Emperor "IX Equilibrium" LP (Multiple Variants)

Vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket. Half speed master. IX Equilibrium, the band's 3rd album for Candlelight and with a slight shift into a less symphonic phase and more straight-ahead direction. This classic returns to vinyl as a half speed master done at the legendary Abbey Road studios.

Limited black and brown colored vinyl LP pressing. Half-speed mastering. 1999 album from the Norwegian black metal band.

The first twenty-five seconds of opening track "Curse You All Men!" clearly reveals IX Equilibrium's hand, with a deeply distorted drawn out death growl transitioning into a high pitched near falsetto cry that immediately erupts into an absurdly heavy blackened thrash guitar piece. Demonic laughter then echoes out, aimed squarely at all the shocked black metal traditionalists who can't believe that they are hearing an Emperor album with production good enough that all of the instruments can actually be heard. The lightning fast distorted guitar insanity continues throughout the song with background supporting keyboards producing a terrifying sound like the souls of the damned moaning out their agony, could they be heard by mortal ears. All vestiges of the low production "necro" sound that marred Emperor's past have been burned away, leaving an uncompromisingly aggressive and wholly evil sonic assault the likes of which black metal had never seen before. While keeping the same style throughout the album as the opening track, every song manages to set itself apart from the rest with its own distinct complex soundscape.

The majority of the vocals are an intensely hostile hellish growl perfectly situated in the middle of the spectrum below the high pitched shrieks from Emperor's earliest work, Wrath of the Tyrant, but noticeably higher than the monotonous death style grunt utilized by many bands. IX Equilibrium marks Emperor's ascent towards a more progressive sound, and is the first time the band utilizes clean vocals in addition to growls and shouts, situated sparingly across the album and creating moments of unexpected contrast that entice IX Equilibrium's victims deeper into its unholy spell. The clean singing has a very operatic and epic quality, as though vocalist Ihshan is heralding the end of Emperor's previous sound and ushering in their new age of music. Lyrically the trend has continued from previous albums to focus on the darker aspects of the Old Ways, the acceptance of no God but oneself, and the hypocrisy of the newer monotheistic religions. All of these themes are combined much more seamlessly and eloquently than in the past without sacrificing any amount of passion or the bitingly cold fury that Emperor is famous for. Each song merges together a sense of the mysterious and mystical, a chilling absolute evil, and a primal call to raise one's sword and let out a battle cry.

IX Equilibrium showcases why Emperor is considered one of the most important bands in the history of extreme metal by crafting a concerted harmony of overly complex and technical guitar work, fast and furious drumming that has come to be expected in the genre, and maintaining remarkable restraint with keyboards that illuminate and emphasize the rest of the music rather than overshadow it. Some may find the complexity of this album hard to digest fully in a single sitting, but as its sounds are probed and examined over time it will become very clear that IX Equilibrium rightfully deserves its reputation as a milestone album from a band that only knows how to grow.

Tracklist:

A1        Curse You All Men!
A2        Decrystallizing Reason
A3        An Elegy Of Icaros
A4        The Source Of Icon E
B1        Sworn
B2        Nonus Aequilibrium
B3        The Warriors Of Modern Death
B4        Of Blindness & Subsequent Seers