Emperor

Emperor is a seminal and infamous Norwegian black metal band that was formed in 1991, dissolved in 2001, and reformed in late 2005. The group was founded by Samoth on drums and vocals and

Emperor is a seminal and infamous Norwegian black metal band that was formed in 1991, dissolved in 2001, and reformed in late 2005. The group was founded by Samoth on drums and vocals and Ihsahn on guitar.

In their youth, Ihsahn and Samoth met at a rock music seminar. The two young men began playing together under various names; first Dark Device, then Xerasia, then Embryonic. The group soon evolved into the now well-known band Thou Shalt Suffer. Soon, however, Samoth began to write music outside of Thou Shalt Suffer, and together with Ihsahn and a new bass player called Mortiis (later of his own eponymous band Mortiis), Emperor was formed. After a short while together, the band released a demo entitled Wrath Of The Tyrant. It quickly gained popularity in the underground and attracted the attention of the then-start-up label Candlelight. Soon afterwards, a record contract was signed, Samoth moved to guitars, Ihsahn took over the vocal duties and Faust was recruited as a drummer.