Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (formerly punctuated Godspeed You Black Emperor! and abbreviated to GY!BE, GYBE, or just Godspeed) are a Canadian post-rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 1994 in Montreal, Canada, the band has been highly influential within the 'post-rock' genre. Working with orchestrated arrangements, the nine-piece group have created tracks with wide dynamic ranges, a highly evocative use of instrumentation and sounds and uncompromising long form compositions. The band's engrossing use of art and visuals in both album packaging and live performances has created an enigmatic aura.

The band took their name from a little known 1976 Japanese black-and-white documentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits of a Japanese biker gang, the Black Emperors.

The band is most commonly classified as post-rock, but exist outside any established scene and take influences from a range of styles including progressive rock, post-punk, classical music, soundtrack composition and the avant-garde. Each band release usually consists of long tracks (mostly between 15 and 25 minutes), divided into "movements" sometimes specified in the liner notes.