I have been supporting and listening to Emperor since their "In the Nightside Eclipse" days and have always considered them as an influential and great band. But not until recently did I totally understand what their true being is and how excellent and important they are to the metal scene and to the whole world. Through means of higher understanding, I listened to IX Equilibrium one more time to finalyze my thoughts and emotions toward it to make a fair judgement. But that wasn't what happened, what occured to me was that Emperor is more than a band, but something far more deeper. This group of people especially the genius mind of Ihsahn (vocals/guitar) are the bringers of a prophecy, and Ihsahn is the prophet, Emperor is his means of reaching out to the masses. I have understood every message and information that he has inscribed through the songs and the album as a whole, and through this I can firmly say that IX EQ is a concept album. But I will not get into the exact details of Ihsahn's messages in this review. Perhaps I will touch on that subject in the near future (I have already paraphrased the first song "Curse You All Men!" already and will continue on the other songs). But for now, let us dive into the basic lyrical foundation and musical side of things. Stating a while ago that IX EQ is a concept album, you must have the booklet of the album to understand what I am getting at. If you look closely at the booklet, you will notice that the cover is depicting a kingdom that you are about to enter, and that Emperor (on the left side) are the rulers of that kingdom. Observe on the right side that it depicts an entrance to some underground lair with people approaching and entering it. You will see that there is a demon guardian on the far right and more lost souls surrounding it.

Open the booklet and read through the lyrics of each song. Do not try to skip read, follow the order of the songs and the music. On the background of the lyric sheet, you will see that chaos is everywhere and that a great flood will kill all lifeforms. This is the part of the album where Ihsahn is talking about the steps for the destruction of man. And lastly, on those first batch of lyrics, the song "The Source of Icon E" comes in, and as you reach the end with this set of lyrics, turn the page and you will see a painting or image of a storm with hooded people and a demon invading mankind. Everything is in total chaos. This fits perfectly with the lyrics of the song. That marks the first chapter of the story. When you turn to the next set of lyrics to the last four songs, this is where the great storm has passed. The secrets of the prophecy is revealed and explained through the song "Nonus Aequilibrium". After that song, "The Warriors of Modern Death" comes in where another important message is told. This song is about us metalheads and our mission in this world. The last song "Of Blindness and Subsequent Seers" is the most shocking of all. This is about oneself and also closes the album.

You will notice on your cd player that there are nine tracks but actually there are only eight. Track nine just a couple of seconds of instrumental music after track 8. When track 8 is about to finish, look at the timer and when it hits track 9, look at the last page and you will be amazed. Remember to read all the lyrics to get the whole essence of the album. Ok enough about that, let's get on to the aural attack which is the music. Of course i wouldn't be reviewing Emperor if they weren't a musical entity. If you have been listening to them in the past, you will notice certain changes in the sound, particularly in the guitar department and the overall production. The sound of this album is a very tight and pummeling piece of work. The guitars are mixed in a certain setting which creates a very sharp and trebly production. The drums are heavier this time around too, the toms and the bass drums just shakes the floor. And here is the best part, Emperor has always been known for layering large amounts of music to the point of chaos and somehow, they always make it work through the classical foundations underneath the compositions. Through their music, they have bewildered and challenged the minds of metalheads, critics, skeptics and fans alike. And IX EQ is no exception. Actually on this album, they have upped the layering to the point of being inhuman. The layering of guitars, keyboards, various sound effects and the very multi-faceted oral attacks of Ihsahn are just outstanding (now also using high-pitched clean vocals). The speed never pulls a punch and always goes full throttle. You have a million guitar licks and riffs spinning from every possible corner and valve of your speaker system knocking you stunned and in awe inside your own little damaged brain. The vocals are one good thing to pay close attention to for they are just sick!! They jump all over the place and the screams and squeals are just overflowing uncontrollably.

This is an album of pure chaos and perfection with an underlying sense of truth in it. You may notice that I didn't refer to this album as black metal because for me, they have transcended through the confines of black metal. This is beyond black metal, it is even beyond metal...this is knowledge in its purest and most unadulterated form. Believe me, just listen to this piece of genuis wholeheartedly, with no interruptions, an open mind and you will gain infinite wisdom. All bow down and give eternal praise to the EMPEROR!!

This review is credited to:
DEATHCRAYON