Editing In the Nightside Eclipse

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = In the Nightside Eclipse
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Emperor (Norwegian band)|Emperor]]
| cover      = Inthenightsideclipseemperor.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = February 21, 1994
| recorded   = July 1993
| venue      =
| studio     = [[Grieg Hall]], [[Bergen]]
| genre      = [[Symphonic black metal]]<ref name=AllMusic/>
| length     = {{Duration|m=48|s=29}}
| language   = English
| label      = [[Candlelight Records|Candlelight]]
| producer   = Emperor, [[Eirik Hundvin|Pytten]]
| prev_title = [[As the Shadows Rise]]
| prev_year  = 1994
| next_title = [[Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk]]
| next_year  = 1997
}}

'''''In the Nightside Eclipse''''' is the debut [[studio album]] by Norwegian [[black metal]] band [[Emperor (Norwegian band)|Emperor]], released in 1994 through [[Candlelight Records]]. It was their only album to feature drummer [[Faust (musician)|Faust]] and one-time bassist [[Tchort]]. Considered a landmark in the black metal scene, the album has been ranked by critics as one of the most influential albums of the genre. It also contains some of Emperor's best known tracks, "I Am the Black Wizards" and "Inno a Satana".

== Recording and production ==
The album was co-produced by [[Pytten]], who produced [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]]'s ''[[De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas]]'' and [[Burzum]]'s [[Burzum (album)|debut album]], as well as albums by [[Immortal (band)|Immortal]] and [[Enslaved (band)|Enslaved]]. Faust partially credits Pytten with the sound of ''In the Nightside Eclipse''.<ref name=":0" />

Most of the music was written and rehearsed before the band entered the studio. However, much of the symphonic keyboard sections were composed in the studio at the time of recording as the band did not then have a permanent keyboard player.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mudrian |first1=Albert |title=Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces |date=July 14, 2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |pages=282 }}</ref> 

Ihsahn was 17 years old at the time of the album's recording, and because he was unable to join the rest of the band members in festivities at the local "rock pubs" in [[Bergen]] after the album's recording sessions, he spent large amounts of time in the studio working with audio engineer Pytten. Ihsahn had a preexisting interest in audio engineering and took instruction on recording technology from Pytten.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mudrian |first1=Albert |title=Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces |date=July 14, 2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |pages=281–282 }}</ref>

Although the album was recorded in July 1993, it was not mixed until the following year due to Faust and Samoth's arrests and sentences in jail. In the end, only Ihsahn and Samoth were present for the mixing of the album, though he passed along his input to them in a letter. Ihsahn was ill at the time of recording, and Tchort recalls him spitting blood while recording vocals for the album. Some of the early vocal takes were replaced with ones recorded after he had recovered, as were some of the keyboard parts.<ref name=":0" />

==Artwork==
The album cover was drawn by [[Kristian Wåhlin]], also known as "Necrolord", depicting a host of [[orc]]s en route to [[Minas Morgul]]. The part below the band logo is based upon a section of a larger engraving called "[[:File:Gustave Dore - Death on the Pale Horse resized.png|Death on a Pale Horse (Revelation)]]" by [[Gustave Doré]]. That section itself was also used as the album cover for the ''Emperor (EP)''.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The interior artwork features a photograph of the Trascau Fortress in [[Transylvania]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==Music==
''In the Nightside Eclipse'' has often been referred to as a pioneering influence in [[symphonic black metal]]. Although all the key elements of black metal are present, such as fast tremolo-picked guitar passages, harsh screams, and raw, lo-fi production, the use of symphonic keyboard sections is a key part of the album's distinctive sound. According to Steve Huey of AllMusic, "Even if the keyboards mostly just outline basic chord changes, they add a melancholy air to all the furious extreme sounds, turning the one-note ugliness of black metal into something emotionally complex."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-nightside-eclipse-mw0000046554|title=In the Nightside Eclipse - Emperor {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=2016-11-12}}</ref> [[Kerrang!|Kerrang]] said, "Proving that [black metal] wasn’t all about primitivism, instead the composition here is technically and creatively staggering, with ethereal keyboards adding a freezing atmosphere."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-03 |title=The story of black metal in 14 songs |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-story-of-black-metal-in-14-songs |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=Kerrang! |language=en}}</ref>
==Lyrics==
Some of the lyrics on the final version of the album were partially written by Mortiis, before he left the band. Samoth has suggested that the frequent use of the word "emperor" in the lyrics became a kind of metaphor, "for our own entity, for the dark lord, for the devil, for the strong and mighty." Samoth has cited the power of Norwegian nature as a key inspiration on Emperor's music and this album in particular. They also expressed a fascination with the [[Viking Age|Viking age]], [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]'s literature, story of [[Count Dracula|Dracula]], as well as "everything related to [[Transylvania]], the [[Carpathian Mountains]], the dark corners of Eastern Europe, and folklore." Ihsahn, however, has explained that he never read much of Tolkien's work, although he consciously made use of the language and imagery of fantasy.<ref name=":0">''In the Nightside Eclipse''. ''Candlelight Records'' (CD liner). Emperor. 2014. CANDLE336CD</ref>

== Critical reception and legacy ==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=AllMusic>{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-nightside-eclipse-mw0000046554 |title=In the Nightside Eclipse - Emperor : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic |work=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=11 August 2012}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''Metal Crypt''
| rev2Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/review.php?revid=1455 |title=The Metal Crypt - Review of In The Nightside Eclipse |publisher=Metal Crypt |date=6 April 2004}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''Sea of Tranquility''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pardo |first=Pete |url=https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=16248 |title=Review: "Emperor: In the Nightside Eclipse-20th Year Anniversary Edition" |publisher=Sea of Tranquility |date=7 June 2014}}</ref>
| rev4 = [[Sputnikmusic]]
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Sputnikmusic review">{{cite web | url = https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/66675/Emperor-In-the-Nightside-Eclipse/ | title = Emperor in the Nightside Eclipse (album review) - SputnikMusic | last = Ward | first = Kyle | date = 7 April 2015 | accessdate = 12 November 2016 | publisher = Sputnikmusic}}</ref>
}}

In his review, Steve Huey of [[AllMusic]] gave the album five stars out of five, writing, "''In the Nightside Eclipse'' resoundingly demonstrated that there was real musical substance and ambition in the world of black metal. [...] [it] somehow managed to capture the essence of the genre while completely rewriting its rule book", commenting that it was also "the first [album] to fuse black metal with progressive and symphonic elements, setting the stage for a bevy of future experimentation in the genre, [...] As such, it certainly possesses the farthest-reaching legacy of anything from Norway's bloody first wave, and ranks as one of the most important heavy metal albums of the '90s."<ref name="AllMusic" /> In 2005, the album was ranked number 292 in ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]'' magazine's book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=96}}</ref> Kyle Ward of Sputnikmusic gave the album 5/5, writing that "''In the Nightside Eclipse'' is a masterwork because of this compositional balance. It allows the keys to be overbearing without stealing the show – an attribute that the lack of which has since proven to be the downfall of countless symphonic black metal acts. This is still, at its core, a harsh, obscenely heavy record, and one only needs to place themselves in the maelstrom of tracks like "I Am the Black Wizards" to realize there is more than just symphonies at work here."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/66675/Emperor-In-the-Nightside-Eclipse/|title=Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse (album review ) {{!}} Sputnikmusic|website=www.sputnikmusic.com|access-date=2016-11-12}}</ref>

The album is widely considered one of the most important releases in black metal, particularly for the second wave of black metal, and has been frequently described as a classic by music critics.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.metalinjection.net/black-metal-history-month/essential-black-metal-listening-emperors-in-the-nightside-eclipse-anthems-to-the-welkin-at-dusk|title=Essential Black Metal Listening: EMPEROR's in the Nightside Eclipse & Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk - Metal Injection|date=2012-02-02|newspaper=Metal Injection|access-date=2016-11-12}}</ref> The album has gone on to influence countless bands, with many considering it the first true symphonic black metal album.<ref name="AllMusic" /><ref name=":1" /> Kyle Ward of SputnikMusic credits Emperor with "[taking] the genre in a direction now seen as a natural extension of black metal's sphere of influence."<ref name=":1" /> It is the only Emperor album to feature Tchort on bass, who later went on to play with [[Carpathian Forest]], Blood Red Throne, and others. In 2005 Decibel Magazine adopted the album into their hall of fame, writing that "upon its release in 1995, ''In the Nightside Eclipse'' established Emperor as the reigning masters of a more complex, atmospheric style of "symphonic black metal". They also called it "one of the most historically fascinating and sonically influential albums in the annals of extreme metal."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://decibelmagazine.com/hall-of-fame/2015/3/19/emperor-in-the-nightside-eclipse|title=Emperor - "In the Nightside Eclipse"|newspaper=Decibel Magazine|access-date=2016-11-12}}</ref> In 2009, Loudwire named it the 18th best debut album of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://loudwire.com/emperor-in-the-nightside-eclipse-best-debut-metal-albums/|title=No. 18: Emperor, 'In the Nightside Eclipse' – Best Debut Metal Albums|website=Loudwire|date=6 June 2013 |access-date=2016-11-12}}</ref> In 2009, [[IGN]] included ''In the Nightside Eclipse'' in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list; according to IGN, "Emperor inspired the wave of overtly-technical black-metal bands that would rule the underground in the early 2000s. [[Dimmu Borgir]] and [[Cradle of Filth]] owe a huge debt to this album."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2009/01/07/10-great-black-metal-albums?page=4|title=10 Great Black Metal Albums|last=Ramirez|first=Carlos|date=6 January 2009|work=[[IGN|ign.com]]|accessdate=12 September 2012}}</ref> In July 2014, ''In the Nightside Eclipse'' was listed at number three in ''[[Guitar World]]'' magazine's list of "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guitarworld.com/superunknown-50-iconic-albums-defined-1994|title=Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994|date=14 July 2014|work=[[Guitar World|GuitarWorld.com]]|accessdate=14 July 2014}}</ref> In 2021, it was elected by ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' as the best symphonic metal album of all time.<ref name="MHbestsymph">{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Hywel |last2=Dome |first2=Malcolm |last3=Goodman |first3=Eleanor |last4=Chantler |first4=Chris |last5=Gordon |first5=Connie |last6=Grady |first6=Spencer |last7=Rees |first7=Adam |last8=Selzer |first8=Jonathan |title=The 25 best symphonic metal albums |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-25-best-symphonic-metal-albums/3 |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |access-date=2 January 2022 |date=17 November 2021}}</ref>

[[Matt Heafy]] of [[Trivium (band)|Trivium]] wrote that "Emperor had crafted a unique sound in its combination of the classical with modern metal conventions that had not been executed with such precision before."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/blog/post/guest-column-matt-heafy-of-trivium-on-emperors-in-the-nightside-eclipse|title=Guest Column: Matt Heafy on Emperor's 'In the Nightside Eclipse'|website=AllMusic|access-date=2016-11-12}}</ref>

==Reissues==
In 1999, the album was [[remaster]]ed and reissued, with two [[cover version|cover]] songs as bonus tracks: "[[Blood Fire Death|A Fine Day to Die]]" by [[Bathory (band)|Bathory]], and "[[Don't Break the Oath|Gypsy]]" by [[Mercyful Fate]]. For the reissue, the opening tracks "Intro" and "Into the Infinity of Thoughts" were combined, whilst the album was packaged in a paper [[slipcase]] covering the traditional [[optical disc packaging#Jewel case|jewel case]], with both featuring the same artwork. A second reissue followed in 2004, which included videos of live performances from 1997. In 2014, in celebration of the album's 20th anniversary, the band reissued a remastered deluxe version of the album. It also featured the bonus tracks from the ''As the Shadows Rise'' 1994 EP, as well as a previously unreleased alternative mix of the album and pre-production rehearsal tracks from 1993. The album was remastered by [[Jens Bogren]] at Fascination Street Studios in 2014.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_music = [[Ihsahn|Vegard Tveitan]] and [[Samoth|Tomas Haugen]], except where noted
| title1    = Intro
| lyrics1   = Instrumental
| length1   = 0:51
| title2    = Into the Infinity of Thoughts
| lyrics2   = Haugen
| length2   = 8:15
| title3    = The Burning Shadows of Silence
| lyrics3   = Tveitan, Haugen
| length3   = 5:36
| title4    = Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times
| lyrics4   = [[Mortiis|Håvard Ellefsen]]
| length4   = 6:06
| title5    = Beyond the Great Vast Forest
| lyrics5   = Haugen
| length5   = 6:01
| title6    = Towards the Pantheon
| lyrics6   = Tveitan, Haugen
| length6   = 5:57
| title7    = The Majesty of the Night Sky
| lyrics7   = Tveitan
| music7    = Tveitan
| length7   = 4:54
| title8    = I Am the Black Wizards
| lyrics8   = Ellefsen
| length8   = 6:01
| title9    = Inno a Satana
| lyrics9   = Tveitan
| note9     = [[Italian language|Italian]] for "Hymn to Satan"
| length9   = 4:48
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 1999 remastered edition
| title1 = Intro/Into the Infinity of Thoughts
| length1 = 9:06
| title2 = The Burning Shadows of Silence
| length2 = 5:35
| title3 = Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times
| length3 = 6:06
| title4 = Beyond the Great Vast Forest
| length4 = 6:00
| title5 = Towards the Pantheon
| length5 = 5:58
| title6 = The Majesty of the Nightsky
| length6 = 4:53
| title7 = I Am the Black Wizards
| length7 = 6:00
| title8 = Inno a Satana
| length8 = 4:48
| title9 = A Fine Day to Die
| note9 = [[Bathory (band)|Bathory]] cover
| writer9 = [[Quorthon|Thomas Forsberg]]
| length9 = 8:28
| title10 = Gypsy
| note10 = [[Mercyful Fate]] cover
| writer10 = [[King Diamond|Kim Petersen]], Michael Denner
| length10 = 2:57
| total_length = 59:51
}}

==Personnel==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Emperor===
*Emperor – [[mastering engineer|mastering]]
**[[Ihsahn]] – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
**[[Samoth]] – rhythm guitar
**[[Tchort]] – bass guitar
**[[Faust (musician)|Faust]] – drums
{{col-2}}

===Additional personnel===
*[[Alver (bass player)|Alver]] – bass (tracks 9, 10 on ''1999 edition'')
*[[Trym Torson|Trym]] – drums (tracks 9, 10 on ''1999 edition'')
*Charmand Grimloch – keyboard (track 10 on ''1999 edition'')
*Tim Turan – mastering
*[[Christophe Szpajdel]] – logo
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Emperor}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Emperor (band) albums]]
[[Category:1994 debut albums]]
[[Category:Candlelight Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Kristian Wåhlin]]