March 28, 2026
Emperor triumphantly returns to Montreal
Seminal Norwegian black metal originators Emperor returned to Montreal’s MTelus and blew the roof off the building.
Playing to a jam packed house, they were accompanied by none other than infamous cosmic death band, Blood Incantation. If the event wasn’t sold out, there must not have been more than one ticket left: the place was packed ”tuna can” tight!
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Truly, we live in interesting times for heavy music, as fans of all generations coalesced, forming an impressive crowd that really gave it their all. The masses were lively, appreciative and loud.
I would expect nothing less. Let’s begin with the primordial annihilators themselves, Blood Incantation.
Blood Incantation
Burning a bright orange, small bits of incense are lit by a member of the Blood Incantation road crew. Small, pyramid shaped morsels burned, spewing snaking tendrils of smoke into the air. The front of the stage was suffused an earthy, meditative scent.
“How absolutely pleasant,” I mused, getting into my photography headspace.
Starting the set with a bang, the band opened with the track entitled The Stargate[Tablet I]. An amazing introductory song, it’s progressive elements combined with traditionally brutal death metal riffs and vocals, was an amazing tone setter.
Absolute Everywhere
Ripping, astral riffs rolled across the crowd as Blood Incantation continued to play from their latest release, Absolute Elsewhere. Taking us on a ride of galactic proportions, they not only played the aforementioned opening track, but the entire album. Brains were transported to realms never before looked upon by human eyes. It’s an album that feels like the natural step forward from Timewave Zero, their ambient album that took the world by surprise.
Unsurprisingly, Blood Incantation tread in new territory for this release, exploring new sounds and pushing the boundaries of metal. It’s a narrative heavy album, or at least, that’s the way it feels to me. Especially, one notices, with the way the songs are titled. Very orderly, the tracks are listed in sequence, further cementing the notion that this Dune-esque astral trip of a metal album, is one huge, cohesive work.
Sitting at the back of the stage, like 2 giants waiting to awake from eons of slumber, were the 2 Paiste symphonic gongs. Hung behind the keyboard player and the drummer, these gargantuan instruments were definitely a highlight for me. They were superb stage elements. Real statement pieces, they spoke strongly to the broad musical palette Blood incantation plays from.
But now, it’s time to move on to something completely serious.
Emperor
Emperor.
The mere mention of the name causes most heads to turn, many faces to light up and yes, some eyes to narrow. Led by musician and songwriter Ihsahn, this black metal band has been around since the very dawn of the genre and is among Norway’s most infamous heavy groups. Ihsahn, Emperor’s enduring, stable element, has overseen the band’s existence since 1991. However, he was not the only founder that performed. Samoth, the second founder, was also present on guitar.
Strangely enough, I had completely forgotten all about the church burning, stabbing and murdering that seemed synonymous with Norwegian black metal in the early 90s. Looking back on it now, I’m amazed that not once, in the time preceding the show and during the event itself, did I even contemplate any of the insanity that this scene was infamous for.
In that light, the following is written using the innocent and untainted notes I took that night.
Reunion with Montreal
The show itself was a pure and musical affaire.
When Ihsahn addressed the crowd, it was short, sweet and from the heart. I don’t know what a 1991 Emperor show was like, but I’m willing to bet it was a whole different sauce than what it was last Saturday. Having long since put aside the white and black face paint synonymous with black metal, the band now projected a timeless, classic style, both in look and in sound.
The evening had the airs of a reunion, a celebration of their career and music. After all, the last time they visited Montreal was in 2018, during the now defunct Heavy MTL festival.
At one point, I couldn’t help thinking that in a way, Emperor was the Blind Guardian of Black Metal. Though not at all as friendly- and I doubt he’d take that personally- Ihsahn’s brief interventions of thanks and appreciation to the crowd were reminiscent of some of Hansi’s trademark stage mannerisms. During one of the two or three pauses between songs, the band’s lead singer certainly seemed speechless when regarding the incredible turnout. He expressed his thanks to the crowd for their presence, despite Emperor’s lack of visits over the years.
Endurance and legacy
The band’s original lineup, from 1991, has long since been broken.
Present for tonight’s show however, were original founders Samoth and Ihsahn, who had been friends since before founding the band. Performing magnificently on bass for this tour, was Tony Ingebrigtsen, while Trym Torson deftly handled the well garnished drum kit. On keyboard, fiendishly flinging his tongue at the crowd, was accomplished musician Jorgen Munkeby.
And this quiet collaborative friendship between Samoth and Ihsahn was still visible on stage. Clearly, their bond is still present to some degree, after all this time, feeding off the dark, creative energies they set into motion over three decades ago, as young adults.
Coming back to the show, don’t ask me to name all the tracks they played. I certainly can’t name them all. However, I will speak of one track. A track, that has undoubtedly had an impact on many bands that would begin their careers following it’s release. And that song is Inno A Satana.
A fan favorite from their debut album In the Nightside Eclipse, it’s a great example of Emperor’s legacy to metal as a genre. This song is textbook symphonic darkness, adding folkloric group chants that echoed their own cultural influences. I realized afterwards what profound impact this band had on later genres of metal, such as folk and so-called battle metal. Bands like Ensiferum, for example.
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During Emperor’s set, you were always on a intensely focused emotional palette and a dark, artistic value range. Whether it was the music itself, the background imagery or the stage lighting. It was a very different experience from that of Blood Incantation’s set. But both bands complimented each other quite well.
Towards the end, I walked to back end of the music hall, where I noticed a woman in the crowd, moving as though possessed by the music. As though she had lost control of her body.
Rhythmically convulsing like a fish out of water with her hands up, fingers extended in devil horns, she communed with the music.
Clearly, Emperor’s return was long overdue.
