Album Review: Ihsahn - Ihsahn
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
Famed for fronting the massively influential Norwegian black metal band Emperor, Vegard Sverre Tveitan or as he is most commonly known Ihsahn is a figurehead and visionary leader within the world of extreme metal not only for his influence on black metal but his solo career which has seen his musical vision explored without boundaries across seven albums which have each differed from each other. Now in 2024, Ihsahn is releasing his boldest album to date - the self-titled “Ihsahn”.
Since the release of his first solo album “The Adversary” in 2006, Ihsahn has released albums at a steady and reliable rate but the pandemic has allowed Ihsahn extra time to craft something really special. Written and recorded across three years, “Ihsahn” is one album but presented in two different versions - the first is the metal version and the second is a wholly orchestral version. The same music and compositions but arranged in entirely different yet interlocked ways.
The metal interpretation is classic Ihsahn with progressive and avant-garde song structures, furious extreme metal soundscapes and moods which range from the delicate to the dark ably displayed over songs such as the dissonant ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion’, the sweeping ‘A Taste Of Ambrosia’ and the melancholic yet playful ‘Blood Trails To Love’. The album's defining moments are in its last portion in the form of the two longest songs on the album which sees some of the best songwriting that Ihsahn has done in his long career. ‘Hubris And Blue Devils’ is a complex beast which twists and turns at every opportunity whilst still maintaining a solid structure and ‘At The Heart Of All Things’ is a monstrous epic with the sweeping orchestration perfectly set alongside the metal elements.
The orchestral interpretation is majestic and comes across as an epic soundtrack. Ihsahn has always been influenced by the works of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Bernard Herrmann and John Carpenter amongst others with these composers influencing his earliest work with Emperor. These orchestral arrangements are breathtaking even more considering that Ihsahn is a self taught musician and the compositions you have heard on the metal version of the album are given a new dimension. These orchestral arrangements are seen as their own entity rather than simply being the songs with the metal parts removed. There are nuances and moods which you just don’t hear in the metal versions and this version of the album is simply perfect for listening to in a darkened room with your eyes closed and letting yourself be swept away by the music.
Ihsahn has outdone himself with this album. It is definitely his most ambitious release to date and the ambition as he put it to “raise the bar tenfold” has most definitely paid off. It is hard to compare to his previous works as every album that Ihsahn has done has differed from the other and this is the first time that he has released a full blown orchestral piece as well as a stunning 48 minutes of progressive metal majesty. On its own merits, “Ihsahn” is an absolutely stunning piece of work and one that prog metal fans absolutely need to hear.
