Album Review: Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

Candlelight Records - 1994

6/10

I know, I know. It's not too often that I come at such a beloved record with such a spicy score these days, but let me be clear. I have spent many years with Emperor, many years allowing black metal to grow on me, and many years still struggling with Norwegian black metal specifically. We've again reached the time of every other year or so when I revisit Emperor's debut album, In The Nightside Eclipse, and see if one of the records that made such a lasting impact on the scene leaves a lasting impact on me. The unfortunate answer is, despite how much I want to love this, and how beautiful that masterpiece of an album art is, it still does not.

Stylistically, In The Nightside Eclipse runs with the formula that was gaining popularity through the '80s under the "first wave" black metal guise and stretches the harsh and breezy boundaries to a new proportion. Tremolo guitar passages, unwavering blast beats, and throaty, drawn out shrieks fill in for what was once ruffled and raspy, darker tones that originally felt like an evil embellishment of the thrash metal genre. These heights of seemingly riffless rhythms carry much of Emperor's songs, combining with the blistering percussion to create an atmosphere so harsh that changes in pattern are tough to recognize (at least, the few that are there). The end result leaves the listener with more of a wall of soundscapes than anything, meant to target a feeling rather than churn out anything resembling melody. Synthesizers honing a symphonic aura are added to this, more often than not taking higher precedence than the guitars, to finish off what's clearly become a unique brand of the black metal genre, one that would stick around into the modern day.

That's all well and good, being a very sturdy foundation for something truly interesting. My issue lies in the fact that, that's all I feel like it is; a foundation. I never go to black metal looking for drastic jumps in attitude, or wide and vast reaches of standout tunes, however to this day I find so little that sticks out other than the simple fact of it being a compelling sound as a whole. Even the vocals, despite having root in a pretty standard black metal shriek, do very little. Nevermind the fact that they're somewhat drowned, feeling like an afterthought, but Ihsahn's tone is hardly what I would call pleasant. Combining this with the mild levels of difference, the longer runtime, and the harsh overload of instruments in the rough atmosphere make it sometimes a task to get through, even in the right mood.

Moments that I can actually recognize treading different ground are few and far. The slower outro of "Cosmic Keys To My Creation & Times" is certainly one of them, and the synth-drenched intro to the following "Beyond The Great Vast Forest" is a pretty nice contrast. I also won't deny how hard the main riff in "I Am The Black Wizards" goes, reaching that menacing sensation that I look for in black metal. Not only is the attitude here extremely crushing, but the different directions it takes with its calmer middle, strong leads, and a doomy return to the main hook to see us out is quite nice. Like nothing else on the album, this scratches just the itch when I have a hankering for this type of record.

But outside of that, I struggle with In The Nightside Eclipse. Much of the time I find myself wondering how much time is left on the disc, and it's usually more than I'd like. There are certainly more nuances than the few I pointed out, but I'd be lying if I said they were anything really worthwhile. I get the appeal, I appreciate what the Norwegians' debut record did for the scene, and why so many people like it, but with so many chances, I can only really conclude that this isn't for me. I'd never go on a whim and call it a bad album, but there's a reason I'm always reluctant to return.

Album Review: Vanik - IV

Vanik - IV

Self Released - 2024

6/10

For many years now, Vanik have been a key staple to my spooky season spins, especially the second record Dark Season, the latest release when I found them. Their next record may have been a step up in objective construction, but it was a step down in memorability. Naturally, IV comes out and and I immediately scoop it right up wondering if it will expand on any of that. But then I thought, how much can you really expand on this?

Maybe some of it is my taste evolving, and I'll never grow tired of unrelenting speeds with nothing overly unique, so long as it delivers with some kind of identity. Unfortunately, said identity is the issue with Vanik, leaving only that generic heavy/speed metal bottom that's evident across the disc. Their brand relies way too much on the Halloween themes and a spooky aspect that specifically feels like it was written for a campy horror film, and that's only going to leave an impression once or twice. Thus, IV comes across as just another disc of the same serviceable stuff we got on III but without the hint of going another direction.

If you like your horror-drenched effects and straightforward, crunchy riffs, you'll still feel right at home. There's always been a magic to the hints of melody, which you can find plenty of as well. Chant-choruses that repeat quite often over pummeling rhythms is still the name of the game, and howling vocals that combine clean and gruff are still the star of the show. "Infernal Infection" is admittedly a catchy tune, being carried by a decent chorus and probably the strongest solo; impressive, considering this is one of the shortest tunes. Yet, even with this obvious theme sticking the tunes together, it's tough to overlook the jarring shifts in tone, which shows next in "Devoured Melody." Immediately, this jumps to deeper chugs with a far more menacing undertone, topped with thicker bass and harsher vocals. None of these are a bad thing, but the way it runs together is as smooth as a seventh grader flirting with girls at his youth group. As the disc progresses, you'll find much of the same idea chopped up and presented differently, and despite its short length, I find myself wondering how much longer it's going to go on.

No, the irony is not lost on me that I'm complaining about things that I enjoyed in earlier iterations of this band's output, but I think it's a case of the trick wearing itself out, or like a joke only meant to be told once. Obviously you can only take this so seriously, but Vanik's spooky brand of coarse heavy/speed metal hasn't evolved from into anything interesting. For a hot minute, it was lots of fun with lots of raw edge, but it leaves much to be desired these days. Maybe this should have remained a one-off side project of Midnight (which was always sorta a side project in and of itself, but that's a conversation for another time).