Emperor

Ihsahn and Samoth met at a blues and rock music seminar. They initially played together under the names Dark Device, Xerasia and Embryonic before the group evolved into Thou Shalt Suffer. Samoth subsequently began writing music outside Thou Shalt Suffer, and Emperor was formed with Ihsahn and bassist Mortiis. The band released the demo "Wrath of the Tyrant", which gained attention in the underground metal scene and led to a recording contract with Candlelight Records. Samoth subsequently moved to rhythm guitar, while Ihsahn continued as vocalist and lead guitarist, and Faust joined as drummer. Emperor released its debut EP, "Emperor", through Candlelight Records. The band also signed with Deathlike Silence Productions but did not release any material through the label.

In 1992, members of the Norwegian black metal scene were involved in a series of church arsons. Samoth was among those involved in the burning of several churches. In the same year, while in Lillehammer, Faust encountered Magne Andreassen in the forest near the Olympic Park. According to Faust, Andreassen made sexual advances towards him, after which Faust stabbed him to death. Faust was arrested and convicted two years later. The day after the killing, Faust participated in the burning of the Holmenkollen Chapel in Oslo with Euronymous of Mayhem and Varg Vikernes of Burzum. In 1993, Emperor began working on its first full-length album. During this period, the band stopped wearing corpse paint, stating that the practice had become a trend and had lost some of its intended symbolism. Following the murder of Euronymous in August 1993, police investigations into the Norwegian black metal scene led to Samoth's arrest for arson and Faust's arrest for the murder of Andreassen.

In 1994, Samoth was sentenced to 16 months in prison for his involvement in the burning of the Skjold Church in Vindafjord with Vikernes. The arson had taken place during a break in the recording of Burzum's EP "Aske". Emperor's debut studio album, "In the Nightside Eclipse", was released in 1994 and received considerable attention within the black metal scene.

Following Samoth's release from prison, drummer Trym and bassist Alver joined the band. Emperor recorded its second studio album, "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk", in 1996. The album received several album of the year awards and rankings in metal magazines, including Terrorizer and Metal Maniacs. Alver subsequently left the band.

In addition to performing in Europe, Emperor played a concert in Mexico City on 24 July 1999. The band continued as a trio, with Ihsahn performing vocals, guitars, keyboards and bass. Emperor recorded its third studio album, "IX Equilibrium", and subsequently toured Europe and North America. Around 2000, Samoth and Trym became increasingly involved with death metal, while Ihsahn focused on his side project Peccatum. Emperor disbanded in 2001 following the release of "Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise", which was written by Ihsahn. Ihsahn later explained that the members had developed different musical priorities and that they considered ending the band while they still regarded its work as artistically successful. Samoth similarly stated that the members had other priorities and felt that ending the band was appropriate.

Following the breakup, Samoth and Trym performed with the black and death metal band Zyklon, while Ihsahn continued working with Peccatum. Ihsahn later announced a solo project influenced by "Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise" and Peccatum, featuring drummer Asgeir Mickelson of Borknagar and Vintersorg.

Emperor performed a surprise three-song concert in Oslo on 30 September 2005 and subsequently announced concerts in California, New York City and Europe for 2006. The band performed at the Inferno Festival in April and Wacken Open Air in August. Samoth was unable to participate in the United States concerts because his criminal conviction affected the processing of his visa application, and Emperor performed those dates without him.

On 7 October 2006, Emperor performed at the Motstøy Festival in Notodden, which was restricted to attendees under the age of 18. The concert took place at the StuA venue and was limited to 450 tickets, all of which were sold. On 28 October 2006, Emperor performed at the Astoria in London. In 2007, the band performed several concerts in the United States and appeared at festivals in France and Finland.

A tablature book based on the compilation album "Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath", containing transcriptions of 13 Emperor songs by Ihsahn and a foreword by him, was released by Candlelight Records on 31 October 2007. Emperor's albums were also reissued in a special box set containing a bonus poster on 21 August 2007.

On 23 October 2007, Samoth announced that Emperor was preparing a second official DVD release. In December 2008, the release was announced as "Live Inferno", a double-disc live album and DVD documenting the band's appearances at the Inferno and Wacken festivals during its 2005-2007 reunion. "Live Inferno" was released in Europe on 16 April 2009 and in North America on 21 April 2009.

On 2 August 2013, Emperor announced that it would reunite to headline the 25th anniversary edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in 2014. The band was subsequently announced as a headliner for the 2014 editions of Bloodstock Open Air and Hellfest. In April 2014, Emperor announced concerts in Tokyo and Osaka for July, with Trym performing on drums because of visa-related issues involving Faust.

On 12 August 2016, Emperor announced another reunion for 2017, with the band performing a special set commemorating the 20th anniversary of "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk".

On 27 December 2018, Emperor announced an appearance at the Mexico Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2019.

Despite its reunion performances, Ihsahn stated in 2019 that Emperor had no plans to record another studio album. He explained that the members did not see a reason to continue beyond the activities they were already undertaking and that recording new material could conflict with their view of the band's artistic identity.

In 2023, Emperor toured the United States for the first time in 15 years, performing "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk" in its entirety. The band returned to the United States in 2025 to perform "In the Nightside Eclipse" in its entirety. In 2026, Emperor toured North America with Blood Incantation as the supporting act. The band also performed at the 2026 Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_(Norwegian_band)

Studio albums

In the Nightside Eclipse (1994)

Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997)

IX Equilibrium (1999)

Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise (2001)

-----

Emperor, real name Conor Corrigan, is a drum and bass and dubstep DJ from Halifax, England. He has released music on labels including Critical, Symmetry, Inspected, Neosignal, Ammunition, VISION and Blackout Music NL, as well as dubstep releases on the Caliber label. Emperor collaborated with Mefjus on the "Hello World EP", which included the tracks "Void Main Void" and "Disrupted". He has also produced official remixes for artists including Black Sun Empire, IMANU and Annix. His side project is Monuman.

-----

Emperor (Burmese: အင်ပရား) is a Burmese hard rock and heavy metal band from Myanmar, formed in Yangon in the 1980s. Led by vocalist and guitarist Zaw Win Htut, the band combines elements of Western hard rock and heavy metal with influences from Burmese musical traditions. Emperor has been associated with the development of rock and metal music in Myanmar and has attracted listeners in Myanmar and among Burmese expatriate communities.

Emperor was formed in Yangon in the 1980s after Zaw Win Htut began pursuing a heavier musical style. At the time, many Burmese bands primarily performed traditional or soft rock music, while Emperor incorporated influences from Western rock and heavy metal. The band's approach contributed to the emergence of harder rock and metal styles in Myanmar.

Emperor became known for its energetic live performances and heavy sound. Its music features electric guitar riffs, prominent drum patterns and vocals alongside elements influenced by Burmese musical traditions. The band has released albums and singles throughout its career, contributing to the development of rock and metal music in Myanmar.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_(Burmese_band)

Studio albums

အကြမ်းဖက်သံ (1983, Violent Sound)

အမှတ်တရ (1984, Remembrance)

သံစဉ် (1985, Melody)

ရင်ခုန်သံ (1987, Heartbeat)

လက်တလော (1990, At Present)

အလင်းရောင်နှင့် အမှောင် (1993, Light and Darkness)

အဆုံးသတ် (1997, Ending)