Emperor – In the POLLside Eclipse

The album that got me hooked on black metal in the first place, an undeniable 10/10 as far as I'm concerned.

Oh Christ this is hard

Cosmic Keys or Into the Infinity, i think. But.....need to spin it again.

Hearing 'Towards the Pantheon' live this year was transcendent though

As an aside, I must say I've never liked Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk nearly as much. That sense of transcendence, as you put it, was inexplicably lost when they stopped being teenagers.

Leaning towards 'Into the Infinity of Thoughts' myself – what a perfect opener.

Never actually hear «Anthems» until a few years ago. Didn’t like it much either. No mystique.

As for the poll, I’m going for the hit. «... Wizards» it is. Opener runner up.

Also worth noting that this album basically invented cosmic BM… among other sub-subgenres.

My favourite black metal album. "Infinity of Thoughts" is the most iconic track to me, but it's all one dark castle.

If I could I would play "Inno a Satana" on repeat as loud as possible on outdoor loudspeakers on Halloween. No, every day.

The dungeon synth version from the Reverence EP is no less awesome imo.

Speaking of EPs, the earlier, trve klvt takes on 'I Am the Black Wizards' and 'Cosmic Keys to My Creation & Times' are also very much worth hearing. Ditto for 'Wrath of the Tyrant' and 'Night of the Graveless Souls'.

Emperor EP is great.

I prefer Anthems slightly more but this is still an all time classic

guess it's because I heard Anthems first and it was one of my first experiences with BM. this sounds ridiculous but at the time, it didn't occur to me that this music was made by human beings, let alone a bunch of people barely out of their teens. I just assumed it literally got made thousand years ago by demons and someone disinterred the tapes or something

it literally got made thousand years ago by demons and someone disinterred the tapes or something

I thought this was canon?

I appreciate Emperor and this album for basically legitimizing symphonic BM, which, if you're discussing second wave black metal, still gets treated with derision when compared to UBER-KLVT "I RECORDED THIS ON MY COUSIN'S FISHER PRICE TAPE RECORDER" necro shit.

some symphonic shit used to bug me too because by the time Dimmu Borgir was done with it, it was basically "synths do all of the work, while guitars chug-a-lug on generic power chords underneath". Emperor was one of the few bands who married both well with sophisticated arrangements.

like, there are some gorgeous synth bits throughout this album, but the riffs underneath are fairly fuckin' creative throughout - some of them punch in you in the mouth, too. and some riffs are melodically pleasing as well (i.e. "I Am the Black Wizards" main riff), or atmospheric ("Into the Infinity of Thoughts"). the synths and guitars just interlock so well.

the album first really sunk in for me when I was driving to school early one day at 6 am, with the sun just rising, and playing this album for the 45 minute trip.

I will always love, love, love Anthems as it's the first one I've heard and I think it's a beautiful alb, and I got to hear it all live, but this album is probably their masterwork.

"I Am The Black Wizards" by a small margin, but the whole thing just blends together in one glorious haze, agree this is an undeniable 10/10. The EP/7"/demo material is pretty great too but those re-recorded songs on the debut were a major step up I think.

Anthems has some good sections but in the end it was a poor attempt to recreate Nightside. I really hate the mix too. And the lyrics are stupid, compared to Mortiis' wonderfully silly cosmic ramblings.

This album hits an ideal for having really similar sounding tracks without being too similar.

I slighty prefer Anthems because it was more transcendent for me.

Into the Infinity of Thoughts is in my top black metal songs, it never ceases to amaze me. It is so fluid, I love the constant ascending and descending, it is fast, angular, and then you have those solemn moments as if passing in a clearing. Awesome stuff. Many of their other songs play with the same elements, but none are so.. easy. Cosmic Keys and Black Wizards as well obv.
The first Emperor song I heard was The Acclamation of Bonds. A little too complex for its own good, but the same cascading idea and mix of freezing-hot qualities. I suppose we're doing Anthems next.

I suppose we're doing Anthems next.

Sure, I wouldn't mind revisiting it despite (or because of) my reservations.

too much braggadocio on this one imo

Dunno. Even the Emperor acknowledges that he would be nothing without his wizards:

Mightiest am I
But I am not alone in this cosmos of mine
For the black hills consist of black souls
Souls that are already died one thousand deaths
Behind the stone walls of centuries they breed their black art
Boiling their spells in cauldrons of black gold

Far up in the mountains
Where the rain fall not far
Yet the sun cannot reach
The wizards, my servants

Summon the souls of macrocosm
No age will escape my wrath
I travel through time and I return to the future
I gather wisdom now lost
I visit again the eternally ancient caves
Before a mighty emperor thereupon came
Watching the mortals "discovering" my chronicles, guarded
By the old demons, even unknown to me

Once destroyed their souls are being summoned
To my timeless prison of hate
It is delightful to feast upon the screaming souls
That were destroyed in my future

How many wizards that serve with me with evil, I know not
My empire has no limits

From the never ending mountains black
To the bottomless lakes
I am the ruler and has been for eternities long
I am them

From the never ending mountains black
To the bottomless lakes
I am the ruler and has been for eternities long
My wizards are many, but their essence is mine
Forever they are in the hills in their stone homes of grief
Because I am the spirit of their existence
I am them

I am them
I am them

I AM THE RULER AND HAS BEEN FOR ETERNITIES LONG

Wrath of teh Tyrant's millionth reissue coming out on vinyl soon.

I used to hate that one but I've grown to appreciate it as their true 'necro' release. not the one i'm gonna spin the most but it's fun to hear them in that raw state.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

my vinyl of this just came in. picture disc.

coming down off of an MDMA high to this