The progressive metal champion, Ihsahn, returns with a double conceptual album, weaving familiar nightside eclipses on his latest self-titled work, Ihsahn.
Fitting the magnitude of the type Ihsahn has constructed in the past, the album’s instrumental opener, “Cervus Venator”, serves up a nice atmospheric build-up with splashes of woeful tones before swooping into “The Promethean Spark”.
The album’s lead single, “Pilgrimage To Oblivion”, then lands. Its cinematic video captures the furious aesthetic perfectly, immediately becoming a hit, especially in the context of this self-titled work. Paired with “Twice Born,” it’s maybe no coincidence that this particular section is my favorite for its outpouring of heavy structures and nostalgic flare.
“A Taste Of The Ambrosia” moves the album into a nice calming groove, feeding into the instrumental interlude of “Anima Extraneae” effortlessly and cleverly breaking the album up. As it moves into “Blood Travels To Love”, it shows off a complexity that very few can pull off; it’s razor-sharp at times and marvelously melancholic at others.
Easily the album’s most experiential offering is “Hubris And Blue Devils”. Yes, it has a black metal core, but there is time to explore and incorporate other elements, which are always an intriguing part of its creator. It almost feels like a privilege to be included on this journey. It may be worth noting that a week after hearing this album, I seemed to have purchased two fisherman-style jumpers.
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“The Distance Between Us” is lyrically my favorite track, as it really encapsulates Ihsahn’s ability to construct a full opus in such a concise way. Before the pure ambition of over nine minutes spills into every pore of “At The Heart Of All Things Broken,” there’s one last short sorrowful piece, “Sonata Profana,” closing the album in a very “Interview With The Vampire” way.
If that wasn’t enough artistic outpouring, the album is presented again in its entirety in orchestral form, undeniably a remarkable feat, adding an unheard dynamic and immersive experience overall.
“It’s a privilege that I get to make music and travel the world to play my music. And when I say this is subjectively my greatest musical achievement so far, it has nothing to do with ego or prestige, but rather to do with gratitude for the experience. Art taps into the metaphysical and the archetypes of our existence- it lets us experience loss, death, love – it prepares us for all of those things in some way. That’s the value, that’s the perspective I wish to create from.”
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Photo Credit: Andy Ford
Ihsahn is out now
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