Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk - Emperor

This has to be one of the best Emperor albums, next to In The Nightside Eclipse. The intro starts off perfect with guitars playing dark melodic riffs, along with the extra addons provided by the keyboard and the synths. And as the album progresses there is amazing talent, and the atmosphere created from the aggressive black metal sound is flawless. The vocals, the guitars, the drumming is just phenomenal. Perfect, and so much technique, and the riffs are extremely catchy too. I've been listening to this album for years now, and I never get tired of listening to this particular Emperor album. The guitar solos also are amazing in this album. This album is just ...  Read the complete review

Opinion seems to be divided among fans whether Emperor's first or second album captures the band at its best (with most unanimously agreeing that they spiralled downwards after this point). There's a distinct difference between the comparatively eloquent, melodic clarity of 'Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk' and the frosty growl of its predecessor 'In the Nightside Eclipse,' and for its greater variety and more approachable sound, I've always favoured this second effort. Right from the start, this album refuses to be pinned down as typical second-wave Norwegian black metal. 'Alsvartr' is led by slow and atmospheric melodies from the guitar and keyboards with ...  Read the complete review