For nearly three decades, Emperor has stood as a foundational force in symphonic black metal, consistently ranked among the genre’s most influential acts. Emerging from the Norwegian forests in the early 1990s, the band injected orchestral grandeur into the raw, often lo-fi sound of contemporaries like Mayhem and Burzum. A pivotal moment in their ascent came with “I Am The Black Wizards,” a track initially released on their self-titled EP and later featured on their critically acclaimed 1994 debut album, In The Nightside Eclipse. The song has remained a cornerstone of their live performances and a fan favorite for over a quarter of a century.
Yet, when asked to dissect the enduring appeal of “I Am The Black Wizards,” Ihsahn, the band’s enigmatic frontman, admits to being baffled. “It’s hard to say,” he reflects. “You could say that it has a rather strong hook and a melody line that is very distinct. I would say that it’s a very typical example of some of the early Emperor stuff. [Guitarist] Samoth would approach up with the opening chords and I had a sometimes annoying tendency to find melody in those progressions. ‘I Am The Black Wizards’ is an example where chords are tweaked into something that feels almost like a singable melody.”
The song’s opening riff is renowned for its immediate impact. Ihsahn’s rapid strumming gives way to a breakdown characterized by intricate lead guitar work, driving rhythms and powerful drumming. This dynamic shift, however, appears to have been largely accidental. “There was nothing conscious about the songwriting or any thinking about hooks in those days,” Ihsahn explains. “It was pure intuition; it was never as cynical as, ‘Oh, OK, let’s get the people going!’ At the time, we wanted to have a limited group of people, [and] not the ‘wrong’ people listening to our music.”
The lyrical content of “I Am The Black Wizards,” penned by ex-bassist and songwriter Mortiis, further contributes to the song’s mystique. Ihsahn acknowledges the abstract nature of the lyrics, stating, “It’s similar to Quorthon in Bathory. He was inspired by Motörhead and he wanted to sing about girls and driving fast cars, but he was only 16: he didn’t have a girlfriend and he definitely didn’t have a driver’s licence. Ha ha!” He continues, “With ‘I Am The Black Wizards,’ it’s Mortiis’s lyrics – who other than him can actually make sense of them? I still can’t make sense of them, but there’s an energy behind them that just fits. It’s so abstractly expressed that it resonates with other people who are in a similar space. ‘I Am The Black Wizards’ lyrics don’t make sense, but you see people singing along, thinking, ‘I am them!’”
Lines such as “Mightiest am I / But I am not alone in this cosmos of mine” and “Summon the souls of macrocosm / No age will escape my wrath” evoke a sense of epic scale and dark fantasy, themes prevalent in early Norwegian black metal. The song’s mid-section and conclusion feature intricate guitar work and atmospheric keyboards, elements Ihsahn believes contribute to its enduring popularity. “It was one of those early songs where the keyboards played a major part, especially in the mid-section. I get the feeling sometimes that, due to the fact that we do play extreme metal festivals, the melody lets you tell those songs apart, in a way,” he suggests.
The emotional resonance of “I Am The Black Wizards” is particularly striking during live performances. Ihsahn recounts a recent experience in Poland, stating, “I saw grown men cry when we played ‘I Am The Black Wizards.’ It’s a humbling experience, as a music fan that has close relationships with songs from when I was growing up, to realise that you’ve created a song that has had a similar effect on some other people. They’ve attached emotions and memories to that soundtrack.”
