{{Müzisyen bilgi kutusu
| Ad = Emperor
| Resim = Emperor|250px|thumb
| Resim başlığı = Emperor
| Genişlet = 
| Artalan = grup
| Köken = Notodden, Norveç
| Tarz = Progressive/Black Metal (son dönem)
| Etkin yıllar =  1991–2001
| Etiket = Century Media, Roadrunner, Candlenight, Nuclear Blast
| İlişkili hareketler = Burzum<br /> Dodheimsgrad<br />Enslaved<br />Gorgoroth<br />Ihsahn<br />Ildjarn<br />Mortiis<br /> Peccatum<br /> Satyricon<br />Thou Shalt Suffer<br /> Zyklon<br />Zyklon-B
| Web sitesi = http://www.emperorhorde.com/
| Şimdiki üyeler = Ihsahn, Samoth, Trym Torson
| Önceki üyeler = Faust, Alver, Tchort
}}

'''Emperor''' 1992 güzünde kurulan Norveçli black metal grubu. Grubun türü gittikçe değişmiş, progresif bir hal almıştır. Davulda Samoth, gitar ve seslendirmede Ihsahn , basta ise Mortiis grubun kurucu üyeleridir.

==Biyografi==

Ihsahn ve Samoth ilk kez bir rock müzik seminerinde karşılaştı ve tanışmalarının ardından farklı adlar altında (Dark Device, Xerasia, Embryonic) müzik çalışmaları yaptılar. Emperor’dan önce aldıkları en son ad Thou Shalt Suffer’dı. Gruba bas gitarda Mortiis’in katılmasıyla Emperor kurulmuş oldu. Çıkardıkları ilk demo ''Wrath of the Tyrants'' kısa zaman içinde yeraltında önemli bir popülarite kazandı ve bunun sonucunda Candlight grup ile bir kayıt sözleşmesi yaptı.

Basa Tchort’un ve davula Faust’un geçmesinin ardından 1994 yılında ünlü black metal albümleri ''In The Nightside Eclipse''’i çıkardılar. Albümün çıkışının hemen ardından, Faust, işlediği bir cinayetten dolayı tutuklandı ve davula Trym geçti. Basa da Alver’in geçmesinin ardından 1996 yılında ''Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk'' adlı diğer önemli albümlerini çıkardılar. Bu albüm öncekinden daha büyük bir ticari başarı elde etti. Dönemin metal müzik dergilerinin çoğu, albümü yılın albümü olarak gösterdi.

Alver’in gruptan ayrılmasının ardından Ihsahn gitar, klavye ve vokalin yanı sıra bası da eline aldı. Grup 2000 yılında, yine bir çok müzik ödülü alan, ''IX Equilibrium''’u çıkardı. 
Samoth ve Trym death metal’e, Ihsahn da progresif müziğe yöneldiklerinden, 2001 yılında çıkardıkları ''Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise'' albümlerinin ardından grubu dağıtma kararı aldılar.
Samoth ve Trym Zyklon’da, Ihsahn ise Peccatum’da çalışmalarını sürdürdüler. 
Grup 2005’in  Eylül ayında, bir dizi konser vermek için tekrar bir araya geldi.

==Müzikal özellikleri==

Müziklerinde karmaşık gitar riflerine klavye eşlik eder, ilk zamanlarında tipik black metal özelliği olarak solo çok ender kullanılır veya hiç kullanılmaz. Ezgiler Baltık-Ortaçağ karışımıdır. Başlarda besteler Ihsahn veya Samoth’un veya ikisinin ortak çalışmalarının ürünüyken sonraki bestelerin hemen hepsi yalnızca Ihsahn'a aittir..

Şarkı sözleri başlarda satanizm temalıydı. Buna rağmen şeytan adı doğrudan kullanmaz, bunun yerine almighty emperor (en güçlü imparator), master of beasts (ucubelerin efendisi) gibi belirtkelere giderlerdi. Her albümüyle bu satanistik tema daha gerilerde kullanılır olmuştur. Başlangıçta şarkı sözleri Samoth’a aitken, grubun son zamanlarında bu işi Ihsahn üstlenmiştir.

{{Infobox musical artist
| Name                = Emperor
| Img                 = 
| Img_capt            = 
| Img_size            = 250<!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| Landscape           = yes
| Background          = group_or_band
| Origin              = Notodden, Norway
| Genre               = Symphonic black metal
| Years_active        = 1991–2001<br> 2005–present 
| Label               = Roadrunner, Candlelight, Nuclear Blast
| Associated_acts     = Enslaved<br>Gorgoroth<br>Satyricon<br>Zyklon<br>Zyklon-B
| URL                 = [http://www.emperorhorde.com/ www.emperorhorde.com]
| Current_members     = Ihsahn<br>Samoth<br>Trym Torson
| Past_members        = Mortiis<br>Bård Faust<br>Alver<br>Tchort
}}
'''Emperor''' is a Norwegian extreme symphonic metal" in their later days[http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=30] They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours.  The group was founded by Samoth on drums and Ihsahn on guitar and vocals.

==Biography==

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 Faust was recruited as a drummer.

In the summer of 1992, a series of events were set in motion by the black metal inner circle. Samoth, along with members of Mayhem and various other black metallers, set out to burn down the ancient churches of Norway.[http://www.angelfire.com/de3/dragonsofthenorth/Arson.html]  Also in 1992, Faust was in Olympic park. A go together in the nearby forest.  Faust agreed, and once in the forest, the man began to make strong sexual advances towards him. Faust then stabbed the man to death.[http://heavymetal.about.com/od/interviews/a/faust.htm][http://www.angelfire.com/de3/dragonsofthenorth/Arson.html]  He was not convicted until a year later.  After Faust committed the murder, he went with members of Mayhem to burn bibles and hymnals at a nearby ski-jump.[http://rockbox.psychocydd.co.uk/details.php?id=ce54e5001c0162c8552c73fbe94347f37355e160]  In the summer of 1993, the band began working on their first full-length record.  Emperor were supported by the famous British group Euronymous of Mayhem, naming Varg Vikernes (of Burzum) as a suspect; this investigation eventually led to the incarceration of Samoth for arson, and of Faust for the murder of Adamec.

In 1994, ''In the Nightside Eclipse'' was released, and earned Emperor widespread acclaim and a large fanbase. The album is considered by many a definitive black metal record, with its epic, evolving song structures, ambient keyboard sounds, and raspy, spewed vocals.

After Samoth's parole, the band was joined by Trym and Alver on drums and bass respectively, and at the end of 1996, Emperor entered the studio to record  ''UK Terrorizer and US Metal Maniacs. Bassist Alver soon left.

Now continuing their career as a trio, with Ihsahn handling keyboards, vocals, guitars and bass, the band recorded their third album ''IX Equilibrium'' and toured Europe and the United States. It was around 2000 when Samoth and Trym started to gravitate more towards death metal, while Ihsahn directed his musical exploration towards the more artistic and progressive side of extreme metal, as shown by his side project, Peccatum. Thus, in 2001, Emperor decided to disband after releasing one final album, ''Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise'', composed entirely by Ihsahn.

Following the breakup, Samoth and Trym continued playing in the black/death metal outfit Zyklon, while Ihsahn concentrated on his family project solo project, much in the vein of Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise and Peccatum, featuring drummer Asgeir Mickelson of Borknagar and Vintersorg. It has generated positive feedback in the black metal community.

Recently, Ihsahn announced an Emperor Tablature Book based on their ''Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath'' compilation album, containing thirteen Emperor tracks from their back catalogue. It will be transcribed by Ihsahn with a foreword also by him, and is to be released October 31 via Candlelight Records. Emperor's albums were also re-issued in a special box version with a bonus poster on Aug. 21, 2007.

Samoth announced on October 23rd, 2007 that Emperor will be preparing a second official DVD release<ref>[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=83334 roadrunnerrecords.com]</ref>.

==Live Performances==
The band played a surprise three-song show in Oslo on 30 September 2005, at which they announced a series of full concerts to take place in California, New York City, and Europe in 2006. As of February 2006, they were also scheduled to play at the Inferno festival in April and Wacken Open Air in August. Samoth unfortunately was unable to take part in the US tour dates, having served time for arson and violence, so Emperor performed without him.

On October 7 2006, Emperor performed at the under-18 Motstøy-festival in their home town of Notodden. The band had wanted to do an under-18 gig and a gig at their home town, so the festival fit perfectly. It was held at a small venue called StuA, and with only 450 tickets available, the concert was sold out in short time.

On the 28th of October 2006, Emperor returned to the UK to play a gig at London's Astoria venue, where the band was warmly greeted by fans. In 2007, Emperor played a series of one-off shows in the United States and two festival gigs in France and Finland.

==Band members==
thumb|200px|Ihsahn

===Current members===
*Ihsahn (Vegard Sverre Tveitan) - vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards (1991– present)
*Samoth (Tomas Haugen) - guitars, bass guitar, drums, vocals (1991–present)
*Trym Torson (Kai Mosaker) - drums (1996–present)

===Former members===
*Alver (Jonas Alver) - bass guitar (1995–1998)
*Tchort (Terje Schei) - bass guitar (1993–1994)
*Mortiis (Håvard Ellefsen) - bass guitar (1991–1992)
*Faust (Bård Faust) - drums (1992–1993)

===Live and session members===