Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse

What a fine mess we have here. Credit where credit is due, In the Nightside Eclipse may very well be Emperor's only decent black metal output. But the decency of this record is owed more to Samoth and Faust than to Ihsahn's mallgoth aspirations of mainstream acceptance, and the album suffers not just from his horrid vocal performance, but from his piss poor songwriting and improper use of keyboards as well. In the Nightside Eclipse has its moments, but still manages to kneecap itself more often than not, no matter how diabolical and evil the band wants you to think they are. It's like the outcast kid in high school who shows up one day wearing a black trench coat, only to trip on it in the hallway in front of everybody. The outcast in this case being Ihsahn.

In the Nightside Eclipse is a perfectly equilibrated album, it has:
► two good tracks - I am the Black Wizards and Inno a Satana,
► two decent tracks - The Burning Shadows of Silence and Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times,
► two average tracks - Towards the Pantheon and The Majesty of the Nightsky,
► two absolutely mediocre tracks - Into the Infinity of Thoughts and Beyond the Great Vast Forest.

Not coincidentally, aside from I am the Black Wizards, the quality of each track is inversely related to Ihsahn's involvement during the songwriting process. The band tries to summon such a dark and sinister atmosphere, but can honestly only get away with it when Samoth and Faust are highlighted. Take the opener 'Into the Infinity of Thoughts' for example. It possesses very average and forgettable riffs, but they could at least be salvaged into some form of creative forward momentum or something. No, Ihsahn just lets the same two or three simplistic riffs drone on for an entire eight minutes - and they feel like an eternity.

In the end, aside from the two aforementioned tracks I am the Black Wizards and Inno a Satana, there is no reason to listen to In the Nightside Eclipse in its entirety. Replace with Demonecromancy's Fallen From the Brightest Throne instead.

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