Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Emperor, released on 21 October 2001 through Candlelight Records. The album differs from Emperor's previous offerings with a focus on a more progressive style.[2][3]
| Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 October 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Studio | Symphonique Studios (rhythm, lead and additional guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, bass, vocals); Akkerhaugen Lydstudio (Akkerhaugen, Norway; drums, percussion and "amp-dubs") | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:51 | |||
| Label | Candlelight, Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Ihsahn | |||
| Emperor chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy Award for Best Metal album in 2001.[3]
Release and reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Alternative Press | 8/10[4] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 7/10[5] |
| Kerrang! | [3] |
| Rock Sound | [6] |
Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise failed to chart in North America and Europe. A music video was made for the song "Empty" and released on 8 October 2001.[3]
The album received critical praise from music critics. Reviews from metal-based magazine Kerrang! declared it their album of the week on 10 October, comparing it to Metallica's Master of Puppets in terms of quality,[citation needed] while the magazine Terrorizer picked it as album of the month.[3] John Serba of the online music database AllMusic praised the album, stating "Those willing to invest a significant amount of time into Prometheus will be thoroughly rewarded on intellectual and emotional levels [...] while more practical listeners unwilling to slap on headphones and willfully ingest the lyrics will find the record impenetrable", calling the album a "birth-to-death concept album of such weight and density that it takes roughly two dozen listens to even begin to appreciate the depth of its composition and its painstaking attention to detail."[1]
In 2003, in a review of Emperor's compilation album Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath, Dominique Leon of Pitchfork referred to Prometheus as "fairly amazing", and "arguably [Emperor's] most technically and compositionally complex album".[7]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ihsahn
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Eruption" | 6:28 |
| 2. | "Depraved" | 6:32 |
| 3. | "Empty" | 4:16 |
| 4. | "The Prophet" | 5:41 |
| 5. | "The Tongue of Fire" | 7:10 |
| 6. | "In the Wordless Chamber" | 5:12 |
| 7. | "Grey" | 5:05 |
| 8. | "He Who Sought the Fire" | 5:28 |
| 9. | "Thorns on My Grave" | 5:55 |
| Total length: | 51:51 | |
Personnel
edit- Ihsahn – vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, synthesizer, bass guitar, programming, arrangement and mixing
- Samoth – additional guitar
- Trym – drums and percussion
- Technical staff
- Thorbjørn Akkerhaugen – mixing
- Tom Kvålsvoll – mastering
- Christophe Szpajdel – logo
References
edit- ^ a b c Serba, John. "Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise - Emperor : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ^ a b College Music Journal: 27. 15 October 2001.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b c d e f "main". emperorhorde.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ^ Alternative Press: 80. December 2001.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Flaaten, Chris (19 October 2001). "CoC : Emperor - Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise : Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ Exley, Mike (November 2001). "Reviews: Metal". Rock Sound. No. 30. UK: IXO Publishing Ltd. p. 90.
- ^ Leone, Dominique. "Emperor: Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2012.