Review by Sonny for Emperor / Enslaved - Emperor / Hordanes Land (1993)

Even at this early stage of the two bands' nascent careers, it is abundantly obvious that both outfits were a cut above the rest of the black metal community, both in terms of musical proficiency and song writing ability. Although this split is subject to the usual inferior recording quality of most early BM releases, it is clear that here were two bands that would have the imagination and skill to break out of the box and evolve the genre, thus giving it a secure future as more than just a niche offshoot of the metal world. However, for all the song writing complexity and technical ability on offer, these tracks still speak to the primal in us, as all the very best black metal does. A seminal release in the annals of black metal, the best split release of all time and one that provides not only some of my favourite black metal tracks, but some of the very best metal ever burnt on to a silver disc.