Search - Emperor :: Wrath of Tyrants

Great beginnings

Karl Haikara | Denver, Co. | 04/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Featuring Emperor's side of the Hordanes Land split and the first Emperor demo, recorded on Ildjarn's 4 track tape recorder used to record all of his things (more on that later), this release is essential to any Emperor fan. Though later releases would be appluaded by metal fans more han black metal fans, no black metal fan can deny the power of this record and "In the Nightside Eclipse." Most fans of Emperor's last two records, and perhaps "Anthems.." will probably find this unlistenable, but that's perfectly fine, not everyone will like the world of real black metal, so they should stick with Immortal's last three albums, Emperor's last two or three and Dimmu Borgir, because the world of real black metal is a wild and wooly place, and not for the unwary. However if you loved "In the Nightside Eclipse' just as much as "Anthems.." then this should be a good starting point for getting into real black metal.



The production on the Demo is almost exactly like Ildjarn's releases and Graveland's very early recordings. Meaning, drums, guitars and bass are a wave of pure sound with the vocals screeching above with quite a bit of reverb pilled on to create a hellish caphcony. The drums sound a bit odd, but that's the charm, the whole sound is very true black metal, and not at all the nicely produced semi-death metal that Emperor would later revert to from too much influence from Morbid Angel.



I greatly prefer this to Prometheus, though that has it's intellectual charms (being actually "Thus Spoke Zarathusra" and Not the legend of Prometheus), as this has a vibe to it that is quite appealing to me, and should be to any fan of early black metal. Too bad Mortiis got deported for whatever reason that he did.



The Hordanes Land split is okay, but I actually prefer the strange echoing production of "In the Nightside Eclipse' to this rather dry and dead mix, the performance is very good however, and it shows off Bard Faust's drumming better than Nightside.



The icing on the cake (making this essential) is the bonus computer file, with some live clips assmbled in a underground way from fans who recorded whatever they could. Very cool and shows how Emperor respect their fans, instead of the commercial way of making sure no fan can ever film or record live performances. I was happy to see this stuff, because it really made me happy to see the band play live at a time when their music was still in a sound that I like. Early-Emperor will always remain one of my favorite black metal bands, later Emperor leaves me depressed and confused.



Excelletn release and essential to black metal fans, if not later style Emperor fans, who probably don't like black metal at all."

Perfect for the Emperor fan

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 09/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am giving this 4 (rather than 5 stars) not for any lack of quality but simply because it is obviously a collection-completing type item for a fan of the band. This gives insight into the early sound of the band, as well as providing several classic Emperor songs on the level of their other great work.



From reading these reviews, I downloaded rather than bought this CD, having gotten the impression that the sound was so horrible that it wasn't worth my time. Thus, when I actually heard it, I was pleasantly surprised- you can tell what's going on, although it's very obviously a cheap demo (at least in the "Wrath of the Tyrant" portion of the CD).



First of all, the first 4 tracks, their "Emperor" EP. These 4 songs are perfect for people who love Nightside Eclipse. The production on this is less muddy and reverbed than the aforementioned Eclipse, some could argue even better, even though this was only a demo. The guitars are clear and buzzing, more of a focus than the keyboards, the vocals not as polished as later but still the Ihsahn we know and love. The drums are given the volume they deserve (and didn't get on Nightside). 2 of the songs, as you've probably read by now, were rerecorded for Nightside, and in my opinion, the other 2 should have been too. They're of the same style and caliber of the 8 tracks on that album, and even people who aren't fond of the "Wrath of the Tyrant" demo that comprises the last 2/3 of the album should like these tracks.



The Wrath of the Tyrant demo, track 5-13, is something I personally enjoy, but can't promise everyone will like. If you think you can make it past the bad production and really absorb the darkness and atmosphere of the recording (as well as listen closely to hear the notes being played), I'd say give it a try, but download one of the songs before you buy. The demo's sound is good for the resources they had, but that's all I can say in it's support. About the actual music, well... These are the most violent and chaotic Emperor songs there are, period (despite actually being simpler than later material). Ihsahn screams his lungs out (by that I mean MORE than any other album they did), enhanced by some rather strange voice effects. The gorgeous melodies present on their later material are not as obvious, but there are plenty of classic Emperor riffs in the vein of the Nightside songs. "Witches' Sabbath" is a flat out scary song. This was before Emperor decided to get artistic. This is pure adrenaline, and there's no cheesiness here.



The music contained here has a unique feel to it just like every other Emperor release. If any music can be called demonic, here it is. Recommended to any fan of old Emperor."