German Lighting Designer, Dennis Feichtner deployed Robe moving lights for each show on a recent Latin American tour with Emperor.
The Latam shows were the first gigs of 2022 for the black metal band, marking the first time Emperor had played the territory outside of Mexico City and also a first for the LD.
Feichtner took the colours of the three albums’ artwork – red, blue, and green – and while some might find that limiting, he found it liberating in terms of stimulating imagination and developing enough visual variety and a lightshow with a “lasting beauty” for the performances rather than simply taking a “flash-and-trash” route.
Pointes were chosen as the main beam lights to replicate aircraft landing lights and narrow PAR beam looks of 1990s rock gigs. “Pointes are great beam and spot fixtures with interesting gobos and constant output across the whole beam even when zoomed in as well as consistent colours,” he said. “There were several defining moments in the music where I could slow down with the lights, and it was vital to have these contrasts to the totally manic parts of the set!”
The beams were also used to accentuate and widen the stage space, amplifying and making it appear larger. Feichtner drew inspiration from the band’s logos and signature stage backdrops. “I wanted a more classic gentleman look, something different from the grungy, dirty and satanic side of black metal, but a quality equally eerie and very mysterious to make them stand out,” he noted.
A realist, the LD had managed his expectations for the kit sensibly, and was pleasantly surprised when Robe Pointes and Spiiders were present at every gig and in “excellent condition,” which meant he could deliver the precision show he had had carefully crafted for the band.
Feichtner highlighted the “deep saturated” and “outstanding consistency” of Spiider’s output. “I don’t often use LED wash lights for pixel effects, for me it should be a good decent wash light with great coverage that brings plenty of colour and a certain quality of light to the stage. Spiiders will definitely be my go-to LED wash light on specs going forward,” he concluded.
Emperor will continue headlining more metal festivals and shows over the summer including Psycho in Las Vegas.