In the Nightside Eclipse
In the Nightside Eclipse makes grand music without smoothing away black metal's sharp edges. The guitars race, the drums keep pressing and the vocals bite. Above them, keyboards give the songs a much broader, more melancholy atmosphere. Emperor finds a convincing relationship between those forces. The expansive sound makes the aggression more impressive.
Into The Infinity Of Thoughts establishes the approach immediately. Its guitar lines move through a dense setting in which keyboards shape much of the atmosphere. Yet the rough foundation remains intact. Beneath the melodic layers, the song continues moving with the same restless force.
Cosmic Keys To My Creations And Times has a similar appeal. The keyboards have room, but the guitar parts ensure that the music retains its weight. Emperor uses melody to heighten the tension. The record does not ask you to choose between a dark atmosphere and aggressive playing; the two continually work together.
I Am The Black Wizards demonstrates how recognisable ideas can emerge from that density. Towards The Pantheon also provides a point of connection. These songs keep drawing attention because their arrangements do not reveal everything immediately.
The production does present an obstacle. Guitar details regularly disappear within the full, slightly hollow sound. Individual tracks can initially seem very similar as a result. That contributes to the enclosed atmosphere, but sometimes makes distinguishing the compositions unnecessarily difficult.
Still, the music's strength outweighs that limitation. Raw playing, expansive keyboards and several powerful melodies hold the record together. In the Nightside Eclipse offers a demanding introduction to black metal, while convincingly showing how much feeling and imagination can fit within such an aggressive sound.
