The Hammer Of The Emperor
Bal Sagoth · Other Songs - Bal Sagoth
My name is a word of power on the lips of my followers.
You can't escape me.
I'm inside your mind.
Beware the Grand Arbiter of Temporal Jurisprudence,
for when it comes at last, terrible shall be thy punishment.
In the ceaseless shadow at the centre of infinity,
the spheres have aligned.
After the day, comes the night.
My time has come.
How seldom falls the opportunity to forge an empire without bloodshed.
It will yet come to war.
[She Came Bearing Dark Portents (The Foreshadowing):]
Fever-dreams, dark omens and auguries. Prophecy!
Why, when I meet your narcotic sloe-eyed gaze,
does the image of a viper nestling in a bed of blossoms fill my mind's eye?
Why, when you come to me by the pale light of a waning
moon, do I glimpse the sheen of ophidian scales through the veils of sable?
Why, when you enrapture me with your envenomed kisses,
does the flicker of a serpent's tongue score my flesh?
Enthralled by the vitreous lustre of your rubicund
lips, your snow-pale skin musky with the intoxicating
scent of night... but such wicket thorns beneath this rose.
Come witch, fly to me!
A garland of newborn stars to adorn thee.
.. the Permian Extinction, a parting gift.
May your maleficent soul walk only in dark places.
The Hammer Of The Emperor
Bal Sagoth's 'The Hammer Of The Emperor' stands as a quintessential example of extreme black metal, blending atmospheric dread with relentless, blast-beat driven aggression. Recorded in the mid-1990s, the track exemplifies the genre's characteristic use of distorted guitars and shrieking vocals to evoke a sense of ancient, apocalyptic horror. As a staple of Sagoth's discography, the song reflects the band's commitment to creating immersive, narrative-driven soundscapes that often draw from Norse mythology and dark fantasy themes. Its enduring presence in the canon of extreme metal highlights the artist's influence on the genre's evolution, serving as a powerful auditory representation of the 'hammer' metaphor central to the work's conceptual framework.