1991年，有“黑金属之王”称号的Emperor乐队成立，他们开始尝试新的风格和技法，进一步发展了挪威的黑暗金属音乐；他们最突出的试验是在纯黑暗金属中注入了交响因素，侧重于气势的营造，键盘乐器占据了突出位置，并开始注重音乐的旋律性。1994年，他们的第一张专辑《暗面之蚀》（In The Nightside Eclipse）即成为黑暗金属的经典，音乐在嘈杂和狂躁中暗藏着凄凉的旋律，合成的交响曲般的音响宽广恢宏，主唱歌手的演唱具有爆炸性和冲击性，展示了一幅黑暗降临时震慑魂魄的恐怖图景；这张专辑共有八首作品，给人以一气呵成的感觉：《陷入无尽的思索》、《点燃寂静的阴影》、《给予我创造和时间的宇宙之秘诀》、《遥远之地的广阔浩瀚的森林》、《即将到来的众神》、《夜之天空的庄严》、《我是黑暗的巫师》和《心中的魔鬼》。
 
暴力事件似乎总是钟情于挪威的黑暗金属乐队，Emperor乐队也不例外，1994年，鼓手Faust因杀人而入狱，乐队不得不重组。在经历种种挫折之后，Emperor最终树立起自己的王者之尊。1997年，史诗般的《献给黄昏苍穹的赞美诗》（Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk）出版了，它包含了序曲和终曲在内的十首作品。序曲《起誓》在键盘乐器奏出的冷而美的旋律和隐约传来的夜鸟啼鸣声中开始，令人置身于神秘幽暗的境界之中，音乐如同斯堪的纳维亚群山寂静密林深处漂浮的雾气，阴森而寒冷，然后在中世纪的号角和战鼓中，不间断地进入第二曲《Ye Entrancemperium》，接下来的曲目是：《夜之灵魂如是说》、《被打乱的魔法》、《威严诅咒的遗失》、《镣铐的欢呼》、《我与力量一同燃烧》、《迷路者》、《渴望中的灵魂》和终曲《魔鬼的歌剧》。整张专辑给人以迷幻感和凄凉感，尤其以疯狂速度敲击的鼓声，渲染出极度狂暴的效果，歌曲的内容是对远古宗教的幻想和对大自然的描绘，终曲如一首专注于内心世界的交响曲，最后，这首黑暗的史诗伴随着钟声的敲击而结束。关于这张专辑，美国《极端金属》杂志评论道：“在他们具有爆炸性效果的恢弘乐章中，我们可以感受到与之不协调的人类的悲哀。”英国《令人恐怖者》杂志则称之为“血腥之王”。
 
在这张象征着他们艺术生涯顶峰的《献给黄昏苍穹的赞美诗》之后，Emperor又开始了新的尝试，他们在1999年出版的《均衡IX》（IX Equilibrium）中，融入更多传统金属音乐的元素，比如没有使用纯正的黑金属演唱方式，键盘乐器也没有占据主导地位，似乎也不像以往专辑那样狂暴，而是增强了幻想的色彩，但依旧惊心动魄，不可否认，Emperor在这张具有开创性的唱片中，又再次引导了黑暗金属音乐的潮流。
 
When attention first focused on Norway's almost cartoonishly violent black metal scene in the mid-'90s, Mayhem were dubbed its godfathers, but most of the critical accolades were bestowed upon Emperor, whose musical innovations have had more impact on the genre than any other band. Norwegian black metal was rife with anti-Christian sentiment, but Emperor found novel ways of expressing it in their music; while their music could be furious and violent, the group was also influenced by the darkly majestic melodies of Norwegian folk and classical music, which very effectively supported their lyrical subject matter (even if it was frequently unintelligible). Emperor evoked not only Satanic horror, but also the frigid loneliness of bleak Scandinavian winters; additionally, images of pagan nature worship recalled an ancient, idealized pre-Christian past in which Scandinavian culture was one of the world's most dominant (resulting in the sound being tagged &Viking metal& by some). However, even as Emperor's music garnered worldwide acclaim in the heavy metal community, legal difficulties and lineup shifts ensued when a number of bandmembers became involved in the anti-Christian activism and general violence that characterized Norway's underground metal scene at the time.
 
Emperor's original lineup featured vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Ihsahn, bassist Mortiis (who has been credited with the band's initial interest in Norwegian folk), and drummer Samoth; this trio recorded a demo, Wrath of the Tyrant, in late 1992, and soon added drummer Faust (born Bard G. Eithun), with Samoth switching to guitar. The quartet recorded a split EP with the band Enslaved titled Hordanes Land, after which Mortiis was forced to leave the group — and the country — for unspecified reasons; he moved to Sweden and pursued a solo career, often appearing costumed as an elf. New bassist Tchort signed on for Emperor's full-length debut, In the Nightside Eclipse, which earned critical praise and an international cult following upon its release in 1994. However, around the same time, Samoth was convicted of arson after burning down a historical wooden church; Tchort was sentenced for burglary, knife assault, and desecration; and Faust was locked up for arson, burglary, and murder, stabbing a homosexual acquaintance 14 times outside the Olympic Park in Lillehammer after the man made a pass at him.
 
After Samoth's parole, Emperor regrouped with new bassist Alver and former Enslaved drummer Trym. A three-track EP, Reverence, was recorded in late 1996 as a precursor to 1997's acclaimed Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, which refined and expanded on the accomplishments of the debut. Alver departed afterwards, leaving Ihsahn and Samoth to split bass chores on record; session bassist Tyr and keyboardist Charmand Grimloch began touring with the group to fill the holes. Emperor's third album, IX Equilibrium, followed in 1999, and the following year the group issued its first concert recording, Emperial Live Ceremony.