Track Listing
1. Curse you all men! 2. Decrystallizing reason 3. An elegy of icaros 4. The source of icon E 5. Sworn 6. Nonus aequilibrium 7. The warriors of modern death 8. Of blindness and subsequent seers Year: 1999 Label: Century Media - Official Site |
Emperor - 'IX equilibrium' - By W. Spurrier
Both "In the nightside eclipse" and "Anthems to the welkin at dusk" have been regarded as standard setters in, not just the black metal scene, but the wider metal scene as a whole. How many times are we going to hear a band trying to intermingle guitars with a certain epic feel, and no matter how many times they try, they don`t capture that truly dark feeling you get when listening to Emperor. Emperor themselves don`t have that feel any longer in their music. As all leaders and innovators should do, they`ve moved on. What we get with "...Equilibrium." is a more traditional metal feel, and a less darker atmosphere to the music. The aggression of Death metal is also starting to come into play, opener "Curse you all men" has a hard death metal crunch to it, as does "The source of icon E." This new edge in the Emperor sound isn`t just down to the band themselves, but also down to the production. Gone is the murky production of old, and in comes a clearer sound. This is the first Emperor album to be digitally recorded. I personally feel, that whilst they`ve gained an edge, they`re also missing something. The murkiness of the previous albums added to their charm, and the clearer sound leaves me feeling a bit empty. Another aspect is the more traditional metal feel in the music. "The source of icon E" defintitley showing a King diamond influence coming in. As well as being an album of peaks and valleys musically, it could also be said it`s like that listening to it. Whilst songs like "Sworn" glide out of your speakers, and capture your imagination. The end of the album didn`t seem to work. Although they`ve made a furious, bolder and harder album, which could take them up to the next level, it does sem they`ve lost some of their charm along the way. This will probably annoy Blck metal purists, confuse other metal fans, and perhaps enhance their audience to people who like technical aggression mixed with traditional riffing. Metal Obsessive Grade: 66% |