The Latest Breaking News from Emperor

Debate: who are the greatest black metal band of all time?

From Mayhem to Emperor, black metal is full of fearless innovators, and we want you to tell us which band reign supreme

Metal Hammer · Sep 22, 2025

I took my mum to one of Europe’s heaviest metal festivals, and her reviews of the bands are glorious

My mum joined me at Bloodstock Open Air to watch Gojira, Machine Head, Emperor and many more – this is what she thought of their shows

Metal Hammer · Aug 13, 2025

Bloodstock review – this is the UK’s best fest for true heavy metal madness

Trivium bring the bells and whistles, Gojira are supercharged and Machine Head get 1,011 crowdsurfers as they etch themselves on extreme metal’s Mount Rushmore

The Guardian - UK · Aug 11, 2025

"You might hate us, but at least you've heard of us." How Cradle Of Filth became Britain's most iconic black metal band

Controversial t-shirts, murder confessions, being held at gunpoint at the Vatican - Cradle Of FIlth have plenty of stories from over 30 years on the frontlines of extreme metal

Metal Hammer · May 5, 2025

The 10 best black metal albums of 2024

You may as well rename Ihsahn, Zeal & Ardor and Witch Club Satan “Spinal Tap”, because there was none more black in 2024

Metal Hammer · Dec 9, 2024

“He taught me how to play songs by Dream Theater, Iron Maiden and King Diamond… though I remember giving up on some of the John Petrucci solos!” Tor Oddmund Suhrke on guitar lessons with Ihsahn and casting musical illusions with Leprous

Melodies of Atonement finds Leprous taking the complex and making it sound simple – and if that confuses prog purists then so be it, says Suhrke. There is no reversing the evolutionary wheel…

Guitar World · Sep 27, 2024

“Black metal is the only form of music since punk rock that’s not money motivated”: How members of Emperor and Amen smashed together black metal and hardcore in forgotten supergroup Scum

The story of early 2000s underground supergroup Scum, who burnt brightly for one album then vanished

Metal Hammer · Aug 24, 2024

“Hold onto your socks, it’s gonna be brutal!” Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira to headline stacked Bloodstock 2025 lineup

Emperor, Lacuna Coil, Creeper and more have also been announced for the Derbyshire weekender in August 2025

Metal Hammer · Aug 9, 2024

“They’re not interested in pleasing their label or fans – just themselves. That’s what I try to do too”: Ihsahn and his wife want you to listen to Radiohead

When people were just beginning to see that the Emperor man was a progressive musician, he’d long been all over Thom Yorke’s artistic bravery

Metal Hammer · May 8, 2024

“My role in the black metal scene is probably exaggerated, because I was a visible frontman… In many ways I was just the nerd making music”: Ihsahn has never stopped progressing, and can’t understand why others did

The avant-garde maestro explains why his new, self-titled album is his most definitive, complex and atmospheric release yet

Metal Hammer · Apr 24, 2024