all but I do know some people who can't enjoy this cd because of it. If thats the case for you then stay away from this record and buy some of Emperor's newer cds although I think this stuff is some of their best. Overall, I enjoyed every song on here and for collectors or fans, it is definitely worth picking this up as soon as possible.

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