EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn says that he would be open to writing and recording a comeback album with the band if the circumstances were right
The last EMPEROR album to be released was 2001’s “Prometheus – The Discipline Of Fire & Demise” which was written entirely by Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan). EMPEROR split up soon after it’s release, with Ihsahn going on to pursue a solo career. The band have occasionally reunited throughout the years to perform live, yet have not attempted to write any orginal material.
Speaking with Australia’s Heavy in a recent interview, Ihsahn was asked about a potential follow-up to “Prometheus – The Discipline Of Fire & Demise“, to which he replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “If I had a dime for every time someone asked that… That’s, of course, a question that has come up a lot. And I think it’s easy to answer and it’s kind of hard at the same point. Because to start with, for 20 years, I’ve been, like, ‘No way.’ I’ve seen no point in doing that. But it’s always come up. And it’s something that me and Samoth (EMPEROR guitarist) have to relate to. And sometimes we touch on it more like just by coincidence.
“From my perspective, and I can only speak for myself, so far it’s been very hard to see where we would pick up,” he continued. “The legacy of EMPEROR is that we never compromised. I think that is what appealed to the people who got into this music, that it was not made in a certain way for people to like it. It was just made totally without compromise, and people picked up on it probably because of that honesty.
“If we were to make another EMPEROR record, should we make something that sounded like the old stuff? Which would be easy, but it wouldn’t really be true,” Ihsahn explained. “Or should we pick up where we left off with ‘Prometheus‘, with me doing more and more experimental stuff. I’m not sure that would be what the fans would want.
“In the end, what would be the motivation outside any commercial things? And I think for it to happen, we would have to come to a place where our ideas aligned and that it felt right to do, in the same way that the shows have come together and we are now in a place where it feels right to do, where everybody’s kind of in the same place.
“So, before [I would have said] immediately no, but if circumstances would have it that we would connect creatively and that we could create something on the same pure kind of values that we did in the first place, then I would be open to do that,” he added.
EMPEROR are set to embark on their first U.S. tour in over 15 years this summer. The run of dates kicks off on June 23 in Chicago, Illinois and wraps up on July 1 in Anaheim, California.