We spent a lot of time talking last week about whether or not black metal, especially the black metal of yesteryear, still has anything left to say. The answer according to me is yes, but if anyone has the final authority on the subject, it would be Ihsahn. Even if the music he is making today sounds nothing at all like “I Am The Black Wizards,” you can’t confuse it with anything but him and his own creative spirit. On his new self-titled album, the patriarch proves that there is plenty more for him to contribute musically to the world.
There is nothing here to be said about the history of Ihsahn. If you know, you know, and even if you don’t, just simply being in the extreme metal world, as big and diverse as it is, should give you a pretty good idea of how impactful this one person’s career has been on the musical landscape. Beyond Emperor, Ihsahn’s solo career has spanned progressive metal, jazz offshoots, and so much more than the straight black metal he is known for. On Ihsahn, Ihsahn returns to his roots in more than one way. Ihsahn is a concept album, albeit one with dual, parallel narratives that intertwine the same way that the two halves of this album intertwine: one part of this album is progressive, extreme metal and the other is pure classical orchestra. In fact, Ihsahn is being released as two different versions: one studio version that is metal-forward and one that is purely orchestral. For the record, I’ll be mostly talking about the metal-forward version, as that’s what’s in the promo we received, but for those who are looking to dive fully into the orchestration, there is a version of this album that flips these songs completely on their head. Says Ihsahn: “With this release, I wanted to dig deep into the core essentials of my musical background; black/extreme-metal and my love of orchestral music and soundtracks…I approached the writing with the intent to present the material in its full-blown metal expression, but also to arrange the orchestral parts in such a way that they would work independently.”
On the metal version of Ihsahn, it’s very clear that Ihsahn’s brand of metal has changed a lot throughout the years, but fans should know to always expect the unexpected. From saxophone to 8-string guitars to now full strings and woodwinds, Ihsahn has never put his creativity in a box, and Ihsahn is no exception. The metal here is rousing and ripping, from the d-beats in “The Promethean Spark” to the howled vocals in “Twice Born” to the riffing in “Hubris and Blue Devils.” No one can say Ihsahn doesn’t do extreme metal at the highest caliber, but where Ihsahn really shines is obviously where the orchestra meets or even takes over the metal side of the performance. Tracks like “A Taste of the Ambrosia” and “At The Heart of All Broken Things” are absolutely carried by string melodies and lilting woodwinds. The atmosphere of this album just wouldn’t be the same without them, if a guitar was doing all that work. It’s a completely different feel, and boy golly does Ihsahn have a way with composition. This feels like a full on orchestral experience first and a metal album second, as if seven and eight-string guitars were merely part of a symphony, kind of like how Wilderun and mid-period Opeth did it, except more black metal. You can’t completely abandon the black metal, but this is something so far beyond, and so creative and unique, that to call it simply black metal doesn’t do it any justice at all. This is just Ihsahn being Ihsahn, and you can’t expect him to do anything else.
Ihsahn is an album that has been three years in the making, and it really shows. Between crafting the story, writing the metal music, creating and perfecting a whole soundtrack *within* the main music, Ihsahn is a perfect example of the legacy that Ihsahn has in the metal world. Nobody does it like him, and where he goes next is anyone’s guess. We’re just along for the ride.
—Ian
Ihsahn will be available February 16 on Candlelight Records. For more information on Ihsahn, visit his official website.
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