REVIEW: EMPEROR - EMPERIAL LIVE CEREMONY

 

EMPEROR - EMPERIAL LIVE CEREMONY (Candlelight Recs. - 2000): This is Emperor´s first live album, recorded on the tour of their album "IX Equilibrium"on 1999. Here you can see the total essence of the band, a band that if it sounds powerful in their studio albums here sounds one thousand times better. Also you can see how important is the band for the black metal genre (there are in there countless of inferior quality imitators). Ihsahn and Samoth are at their best here playing all the complex parts that you can hear in their songs without any difficulty. It is a pity that they say that they are not going to play live for a long time to concentrate on other projects because this band sounds great in this environment !! They open with a great rendition of "Curse You all Men following into a version of one of their best songs "Thus Spoke the Night Spirit". It is amazing!!. "I am The Black Wizards" succeeds in making you feel the darkness and depression on it. This CD has a great sound that helps to emphasize the whole performance. "An elegy of Icarus" follows with its enchanting melody and powerful keyboards. This recording has also great renditions of "Inno A Satana" and "Ye Entrancemperium". Emperor is a classic!!.Website: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk