Candlelight Records confirms the completion of the final recordings from black metal legends Emperor. Titled Live Inferno, the special live series features various releases recorded/filmed during the band’s sold out 2005-2007 reunion performances. Several formats will be available including a 2xCD/slipcase with 16-page booklet, a limited edition box featuring 2 CDs & DVD with an enhanced 24 page booklet, a single DVD, and two limited edition double-vinyl gatefold sets. April 16 is set as the European release date for the series with April 21 set as the North American release date.
The audio aspect of the
Live Inferno series features exclusive recordings from the band’s headlining performances at Norway’s Inferno Festival and Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival. Each recording will be pressed as individual double-vinyl sets; the first pressing limited to 1000 on black vinyl with any additional pressings in varied colors selected by the band. A special gold-vinyl seven-inch limited to 2000 titled
Thus Spake The Nightspirit (featuring a live rendition of the band’s famed song from the album Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk with a live recording of "Inno A Satana" from the album band's popular In the Nightside Eclipse album) will be pressed and released via the label’s official webstores beginning February 16.
The video portion, titled Live at Wacken Open Air 2006 - A Night of Emperial Wrath, has a running time of 70-minutes and includes footage professionally filmed at the Wacken Open Air Festival with additional on-stage and exclusive backstage footage filmed and compiled by the band. "It looks like these releases will be the final nail in the coffin for Emperor," says guitarist Samoth. "They are a testimony of the live reunion that took Emperor to even new heights; unique events like Wacken where Emperor headlined in front of 60 000 people. We had a great run of shows and feel lucky that we were able to come back even bigger and perform songs from our complete catalogue for a lot of dedicated fans old and new. There will be several cool formats and limited editions coming that should be a nice treat for the fans and a worthy representation of the Emperor legacy. Emperor is dead, long live the Emperor!"
Confirmed track listings include:
Disc 1/Inferno:
Infinity Burning (medley), Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times, Thus Spake the Nightspirit, An Elegy of Icaros, Curse you all Men!, Wrath of the Tyrant, With Strength I Burn, Towards the Pantheon, The Majesty of the Nightsky, The Loss and Curse of Reverence, In the Wordless Chamber, Inno a Satana, I am the Black Wizards, Ye Entrancemperium, Opus a Satana.
Disc 2/Wacken:
Infinity Burning (medley), Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times, Thus Spake the Nightspirit, An Elegy of Icaros, Curse you all Men!, With Strength I Burn, Towards the Pantheon, The Majesty of the Nightsky, The Loss and Curse of Reverence, In the Wordless Chamber, I am the Black Wizards, Inno a Satana.
Forming in 1991, Emperor recordings have sold hundreds of thousands worldwide. Their impact on black/extreme metal ranks them as one of the genre's most influential. Respected by musician, fan and critic alike, Emperor recorded their final album, Prometheus: The Discipline Of Fire & Demise, in 2001. Guitarist Samoth and drummer Trym continued together in Zyklon; their third and latest album, Disintegrate, released in 2006. Vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn went on to work with the now defunct band project Peccatum. He produced/recorded the debut from Hardingrock (featuring musical contributions from partner Heidi S. Tveitan from Starofash and famed Norwegian fiddler Knut Buen) and released his second solo album, angL, earlier this year.
Candlelight reissued each of Emperor's four genre-defining albums, Wrath Of The Tyrants, In The Nightside Eclipse, Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk and IX Equilibrium in 2004. Each feature additional bonus footage and material unavailable previously on both European and US-licensed versions. A special tablature book titled Scattered Ashes: A Decade Of Emperial Wrath was released October 2006. Initially sold at the band’s sold out performance at London’s Astoria Theatre, the popular book saw worldwide release shortly thereafter. The 132-page oversized book featuring foreword and transcriptions by vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn includes tabs for thirteen Emperor classics contained on the band's 2003 compilation of the same name.
Emperor-Live Inferno, 2xCD (CDL426, 803341233270)
Emperor-Live Inferno, limited box (CDL452, 803341251113)
Emperor-Live at Wacken Open Air 2006-A Night of Emperial Wrath, DVD (CDL433, 803341249899)
Emperor-Live Inferno, 2xLP (BOBV120, 803341251304)
Emperor-Live at Wacken Open Air 2006/A Night of Emperial Wrath, 2xLP (BOBV121, 803341251311)
Emperor-Thus Spake the Nightspirit/Live Inferno, 7-inch (BOBV1247S, 803341254046)
