Mikael and Emperor

CRUSHING THE SCEPTER said:
I talked to the guy on the phone some years ago, before the "In the Nightside Eclipse" album. I could hardly understand a thing he was saying. I still have Emperor's original demo laying around somewhere. The picture inside of Mortiis dressed like a monk weilding a hatchett is priceless. :loco:

I would like to see this picture
 
NightSilentWater said:
I asked Peter last night about this and he said it was actually Faust that gave the tape to Candlelight
Peter's mistaken.

Samoth sent me a compilation tape of various stuff. Just demos and some 7"'s, etc. There was about 1 minute of a rehearsal recording of "Apostle.." at the end of side two before the tape ran out.

I'd heard enough to want to talk to the band immediately, but unfortunately Samoth had no idea who they were besides the fact they were called "Opeth" and he couldn't remember who sent the tape to him in the first place (turned out it was Jonas from Katatonia, but I didn't find that out until years later).

I then went on a search for this mysterious "Opeth" band. It was pre-internet times so I just put flyers in my mail, etc, basically asking people for more information on the band and asking for them to contact me. About 2-3 months later Mike called me out of the blue and then that was that.

Lee_B
 
The Emperor story from AMG music guide...........

When attention first focused on Norway's almost cartoonishly violent black metal scene in the mid-'90s, Mayhem were dubbed its godfathers, but most of the critical accolades were bestowed upon Emperor, whose musical innovations have had more impact on the genre than any other band. Norwegian black metal was rife with anti-Christian sentiment, but Emperor found novel ways of expressing it in their music; while their music could be furious and violent, the group was also influenced by the darkly majestic melodies of Norwegian folk and classical music, which very effectively supported their lyrical subject matter (even if it was frequently unintelligible). Emperor evoked not only Satanic horror, but also the frigid loneliness of bleak Scandinavian winters; additionally, images of pagan nature worship recalled an ancient, idealized pre-Christian past in which Scandinavian culture was one of the world's most dominant (resulting in the sound being tagged "Viking metal" by some). However, even as Emperor's music garnered worldwide acclaim in the heavy metal community, legal difficulties and lineup shifts ensued when a number of bandmembers became involved in the anti-Christian activism and general violence that characterized Norway's underground metal scene at the time.
Emperor's original lineup featured vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Ihsahn, bassist Mortiis (who has been credited with the band's initial interest in Norwegian folk), and drummer Samoth; this trio recorded a demo, Wrath of the Tyrant, in late 1992, and soon added drummer Faust (born Bard G. Eithun), with Samoth switching to guitar. The quartet recorded a split EP with the band Enslaved titled Hordanes Land, after which Mortiis was forced to leave the group — and the country — for unspecified reasons; he moved to Sweden and pursued a solo career, often appearing costumed as an elf. New bassist Tchort signed on for Emperor's full-length debut, In the Nightside Eclipse, which earned critical praise and an international cult following upon its release in 1994. However, around the same time, Samoth was convicted of arson after burning down a historical wooden church; Tchort was sentenced for burglary, knife assault, and desecration; and Faust was locked up for arson, burglary, and murder, stabbing a homosexual acquaintance 14 times outside the Olympic Park in Lillehammer after the man made a pass at him.

After Samoth's parole, Emperor regrouped with new bassist Alver and former Enslaved drummer Trym. A three-track EP, Reverence, was recorded in late 1996 as a precursor to 1997's acclaimed Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, which refined and expanded on the accomplishments of the debut. Alver departed afterwards, leaving Ihsahn and Samoth to split bass chores on record; session bassist Tyr and keyboardist Charmand Grimloch began touring with the group to fill the holes. Emperor's third album, IX Equilibrium, followed in 1999, and the following year the group issued its first concert recording, Emperial Live Ceremony.
 
Arash said:
I started listening to Emperor, until I found out that both former and current groupmembers had been charged with murder.
You shouldn't listen to bands because they're good people but because they are good artists. I can see not listening to a band because of their idealogies (though I don't personally create this boundary) but Faust played the drums, he didn't write the lyrics or anything. Also he's only on the Emperor EP, Wrath of the Tyrant and In the Nightside Eclipse. He didn't play on the final three albums, so either way you should be listening to those ones at least...
 
Thanks for clearing that up Lee, I think 1st hand information is the way to go :).

It's awesome how everything was connected there... Samoth ended up indirectly getting Opeth signed, but Jonas was the one who sent the demo to him in the first place... I think Mike owes him one :lol:.. Great story.