IHSAHN (STUDIO)

As one of the pioneers of symphonic black metal with his innovative band Emperor, IHSAHN together with his buddy Samoth left the 90s as one of the most influential and popular black metal bands of the entire decade. While Emperor would stop making albums in 2001, IHSAHN focused on his side project Peccatum briefly but ultimately reemerged as a solo artist in 2006 with a shift to a more progressive avant-garde metal sound that still retained the core elements of black metal. It all began with "The Adversary" and some 18 years later IHSAHN is still cranking out quality experimental metal with his latest self-titled eighth album once again capturing the attention of the world of extreme metal.

Deviating significantly from 2018's "Àmr" which saw IHSAHN approaching a more commercial sound at times, this eponymously titled release looks back to the Emperor years and rekindles the spirit of symphonic black metal only this time he replaces the synthesized embellishments with a fuller orchestral sound courtesy of advancements in sampling technologies. While orchestrated metal albums are hardly anything new, IHSAHN delivers a anew approach that eschews a mere symphonic backing and rather features two independent musical scores laid upon each other resulting in not only a more dynamic symphonic metal approach but also by spawning a secondary release that features the orchestral side of the equation exclusively.

Almost sounding like Emperor is playing over a Hollywood blockbuster soundtrack of some sort, IHSAHN crafts his usual mix of nerdy progressive metal replete with all the avant-garde elements that makes him exist in a world of his own along with the black metal raspy vocals, thundering guitar riffs and percussion to match. The album that features 11 tracks at nearly 49 minutes is reminiscent of some of Dimmu Borgir's later releases that offer an equal playing field for the orchestral musical score that oft soars above the black metal mania. And while the album sounds like IHSAHN has been accompanied by an entire philharmonic orchestra at times, the guest musicians only add up to three additional percussionists and a violinist leaving IHSAHN the chore of handling vocals, guitar, bass and orchestral sampling.

IHSAHN is actually quite a diverse album (would you expect anything else?) with varying tracks that features clean vocal led prog metal as on "The Promethean Spark" to full out raging black metal on such tracks as "A Taste Of The Ambrosia" but scattered throughout are tidbits of pure classical orchestration as heard on the opening "Cervus Venator" and the middle intermission "Anima Extraneae." Tempos vary, dynamics vary and stylistic approach may but the gist of this is a mix of crunchy black metal in tandem with classical orchestrations. Tracks like "Blood Trails To Love" feature a mix of the clean vocal prog metal with the raspy more extreme black. While hinting at Emperor's past glories, the metal on this release isn't nearly as full throttle as such magnus opuses as "In The Nightshade Eclipse."

Overall IHSAHN is a decent album but it's a bit uneven with no clear stylistic approach really dominating. While that can become a good thing if the sum of the parts add up to something more profound, this album seems a bit scattered which at times reveals both the metal aspects and the orchestral ones seem to cancel each other out a bit. The novelty of orchestral metal has long worn off and the execution of this seems less than satisfying. The addition of dreadfully long moments such as the album's 9-minute version of a ballad - "At The Heart Of All Things Broken" is actually really cheesy and i seriously would love to cut that entire track from the playing list.

The album seems to lose steam too much with half-assed percussion and metal that doesn't get up to full force. The orchestral parts just seem to dance around and don't really offer a very memorable experience either in a meaningful way. All in all it's a decent album but hardly one of IHSAHN's best. All the rave reviews about this bely it's downsides. I was somewhat impressed on the first listen but more attentive listening sessions reveal serious flaws that i can't shake. The patchiness of the album ruins its flow but as on all IHSAHN albums there are more than enough moments of triumphant victory. As a true fan i couldn't imagine not owning this but it certainly won't rank as a top contender for favorite IHSAHN releases.

3.5 rounded down

There is no doubt that Vegard Sverre Tveitan is one of the most important musicians to ever come out of Norway, and if he had just retired after Emperor originally broke up in 2001 his legacy would have been huge. Of course, that was never going to happen, and as well as reforming Emperor a few times he has released solo albums which see him continuing to push music in new directions, although he has always maintained a close connection with his black metal roots. Here we find him combining black metal with orchestra yet ensuring that that the orchestra could still work on its own without lyrics or crunching guitars, producing two albums which are obviously closely linked (same songs and track listing) yet are also very different indeed.

This is the studio version where he was joined by Tobias Ørnes Andersen and Tobias Solbakk on drums and percussion, with Ihsahn's son Angell Solberg Tveitan adding additional percussion and violins by Chris Baum. Ihsahn has always had a wonderfully melodic vocal style when he is not pursuing a black metal style, while his wall of sound and refusal to conform to anyone's expectations always makes me think of Devin Townsend. He may have some guests, but for the most part this is 100% Ihsahn, and it is no wonder that it has taken him the six years since 'Àmr' to get this out. It is massively complex and complicated, and there are plenty of times when one thinks of this as being Emperor being taken to the logical extremes. There has always been plenty of melody within that band, with influences from the likes of John Williams, and here he is producing a black metal soundtrack for a film which exists only in his mind. It is bombastic, huge, massively over the top and hugely enjoyable. It is progressive metal in a whole new form, and where others have tried to combine metal or rock with orchestra and have normally failed, this is a triumph where the two opposing forces combine to make something quite special.

One of the mavericks of extreme metal, Ihsahn has never really stopped - from leading cult band Emperor to venturing off to a solo career through which he has been able to shatter any preconceived notions of what black metal could be, always bordering on the progressive and firmly cementing himself as one of the most avant-garde, adventurous and innovative musicians of the 21st century. His 2024 self-titled album is the absolute celebration of this idea of Ihsahn, as the ingenious creator has crafted one of the incredibly adventurous and experimental albums of his stellar catalogue - 'Ihsahn' is a fantastic symphonic extreme metal exercise, in which the loose musical boundaries allow for a very natural, efficient and impressive amalgamation of styles.

Inspired by film music, the album is very heavily reliant on symphonic sounds and is in fact framed in-between three shorter instrumental pieces (at the beginning, end and middle of the album), among which the eight main tracks unfold. The record should really be heard in its entirety, as this incredible release stays true to the classic album tradition of having one continuous piece of music that better not be taken apart, otherwise the whole idea goes off. As a modern metal album, 'Ihsahn' sets a high standard as a fiery masterpiece that exceeds all expectations, and knowing how diverse Tveitan's entire catalogue is, this album is something of a crowning jewel, an ambitious summation of everything his music represents. The dark, unexpected, captivating musical passages are present all throughout, and embedded within them are the hellish screams and the flamboyant riffing, topped by a sheen production that is entirely credited to the artist.

The whole album has an otherworldly atmosphere, there is a fantastic and haunting challenge within it, as it becomes difficult to point out to any highlights, since the entire release is a brilliant highlight in the discography of Ihsahn, one that has to be appreciated for its matured and daring vision, for the innovative and excellently well-executed blend of different styles, ever so present on Tveitan's albums.