Originally released in 1999, this split EP brings together two of the finest bands in Norwegian black metal; Emperor of course should need no introduction and if you don’t know who they are you are in the wrong place, while Thorns are the lesser-known of the two. Band founder, Snorre, went down for 8 years due to his involvement in the murder of Euronymous, and musically they have only ever put out one full length in 2001 on Moonfog Records along with a string of demos, EPs and splits. What’s more, this is not what I’d call an ordinary split; on the whole it is something I understand the practicality of but don’t go out of my way to collect. This is rather different in a sense that it offers something quite unique and not what one would expect from either band. The tracks alternate between the two bands rather than being split in half, and it flows pretty damn well with both bands embracing a similar conceptual feel.
Emperor kick things off with ‘Exordium’, which crackles, clangs and clomps through into Thorns’ ‘Aerie Descent’ with an almost martial, industrialised backbone. Slowly paced, this one eerily slithers forward allowing atmosphere to steadily build with synths floating around the mix. At times this exudes an intriguing faerie-like quality, a kind of light-footed dance around in the darkness. The song was originally on their 1992 demo tape Trondertun, however has been re-recorded here. Emperor’s take on this is less impressive to these ears, lacking a great deal of the eeriness and ambience of the original and being structurally more straightforward with harsher guitar tone and more prominent vocals.
We also hear Emperor rework their own ‘Thus March The Nightspirit’ [sic] into a rather beguiling orchestral piece which is virtually instrumental and doesn’t so much march as it does float along in an elegant waltz. Approaching the bridge, there is a tendency towards the dramatic and briefly the quasi-operatic ‘Nightspirit’ calls infiltrate the music. Thorns follow this with the industrial-tinged ‘Melas Khole’ which rattles away with a real sense of foreboding in the harsh guitar tone while vocals are particularly hate-filled. ‘The Discipline Of Earth’ carries on with a martial drum rhythm that takes us through ferocious blackened parts and equally more mood-building passages which strike with a Mayhem-esque mystique. Thorns cover of Emperor’s ‘Cosmic Keys’ rounds things off nicely with a dark, crepuscular ambiences and fearsome rhythm that crawls along giving that winding-down feeling. The re-issue comes with three bonus tracks that were not included on the original, including pre-production mixes of ‘Aerie Descent’ and ‘The Discipline Of Earth’.
This isn’t typical Emperor fare, however it is highly enjoyable and I love the use of synths, the cosmic vibes and foreboding atmospheres created. One I definitely recommend.
http://www.myspace.com/thornsband
http://www.myspace.com/emperorhorde
