It will take three years before Emperor proposes a successor to "In The Nightside Eclipse". The band had to rebuild itself first, as Faust had been convicted of murder. Trym, Enslaved's drummer, will now take over his position in the Telemark band. Tchort is fully occupied with his other project, Green Carnation, and will not return. The unknown Alver replaces him and at the end of 1996, the quartet locks itself in the Grieg Hall in Bergen and records what will become for many an absolute masterpiece. "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" is more than a simple record, it is a manifesto.
The one of a genre, first of all, since all the elements of "traditional" black metal are present: rough production, frenetic rhythms, raspy screams and icy atmosphere. But Emperor is a unique entity that certainly uses codes but appropriates them to create its own personality. The one of a style then, because this release will have in the years which followed a resounding impact, being even elected metal album of the year in numerous magazines (Terrorizer, Metal Maniacs, etc.).
Flamboyant and uncompromising, the black metal of Emperor flirts this time openly with progressive metal, still in its infancy at the time, by including even more arrangements and even parts in clear vocals that do not denote with the epic and apocalyptic atmosphere of the compositions. The best example of this melting-pot is probably "With Strength I Burn", a real masterpiece, a pagan hymn that lets the incredible talent of Ihsahn and Samoth, two authors/composers with a similar, coherent and singular vision of what music should be, shine through.
Theatrical, testing and without concession ("Ye Entrancemperium" will exhaust the most emboldened), "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" is a whirlwind that leaves the listener shocked, dazed by such a debauchery of primary energy, but also admiring the complexity of these tracks with a high level of writing. Even more difficult to access than the previous one, it is worth it..