Here is the new album from the legendary Emperor. Some people in the underground probably branded them sell-outs because of this record. Yes, productionwise, this is Emperor's most polished album. All the instruments are audible. Ihsahn's voice is not buried in the mix, and, most importantly, the band changed direction musically. Much of death metal influence here, which even predominates some of the songs. And although, this "back-to-the-roots" move might seem odd to some fans, the black/death mixture created on "IX Equilibrium" is very powerful and fascinating. In addition, Ihsahn and Samoth express their love for Mercyful Fate, not to mention to King Diamond himself, as on "The Source of Icon E." The entire album is very fast and relentless. Only on the beautiful "The Elegy of the Icarus" the band lets a listener catch his breath. As always, awesome guitar work is to be heard here, and Trym's drumming is flawless - great double-bass.

Now, for those who are disappointed with Emperor, I have to say this. Yes Emperor's underground days are long gone, but as Insahn and Samoth remarked many times, they don't want to remain on the same terrain, and with each album they do something different. Just like with "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk," the band completely left abandoned the style they had on "In the Nightside Eclipse." Now with "IX Equilibrium," they left behind whatever they had on "Anthems..." With Emperor, it's all about progression, even if they have to turn to their roots for inspiration.

Black metal has to come to terms with the fact that it's musical history is tied to death metal (Darkthrone and Immortal, for instance, have death metal roots), and it's really great to see that the biggest band in the black metal genre is doing just that. I hope it helps to ease that certain animosity that exists, in some circles, between black and death metallers.

Emperor, certainly, didn't want to remain in the black metal underground, and with this album the band really broke the boundaries, refusing to follow the underground mainstream. Neither does it follow any trends. I mean, paying tribute to King Diamond may not be the surest way to hit it big.

OK, so Emperor didn't set any new standards in the black metal genre; neither do they raised the bar for the death metal, but they remain solid as hell, and one of the best bands of the whole metal genre. They definitely deserve the success that they are enjoying. All I ask of them is to keep up the work.

© 1999 boris