Norwegian black metal band Emperor have announced that they will be participating in 2014′s Wacken heavy metal festival.
In addition, the band will have the participation of Bard Faust, the drummer notable for his role on the In the Nightside Eclipse album. Along with Ihsahn and Samoth, this concert will be a reunion of the core lineup that produced the band’s most notable release.
As of now, the band has announced no future plans beyond that point. Ihsahn strongly expressed his disinclination towards a future album, stating that the interests of the various members have diverged too great an extent. That is probably for the best, as the last Emperor album was far removed from black metal and suffered from stylistic confusion.
The earlier Emperor albums were epic, narrative tales featuring overt symphonic influences. The band formed a landscape of sound, in which melodies would crystallize before melting away underneath a crushing rhythm track that took the focus again. Stylistically, they presented a sense of solitude, through which allowed the listener to appreciate the beauty hidden around him. If the band can carry across that original spirit two decades later, they have the potential of inspiring a new generation with their music.
| 9/20 | New Orleans, LA | Big Top |
| 9/21 | Tampa, FL | Crowbar |
| 9/22 | Orlando, FL | Will’s Pub |
| 9/23 | Atlanta, GA | 529 |
| 9/24 | Johnson City, TN | The Hideaway |
| 9/26 | Raleigh, NC | Kings |
| 9/27 | Richmond, VA | Strange Matter |
| 9/28 | Baltimore, MD | Golden West |
| 9/29 | Washington DC | DC9 |
| 9/30 | Philadelphia, PA | Northstar Bar |
| 10/1 | NYC , NY | BB Kings |
| 10/2 | Worcester, MA | The Palladium Upstairs |