Emperor consists of , Ihsahn (lead guitar; vocals; synthesizers), , Samoth (lead and rhythm guitars), , Trym (drums; percussion).
Emperor is a seminal and infamous Norwegian black metal band that was formed in 1991, dissolved in 2001, and reformed in late 2005. The group was founded by Samoth on drums and vocals and Ihsahn on guitar.
In their youth, Ihsahn and Samoth met at a rock music seminar. The two young men began playing together under various names; first Dark Device, then Xerasia, then Embryonic. The group soon evolved into the now well-known band Thou Shalt Suffer. Soon, however, Samoth began to write music outside of Thou Shalt Suffer, and together with Ihsahn and a new bass player called Mortiis (later of his own eponymous band Mortiis), Emperor was formed. After a short while together, the band released a demo entitled Wrath Of The Tyrant. It quickly gained popularity in the underground and attracted the attention of the then-start-up label Candlelight. Soon afterwards, a record contract was signed, Samoth moved to guitars, Ihsahn took over the vocal duties and Faust was recruited as a drummer.
In the summer of 1992, a series of events were set in motion by the black metal inner circle. Members of Mayhem and Samoth, along with various other black metallers, set out to burn down the ancient churches of Norway. Also in 1992, Faust was in Lillehammer to see the newly constructed Olympic park. A homosexual man approached him and suggested that they go together in the nearby forest. Faust agreed, and once in the forest, stabbed the man to death. He was not convicted until a year later. After Faust committed the murder, he went with members of Mayhem to burn bibles and hymnals at a nearby ski-jump. In the summer of 1993, the band began work on their first full-length record. Emperor supported the famous British black metal group Cradle Of Filth on tour, and after this tour the band ceased wearing corpse paint; they stated that it was becoming a trend and losing its original significance and symbolism. In the autumn of that year, a police investigation began to solve the murder of Euronymous; this investigation eventually led to the incarceration of Samoth for arson, and of Faust for murder.