Customer Reviews

In the Nightside Eclipse (Spec) (Dig)

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the album that took Black metal to another level. What I dig about this album is that it comes off as being progressive, but not pompous . This is really the last album Emperor put out before Ihsahn's technical ambitions, operatic vocals, and overblown experimentation with keyboards ruined the experience. In my opinion, this is their creative and artistic peak in which they were able to tell when enough was enough. The drumming is great, the bass is inaudible, but I'm confident that it's good, and the guitar work is magnificent. There is also a light, concious dash of keyboards thrown into the mix. Many people have complained about the production of this album. Who cares? Why do people gripe so much about the production of certain albums? Besides, the production isn't THAT bad. Go listen to a Darkthrone album. THAT'S bad (not that I'm knocking Darkthrone. I like them for different reasons).

I have another thought that I'd like to get off my chest: Iv'e heard some people call this band "Wimperor". Wimperor? Give me a break. If being creative, original and talented is wimpy, then these guys are some of the biggest wimps in Black metal. Black metal enthusiasts revel in this album because it stands out as being original in a subgenre polluted with countless Darkthrone ripoffs who think that putting out albums made up of bargain basement production and blindingly fast, inexcusably sloppy material makes them "true".

The highlights of this album include "Into the infinity of thoughts", "The burning shadows of silence", "Beyond the great vast forest", and "I am the black wizards". The covers of Bathory's "A fine day to die" and Mercyful fate's "Gypsy" are very well done (even though Ihsahn sounds absurd trying to imitate King Diamond. Stick with screaming man! Let the King handle the falsetto voals!). Also, I encourage everyone to read these lyrics. Yes, they are Satanic, but they're written like poems which makes them more interesting. Overall, this is a very solid album with no filler and I would recommend it to anyone who is new to Black metal.

STAY TRUE TO METAL AND STAY TRUE TO YOURSELVES!

When i first purchased "In the Nightside Eclipse", i was not all that familar with the genre of "Black Metal". I really had no idea what to expect. The first time i listened to it, i was a bit dissapointed, mostly on account of the production. But as i got more familar with the songs, i started to realize how amazing this album really is. The booming drums, the fast guitar, and the harsh vocals are very cool, but what actually brings out the true black, icy atmophere of this album IS the production. Just the way everything blends together, and creates this GIANT sound makes this whole album seem like an epic, dark journey. Every song has this type of feeling, but are all unique in their tempo, drum beats, and guitar riffs. What else makes the atmosphere so vast and epic is the choir and strings in the background of the metal. They are perfectly in tune with the blaring guitar, and add so much affect to the feel of the album that you can't get out of anything else.

Although this was the first, and the least complex out of any of Emperor's albums, the pure icy, black, and epic atmosphere of this album cannot be matched. True black metal fans know that Emperor's "In The Nightside Eclipse" is the definitive black metal album.

Before I go any further it should be known that is probably my favorite metal album, or at the very least, my favorite black metal album, by a band who, in my opinion, are very important to the genre.

Emperor's career, like In the Nightside Eclipse, always seemed so brief to me. While others like Motörhead (30+), Mayhem (20+), and Satyricon (15+) continue to record and perform live, Emperor were only around for ten years, and not all of them were spent releasing material or playing live. When they did create an album, it was serious work, and this is no exception. It should also be remembered that most of the musicians were still in their teens at the time of recording, adding to the belief by some that "real" black metal can only be made by pissed off teenagers, but also that a certain level of experience is not necessary for good music. Whether either is true, this never ends up sounding immature or juvenile for even a second. As Emperor progressed in sound, style, and even musicianship, they grew up a little, utilizing more clean vocals, and dropping the use of corpsepaint. Though highly regarded, their work here would never be repeated, and is what some consider the last of "old" Emperor, but easily the best of them as well.

One of the most common complaints about this album is the quality of its production (or lack thereof), but this has also been frequently touted as a redeeming characteristic. Frontman Ihsahn has stated that they would probably never rerecord it to get better sound because the album owes much of its appeal to the production, which adds to the atmosphere and overall dark mood. Though better production could improve the quality of the sound, it could also very likely take away from its feeling, and the spirit of those involved in its creation. It is better than much of their fellow countrymen at the time, and is a considerable improvement from Wrath of the Tyrant + Emperor. Regardless, I find it is best played at a loud volume, where it can more easily flow from the speakers, creating its own dark sonic environment.

Many outside extreme metal will probably never understand In the Nightside Eclipse. Along with its production, the album has few clean vocals, and those present are different from the group's later work. Vocals are frequently harsh, not so much sung as they are screamed, and lyrics are caught in this maelstrom, rendering them close to indecipherable. This is also not a musical love letter to Satan or Death, though both subjects are addressed, albeit creatively and somewhat symbolically. This is simply Emperor, and above all this is black metal: aggressive, fierce, and very dark, and at many times quite beautiful. Essential Emperor and essential black metal!

Atmosphere is what makes up the real trait of black metal. Some examples of many black metal bands are identified by certain traits (most commonly tremolo guitar riffs, gutter production, screeching vocals, and evil lyrics). These are what cause such controversy as to whether or not a band in question is "true" or not. However, I disagree; I think that if a black metal band carries the right atmosphere in their music, they should be considered black metal - period. Emperor is (or, as many troglodytes hold the "early stuff" accusation tight to this band) such an example. Atmosphere runs thick through their music, and not just from the above mentioned traits; it is, like the metal genre as a whole, a matter of FEELING, and not of actual sound, which defines a "truth" in the sound of a band.

Take "Into the Infinity of Thoughts," for example. The soaring keyboard melodies during one of the verses (with a choir of female voices) and the thin (but obvious) guitars all harmonize into a dense, extremely dark atmosphere that is sinister and ominous and at once simply beautiful. This multi-instrumental harmony slowly drops in timbre and tone until you are trapped in an icy night of evil, where the moon grins down upon your lost soul. This long song (over 7 ½ minutes) is the summation of all of Emperor's finest qualities, and could be the defining black metal song, period.

"The Cosmic Keys to My Recreations and Times" starts off with an awesome guitar riff (awesome in a musical aspect, too) that is so menacing, giving an image of the light of day being obliterated by sudden clouds that appear out of nowhere...angry clouds, thick and heavy, and trailing beneath and behind them a sweeping layer of rain which quickly corrodes all peace and solitude.

As much as a soundtrack for the imagination as Emperor's sound can be, there are also quite a lot of technical sonic feats that they accomplished. Faust is quite the skilled drummer; the blast-beats of snares and high-hats/cymbals, his ultra-fast double-bass rumbles, and his precision fills (just listen to his work on "Beyond the Great Vast Forest") make for some of the best metal drumming of all time. The guitars (laid out by founder/former drummer/guitarist Samoth and vocalist/guitarist/leader Ihsahn are usually fast tremolo shreds that hardly ever have a distinctive metal "crunch," but rather sweeping layers of flurry and fury. The occasional leads and single-note picking (like during the intro to "Towards the Pantheon") are stunning, and obviously took a lot of hard work in both composition and execution. The bass...well, with the (purposely) harsh production, it's extremely hard to make out any bass lines at all, but it's hard to think that there'd be anything less than perfect here (I know Tchort is a damn fine songwriter from his work in Green Carnation). And finally, Ihsahn's synth/keyboards add the perfect final touch to the already-dense howl of Emperor's sound, most often creating female-vocal choirs, and perfectly used to help complement and often emphasize the harmonized melodies.

Emperor is surrounded by much revere and lore, largely due to their involvement in the rise of black metal in the early `90's, and the crime wave which came with it. Angry youths committing acts of vandalism, assault, suicide, and murder were already bad enough in themselves; however, the band members of Emperor had their own participations in such crimes. Tchort was sentenced for burglary; Samoth was convicted for the burning down of a historical church; and Faust is in prison for murdering a homosexual who allegedly made a pass on him. Such things add an extra (and dark) vibe to Emperor's lore, making their music so much darker.

Finally, this album has been remastered (to an extent), and includes two bonus covers: "A Fine Day to Die" (Bathory) and "Gypsy" (Mercyful Fate). These bonus tracks are okay, but hardly make this album much better than it is. However, the remastered sound is interesting - I have not heard the original recording, but while the sound on this album is still frosty and rough, I can clearly hear (most of) the instruments. This remastering job was done without sacrificing the production trait which may or may not have anything to do with the sound of black metal. If there was a crystal-clear remaster of this album, would the production kill the atmosphere? Probably not, because that's just a surface-value cliché; Emperor was too great for such a petty trend. Atmosphere was their game, and that cannot be touched.

There is really not much else to say about Emperor that hasn't been said already. They are still (through this album, especially) the defining black metal band in a society which raises redundant arguments about the labeling of an artistic form. Black metal isn't about an actual sound, and it isn't about themes or images: it's about atmosphere. Emperor knew this - and it shows.

A note on my rating system, I rate more harshly than most:
-5 stars: one of my very few favorite albums, (top 10 or so) or the pinnacle of a genre that I enjoy.
-4 stars: A very very good album. This is where a lot of really solid you-just-know-it's-good music, as well as experimental, interesting stuff fits in.
-3 stars: An album worth buying.
-2 stars: I don't like it, but I can see how someone else might, a little bit...
-1 star: don't buy it. If you see it, burn it and say a little prayer to satan or god or whatever floats your boat.

Mostly I'd like to touch on the subject of the production quality of this album. It has been said repeatedly on this website and elsewhere "uck, I love the music on here but the production just ruins it." I would beg to differ with this and offer the possibility that this album sounds exactly like the band wanted it to sound and that all those who don't like the sound are just being closed minded. When I hear this record, I don't hear guitar, drums, bass, and vocals vying for attention in the mix, a practice that pretty much every other modern band uses. I hear a seamless wall of musical noise that enters your brain and grows and develops there. There is very much beautiful melody played on this album, but there is infinately more that is implied. The drums are conspicuously low in the mix so as not to interrupt this flowing, inspired melody. The guitars are distorted all to hell (or at least one of them is) to make you work a little bit for the rewards of this (and make you invest in some decent stereo equipment). The bass is very low in the mix for the same reason as the drums, but pops up every once in a while at key moments (middle part of "Black Wizards"). I can't help but think that's completely intentional. Now that I'm used to it, the production is actually what I enjoy most about this album; it's the coldest production that I've ever heard and really provokes the immagination if you let it.

As for a review of the music itself, I think it's already been said, but this is probably the best black metal record ever made. The songs are varied, but have a continuity to them. They are much better played and more intricate than most if not all black metal. And the keyboards don't sound stupid.

Being a Norwegian with a wide-ranged music taste, including black metal since the early 90s, I consider this Emperor album to be the best black metal album ever made. Never before and never after has the genre come up with anything close to the quality of this 1994 release. "In the nightside eclipse" is brutal, beautiful, melancholic, romantic - all at the same time. Chills will crawl up your neck as the intense and fast guitars combine with hovering synth melodies. The album builds up to climax with the outstanding "I am the black wizards", and, finally, the dark angel choirs of "inno a satana" takes it all to an almost religious level. Emperor is, definately, the most respected band among Norwegian black metal fans today. Discover this album!

Beyond a doubt, early Emperor WERE the definition of what the black metal movement was all about!!! A celebration of devotion to the dark gods, paganism, traditional satanism, all driven by the obsessive hatred for christianity and nostalgia for ancient times.
Having long since mellowed, it's nice to throw this cd on every once in awhile to hear the power of dark fury they had possessed in their earlier(and obviously angrier) years. This stands as a black metal landmark and to this day infinite bands try and fail to recreate Nightside's eerie majesty.
"Into the Infinity of thoughts" opens with the grinding rhythm of some clanking machine and some ominous choirs, then an explosion into some simple blasting and a main riff building on a simple melody, then the haunting synths swell in and immediately we are whisked into the surreal fantasy realm of apocalyptic dominion that the music of Emperor lives within. The music on this album is obviously black to the core, but enhanced by an eerie orchestral soundtrack of synths the guitar melodies weave their way around seamlessly and unified. The album cover says it all about what the music represents, and reading the wrath-filled lyrics, we can "see" the black, evil, and bewitchingly beautiful landscapes dominated by the Emperor of Darkness. a very visual and imagination-provoking album indeed.
Some other standout tracks on this album are the tense "Burning Shadows of Silence", one of the more horror-styled tracks on this album, fast and unrelenting, taking us through a wild ride directly into the abyss, the triumphant "Cosmic Keys to My Creations and Times", my favorite black metal track ever, working with some very epic sounding melodies and synth passages, as we are led on a journey through cosmic kingdoms, the very gloomy and darkly majestic "Beyond the Great Vast Forest", which is actually a redone version of "My Empire's Doom", and from beginning to end reeks of the ominous power characteristic of their musical vision. "Towards the Pantheon" begins with some more melancholic acoustic guitars and weeping violins before erupting into a more ethereal/atmospheric black metal opus, climaxing into an orchestral frenzy midway, one of their more romantic songs. "The Majesty of the Nightsky" has some great synth swells and into the second riff we can actually hear some of Tchort's basslines coming through. "I am the Black Wizards" is one of their all time classics, although I like the version on the self-titled EP better, with more sickly vocals and a more unearthly tone to the slower, more reflective part at the end. "Inno a Satana" contains some of this albums stronger guitar riffs and clean singing and later became "Opus A Satana" on Anthems.....
Words aren't enough to express this album's power and originality. A piece of art many have yet to come close to recreating, and a testament to the once-great black metal scene.

This album is so cold that when the first time I played it my stereo I could feel the temperature in my room drop about ten degrees. You could listen to this album on an 80-degree day and it would probably make you shiver. If you were to put it on your lawn the grass would die. The music on "In the Nightside Eclipse" is so vicious and evil that it makes pretty much anything by bands like Death and Morbid Angel sound like something you would hear at a hippie love-in.
Anyway, on to the music. Everyone knows by now that black metal places a heavy emphasis on sounding cold and raw, and this album demonstrates Emperor's aptitude at doing just that. Emperor were definitely going for a grandiose, epic feel, befitting their name. Ihsahn's tortured shriek is of course what will instantly grab the attention of anyone who hears it. While many would be instantly repulsed by such high-pitched and non-musical vocals, for those seeking a sinister sound they work perfectly. The haunting synth and the sweeping, semi-melodic guitar work are what really flesh out the music, providing the "wall-of-sound" approach for which Emperor were known. And of course, Faust's insane blastbeat drumming keeps everything nice and tight in the background. If only you could hear the bass, this album would be even better.
If you're looking for dark, sinister music with absolutely no chance of ever getting played on the radio, "In the Nightside Eclipse" is as good a place to start as any. The unrelenting black metal assault of Emperor makes for some of the most compelling listening you can find. I'm just getting into black metal now, and this album and "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk" are definitely piquing my interest in the genre. I enjoy many different types of metal, and music in general, and "In the Nightside Eclipse" is about as good an album as I've heard anywhere.

If you can get past the absolutely horrendous production of this album, it will be one of the greatest albums you've ever heard in your life. Ihsahn and Samoth's guitars are hard to tell apart from each other in the rough mix, Tchort's bass is almost non-existent, and most importantly, Faust's drums are drowned out more way more often than they should be. With the amazing musicianship behind this album, I still wonder why Emperor never opted to produce this album better. Of course, if you can get past the faulty production (much like I did), this album will be in your CD player for weeks straight. Ihsahn's vocals are nowhere near intelligible, but the music is absolutely hypnotic. My previous beliefs were that keyboards didn't belong in metal, but after hearing this, I realized that Emperor blended their guitars and keyboards together perfectly. The best examples of this are, "Cosmic Keys Of My Creations and Times", "Inno A Satana", "Into The Infinity Of Thoughts", and "I Am The Black Wizards", where each of the songs climaxes in an orchestral fashion; yet still maintains it's metal edge. The edge Emperor has over alot of other black metal bands is that they can create unbridled intensity in a song, only to burst into a monumental climax later in the song that brings to mind the Nordic-inspired lyrics and cover art (which I might add, is amazing) which the album depicts perfectly. Again, like most other black metal bands, an open mind is needed to fully appreciate this darkly majestic album. When it comes to matching intensity and fury, with atmospheric hooks to pull you in, Emperor is simply unmatched. Keep in mind, I would've given this album 5 stars if it weren't for the lackluster production. I hate to give it even 4 stars. I'd at least give it 4.5 even with the bad production. Nonetheless, this album is a must have for all true metal fans who are willing to try something new, dark, emotional, and intense; even if it might not be easy to listen to initially. So for old Emperor fans, you probably already own and love this album like myself; but if you don't, then what are you doing! PICK IT UP! As for those of you who are new to Emperor, prepare yourself for something totally different from anything you've ever heard before! This album will pull you in and never let you go!

This album was my introduction to Black Metal, and is still quite possibly my favorite example of the genre. Why? Quite simply, Emperor manages to accomplish with "In the Nightside Eclipse" what many Black Metal bands try to do and fail, that is, sound cold and evil without coming off as cheesy and overwrought.

Taking a look at the fantastic album art, I knew I was in for a treat. After a brief, keyboard intro, "Nightside" hits you in the face with roaring, heavily distorted guitars, furious drumming, and screaming vocals. Ihsahn and Samoth lay out punishing riff after riff, and Faust pummels his kit into submission with ease (just listen to "Beyond the Great Vast Forest"). Ihsahn screams and wails away like a banshee; the vocals are totally incomprehensible without the aid of the liner notes, but you won't care. Topping everything off are deliciously evil-sounding keyboards, lending a heavy atmosphere of coldness. This, in my opinion, is what makes "Nightside" so great. It perfectly captures that cold, bleak feeling of running through a frozen, haunted forest in the pale moonlight. If the purpose behind Black Metal was to produce music that "incarnated evil in its most pure state", then Emperor succeeded brilliantly.

Lyrically, "Nightside" manages to sound evil without descending into "ALL HAIL SATAN!!!" type nonsense. They depict a world where light is supplanted by darkness and all hope is lost. Of course, you will not be able to understand them, because nearly all of Ihsahn's vocals are screamed (save for some clean vocals on "Inno A Satana") and are pushed down in the mix. And you've got to hand it to the guy; the man can scream. Not in an irritating manner like Cradle of Filth, but in a way that's reminiscent of a wailing demon straight from hell. You really have to wonder how he manages to keep it up throughout the whole album and not go mute.

I find it hard to discuss individual tracks because they all tend to blend together on a listen-through, but in no way is that a strike against the album. It's the kind of album you will want to listen to all the way through, simply to take it in all at once. By the time the final track is done, you'll be wondering if you've just heard the Apocalypse somehow transferred into musical form.

Of course, there's always the issue of "Nightside"'s production. It tends towards the tinny side, being a tad trebly and thin (which can ameliorated somewhat by simply cranking up the volume). Of course, one can always argue that the harshness of the album only enhances its evil nature. I would also like to add that if you think the production here is bad, there are many other albums that are far worse in this regard.

Naturally, music like this is most definately not for everyone. But if you've never heard Black Metal before and you're looking for a place to start, I can't think of any better place than "In the Nightside Eclipse".