Black Metal Reigns Over LA As Emperor Celebrates Their Debut Album

The legendary Norwegian black metal band Emperor make their return to North America for a limited tour celebrating their genre defining debut album, In The Nightside Eclipse.

Formed in 1991, Emperor was instrumental in the second wave of early black metal, blending symphonic and atmospheric arrangements with their music. In 1994, they released In The Nightside Eclipse, receiving high critical praise and today is considered one of the most influential albums of the genre. They would subsequently disband in 2001, and reunite for the occasional festival appearance in Europe during the early 2010s. However, after a 15 year wait, Emperor finally made their return to the United States in 2023. This time, we didn’t have to wait so long for them to make their return again.

Opening the show was Agalloch, hailing from Portland, Oregon. Known for their avant-garde metal mixing folk and black elements, they were the perfect pairing to open for Emperor. Not spending too much time talking on stage, they wasted no time launching into their set. Filling the venue with their melodic guitar riffs, the crowd quickly started to move. Performing some of their more popular songs, such as “Limbs,” “Falling Snow,” and “Not Unlike The Waves,” they concluded their set with all three parts of “Our Fortress Is Burning.”

During the break in between sets, as the stage was getting set up for Emperor, the stage crew began to raise a full size banner for the backdrop displaying the artwork from In The Nightside Eclipse. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the banner came into view. Soon afterwards the venue became consumed in fog and the lights dimmed as the members of Emperor made their way onstage. From the very first notes that played, the crowd immediately became chaotic. Fans against the rail were ferociously headbanging and crowd surfers soon began to make their way over the barricades. Emperor’s onstage presence demanded your attention as they masterfully played through all seven songs from Eclipse. The notable highlight was the song “I Am The Black Wizard,” which is a genre classic by all accounts and received an introduction and roars from the crowd.

Upon concluding their play through of Eclipse, there was a brief instrumental song break before lead guitarist and vocalist Ihsahn spoke to the crowd, thanking them for attending this momentous occasion. Afterwards, he announced that now since the album was finished, there was still time for some “other old favorites” and he hoped the crowd still had some energy left. As if almost on cue, the crowd immediately opened back up into a mosh pit as the next song started. Emperor finished their set with a couple songs from each of their remaining records, primarily from Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, closing out with the song “Ye Entrancemperium.” As the night ended, Ihsahn once again thanked the crowd, promising to return once again.

As the crowd began to exit the venue, they were met with sounds and smells of local hot dog stands and the occasional vendor of bootleg band merch. Extreme metal fans were given a unique occurrence this night, not only by having the opportunity to see this legendary band perform, since it’s a rare event for them to play in North America, but for them to also perform such an important and influential album in its entirety. This was a night that fans of this music scene will soon not forget.