Ihsahn

[the true Thorko]

[..]


Die zuivere zang is nog redelijk aan te horen, maar zodra die van die hoge powerpiemeltjes uithalen gaat doen in dat nummer is de sfeer wat mij betreft verpest.

Yeah!

[Zagato]

[..]


Ja, dat eerste. Niet dat ik een heel verwachtingspatroon maak alvorens ik wat ga luisteren, maar het verbaasde me wel. En dat dan vooral vanwege de omschrijving van Hiero.

Ik vond nog een aardig interview waarin Ihsahn zelf wat tekst en uitleg geeft:

IHSAHN: THE ADVERSARY / FAQ

It’s been five long years since Emperor frontman Ihsahn leant his unique talents to a full-on, red-blooded metal record. But fans can start rejoicing now, thanks to the imminent release of Ihsahn’s first solo album ‘The Adversary’. Here he tells us all about the new album and how he fell back in love with the world of metal…

What made you decide to make another metal album after so long away from the genre?

Ihsahn: “Well, the initial idea came a while after we quit Emperor. I started getting ideas that at some point I would do a metal album again. It’s an idea that has been cooking for two or three years. I think that some of the reason why came because I was in contact with Rob Halford, about possibly doing something with him, and so it started out as a mix between wanting to do a solo album at some point but also I got in touch with him and we talked about doing something together. I started writing some material but it all went very slow because I was busy doing things with Peccatum, and that was my main focus at the time. It was all just a vague idea. It wasn’t until from January 2005 that I really started to do the actual work. I basically wrote the main parts of the album, the basic songs, from January till March one year ago.”

It’s five years since ‘Prometheus’. How easy was it to get back into the swing of writing that kind of material?

Ihsahn: “The main challenge was to get out of the experimental style of working that I’d been doing with Peccatum, because it’s very easy when you only work in the studio to fiddle around with keyboard sounds and plug-ins and making effects and working on different sound textures, but that doesn’t really make metal albums. I just have to set very strict borders, a frame to work within. I just started with a couple of guitar tracks and drum sequencing and some piano and they were the writing tools. I worked very chronologically. I wrote the first song (‘Invocation’) first and carried on writing them in the order that they’re presented on the album. I wrote all the songs and then I focussed on song number one, did the string arrangements and everything. I wrote the lyrics in that order, too. So it was very strict, almost a very military way of working. Very different from the very open structure we’ve used in Peccatum.”

Did you bring anything to ‘The Adversary’ that you learned while working with Peccatum?

Ihsahn: “Oh, definitely. Much of Peccatum’s work has been a learning process as well, particularly with learning about string arrangements and learning the written way of doing it. We studied a lot of composition and orchestration techniques and we’ve been taking lessons and doing studies. On this album I’ve just laid off the more experimental sounds, but all the work you do as a musician will influence you in one way or another. My experience with Peccatum has been invaluable in terms of my relationship to the craftsmanship of making music.”

Is that the difference between artists like yourself and the general morass of mediocre metal bands out there?

Ihsahn: “I don’t know. I don’t really know how other people write music. I get the impression that a lot of bands within this genre work with a method of building songs in rehearsals, and that’s probably a very correct way of doing it in terms of keeping within a certain style. I’ve had that in mind, since I started doing a metal album, writing for the orchestra of a five-piece band. There are hardly three or four guitar parts on the album. It’s kept to that line-up, plus string and keyboard arrangements. At least initially I felt very much into providing for that kind of ensemble. The reason I do music is because I love it as an artistic expression and a channel for my personal expression, but over the years I’ve begun to enjoy the craftsmanship of writing and producing and composition. It’s such a long history of rules that you’ve got to break the music down into notes and technique. I’m a bit off the topic here, but when I was writing the tablature book for Emperor and transcribing the older songs after having studied compositional techniques and song structures, it was interesting to analyse what we did before we knew anything about any of that, to adapt the rules to it to see what we’d done unconsciously. So I guess the more I work in the studio and the more music I make, the more I learn and the more I get into the craftsmanship and the history of this kind of work.”

Did you ever consider allowing someone else to produce the album for you or did you always intend to do it yourself?

Ihsahn: “It was always the plan to do everything myself. When we toured the ‘IX Equilibrium’ album with Emperor, we were approached by Ross Robinson, which I suppose was kind of fun, because he’s produced all these big hit metal bands, and he seemed like a nice guy, but I guess I’m very particular with my own stuff. We’d cooperate with people who really know their stuff, but if I’d worked with a producer or an engineer like Ross Robinson, the album we produced would probably have more of a suitable production with strict levels and maybe it would even be lifted professionally, but I’m so afraid of compromising my vision. I’m very egocentric. I’m full of myself, basically! (laughs) It’s very important for me to be a control freak with my own music. It’s very hard for me to let go and let others have input into what I do, especially on a solo album. It’s not that I’m against using producers. At some point it would be very interesting, especially to get a different perspective and to learn new stuff, but as for Emperor using Ross Robinson, we had our own sound and it was so strict already, it was really not a good idea to change anything. On this album I was very eager to do it all myself. I want to produce other artists in the future myself anyway, so I had to use myself as a guinea pig! (laughs).”

Do you see ‘The Adversary’ as a continuation of your work with Emperor or is it the start of something completely new for you?

Ihsahn: “Not necessarily a continuation of Emperor, but I’d say it’s the next step in my work as a musician. But since this is such a different album from what we did in Peccatum, I’d say it’s a continuation of my work in the genre of metal. Obviously there will be an influential legacy there, from playing black metal with Emperor for ten years. That’s been in my thoughts, but also from the years prior to that as well, my overall interest in metal. I really don’t see that it’s doing something new. To be honest, the way I’ve written the album and the expression and way of doing it, it’s very similar to how I did the ‘Prometheus’ album, but without the consideration for the specific expression that was Emperor. When I wrote ‘Prometheus’ I took into account, not necessarily Samoth and Trym in particular, but I was writing music for Emperor and that had a certain progression so I couldn’t do it as a solo album, it has to be for Emperor.”

Has making a solo album been a liberating experience for you?

Ihsahn: “Definitely. It’s been very liberating. After having, for over five years, touched very new ground and tried to reach into areas that I hadn’t really had any long experience with, going back to metal songs and writing for that kind of ensemble was very interesting. It was liberating in the way that I didn’t have to consider anyone else, but also because I’ve had so much experience and written so much music over the years in metal, it was so easy in a way. I won’t say it was easy to write the album, but there was a feeling of being in control of everything because I was doing something that I know I can do well. Also, being able to put in all those other things that would not have been suitable ingredients for things I’ve done in the past, but now I can take my Priest and King Diamond influences and put those in there too.”

You can definitely hear the Andy LaRocque influence at the beginning of ‘Called By The Fire’…

Ihsahn: “Andy LaRocque is one of my favourite guitar players, particularly for that kind of riffing. I know it’s common now to tune the guitars down one or two semitones, but I’ve always wanted to, just for nostalgia in a way, do something in a straight key with no down tuning.”

Was it exciting to revisit the music that you listened to when you were a kid?

Ihsahn: “Yeah! You know, I won’t even mention some of the things from my musical past, but things that contain that energy and make you want to recreate that feeling. It’s bits and pieces from memory, things I haven’t heard for ten or fifteen years almost, they just lie there like old emotional treasures. You just pick them out. Maybe it’s better not to listen to those songs again, they work better as a memory.”

In a way, some of the new album is more accessible than Emperor. Did you make a conscious effort to make something that was distinct from what you’ve done before?

Ihsahn: “My state of mind at the end of Emperor was reflected in ‘Prometheus’. It’s not really a sharing album, is it? I just listened to it after two years or something, and it really sounds like an album that doesn’t want to let you in. It builds up towards something pompous or some kind of release, but it just turns into something black and impenetrable. If people don’t get into it that easily I can understand! For me personally, my reasons for quitting Emperor had a lot to do with keeping it to myself because there were so many people having opinions on what Emperor should be and what I should write and play or not. It lit that spark for a black metal guy! (laughs) I wanted to keep things for myself. I react very negatively to that kind of pressure. But this time I was very conscious about wanting to put the music out there and in metal tradition too. I wanted a pure expression. ‘Called By The Fire’ is a heavy metal song all the way through, and ‘Citizen’ is a full-on black metal song all the way through and ‘Astera ton Proinon’ is a slow ballad-like thing all the way through. I didn’t want to bring too many themes in. I wanted to use the different material in other forms in the same song rather than having different pieces stuck together. There are common rules in metal. It’s intro, verse, refrain, verse, refrain, bridge, double refrain, fade-out (laughs). It’s very much built the same as a regular sonata. So I’ve tried to keep to those kinds of rules, rules that will work within the form.”

Clichés become clichés because they work, presumably…

Ihsahn: “Yes, that’s true. I suppose I’ve always wanted to do something that is new and special, but at a certain point I became so obsessed with the originality of what I should make that I threw away anything because I felt that anything I did, I’d done it before. This time I didn’t really care. I went more with what came from the heart. If there are riffs or ideas on the album that sound like metal clichés then they just sounded right and I wanted to do things that way. I’m old now and I don’t care if people are going to accuse me of anything!”

Even if you were to use riffs that were perceived as being clichéd, the sound and style of your music tends to make what you do sound original anyway…

Ihsahn: “Thank you. I hope so anyway! I do have my way of doing things. Now that this album is finished, there will always be things that I’d like to change and I’m sure I could have done something technically or sonically different, but I didn’t care about that too much, although of course I wanted a good sound. I wanted to create a very powerful album, both lyrically and musically, something that will get to you, something that’s very honest and says something about something! (laughs).”

The only other musician on ‘The Adversary’ is Asgeir Mickelson, who plays drums. Why did you choose him?

Ihsahn: “I knew from the start that I’d need a drummer. When the word got out there that I was making a solo album, he actually contacted me to offer his services. I know his work better from Spiral Architect than from Borknagar. I know both, of course, but I knew from that that he plays so differently in those two bands, that we would be capable of playing very progressive stuff and also black metal stuff. We were emailing back and forth and I found that we shared that Mikkey Dee is our favourite drummer, so I was sold. He’s done a perfect job, too, from start to finish. He runs a Steinberg Nuendo studio too, so the process of exchanging files has been very easy and efficient. He’s been a very good partner.”

When did the title ‘The Adversary’ come to you, and what’s the overall concept behind it?

Ihsahn: “The title came last, as it usually does with me. After going through all the lyrics, ‘The Adversary’ seemed a very short but descriptive title for the whole thing. I suppose even within this black metal scene I see myself as an adversary to that as well, and also the whole album being influenced by a metal legacy that’s older than I am, the genre of rock ‘n’ roll and metal and hard rock has always been an adversary to society. I have also returned to symbolic figures that are adversaries, whether it’s Prometheus, Icaros, Lucifer, Cain or whoever. They’re figures that defy the opinion of authority or the common mass. I feel that there are two main themes on the album. One is carrying a torch for all those Lucifers and Prometheuses out there through history, who have been cut down by the present time for having new ideas that everyone wants to be part of a hundred years later. I’m carrying a torch for new thinkers. It’s also a harsh criticism of that exact grey mass, the lukewarm, those whose biggest ideal is to never have an opinion on anything or not to contribute to change or progress in any way.”

Can you tell me a bit about the studios where you recorded the album?

Ihsahn: “Most of the album, I recorded it at Symphonique Studio, which we have at home. Basically it’s a digital set-up with a Steinberg Nuando being the main recorder and sequencer. We’ve got loads of synths and an outboard. I recorded everything there and then brought it to Jukejoint Studio in Notodden. Mnemosyne Productions has shares in the studio. So I went there to mix it, to get a new perspective but also to take advantage of all the analogue gear they have there. It’s all from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. For studio enthusiasts, you can find most of the classics there! The mixer I mixed it on was originally from Stax Studio in Memphis. That has a legacy too, I suppose. It’s good old analogue gear. It was good to have that different set-up. Maybe next time I will do it the other way round: record it there and mix it at home.”

Describe the process of piecing ‘The Adversary’ together…

Ihsahn: “The real work started in January last year. I wrote the skeleton of all the songs with two guitar tracks, programmed drums and piano and that took until March. Then bit by bit, starting chronologically, I began with different arrangements and working on bass parts and keyboard parts and string arrangements. When all the songs were finished from A to B, I started sending files to Asgeir. I had a three month break during the summer because it’s hard to get black metal work done during the hot weather! (laughs) Then starting in the autumn again, Asgeir was continually recording drums and sending MP3 files with raw mixes, with his interpretation of my programming. We’d email back and forth until I got the results I wanted, and then he would just upload the files for me and I would put them into my arrangement. He would do that while I was recording guitars and writing the final lyrics throughout the autumn. I finished recording and right after New Year I aimed to start mixing.”

Has everything gone to plan?

Ihsahn: “In October or November I was put back a month because of a computer crash. We had to buy a new one, which was supposed to take a week but ended up taking three or four weeks. That’s fairly typical. Apart from that it’s just been about putting in the hours and working hard.”

Tell me about each track on the album, starting with ‘Invocation’…

Ihsahn: “It was always intended to start the album. Musically it’s a thrash-like black metal song. It’s got a certain groove. It’s rather straightforward. Lyrically, it starts off the album playing with traditional elements of the genre but giving them, hopefully, some new meaning.”

‘Called By The Fire’

Ihsahn: “It’s a more straightforward heavy metal song. That was the intention. I wanted to start the album with two different songs like that build up the mood. This is basically a song about my perception of having been doing this kind of expression for so long, and feeling that call, that it’s almost a duty to do this, and that I don’t really have a choice. It’s such a strong calling.”

‘Citizen’

Ihsahn: “This is a really, really hard black metal song. Lyrically, It’s a very hard criticism of the lukewarm in society.”

‘Homecoming’

Ihsahn: “I wanted to continue the contrasts, so this is a progressive song. I initially did some test vocals on it, but they ended up being in a style that suited Garm from Ulver very well, so he ended up singing on that one. I thought it would be good for him to sing on one of my albums for once. I’ve sung for Ulver and Arcturus before, so it’s payback time! The lyric is a contemplation, a feeling of having returned to a starting point with a new perspective.”

‘Astera ton Proinon’

Ihsahn: “The title means ‘Morning Star’. That’s my interpretation of a black metal ballad. Again, this song is a tribute to the visionary thinker, personified.”



Ihsahn: “Again, this is a black metal song, but with a circus twist! (laughs) The title means ‘Bread and Circus’. It deals with the rather hypocritical sensationalism that people love. The hate/love relationship that people have with extremes, and how people devour it. People want the extreme so they can hate it. I think I explained this much better in the lyric itself! (laughs).”

‘And He Shall Walk In Empty Places’

Ihsahn: “The album hardens towards the end. The songs become more and more extreme at this point. It’s a hard black metal-sounding song. It has a long groovy section in the middle of the song. Lyrically, it deals with people who are ahead of the rest of the world and who want to bring about progress, but who have to walk alone around this circle that feels never-ending.”

‘Will You Love Me Now?’

Ihsahn: “It’s not a traditional black metal title, is it? Musically, it’s very hard extreme metal. Lyrically, I guess it confronts conservatism. Using a title like that confronts the conservative elements within this genre. It’s saying that when I put something out there for people to have opinions about and to relate to, when I get to the heart of things, when the truth comes out, when I speak directly, saying what it really is without the fantasy and the mysticism, will you love me then? Can people relate to things for what they are? Even Asgeir, when I told him the title, reacted a bit strangely! (laughs) It’s not just my intention to provoke and to be different, but I see the same things that piss me off in society in this so-called progressive scene, and that they are as much following the rules and thinking the way they believe they’re supposed to think. The whole idea is to try to make up your mind on your own, and be truthful, at least to yourself.”

‘The Pain Is Still Mine’

Ihsahn: “It’s an epic! I know it’s rather ambitious, but the kind of elements that it plays on have been done many times before, with much greater resources than I have, but still I wanted to capture that kind of feeling. Lyrically, I suppose that instead of all this criticism, this almost supernatural, arrogant feel that runs through the album, this last song reflects on that pain that makes me deal with this kind of expression as an artist. It reflects on the very emotional side of things. The reason for doing this, this constant drive for doing what I do, I just know I want to throw everything that I have into it. I have to confront the pain to be able to do it, but I’d rather that than to just hide it all away. I feel that in the music industry, even within this extreme genre, everything has become superficial. The source of what I do, it comes from a lot of soul-searching. It sounds very dramatic, but it is very dramatic! It comes at a price, to search yourself, all the dark corners of yourself, to bring out that kind of expression. I wrote the song almost as an acknowledgement for myself, that this is how it all works.”

[Aminjar]

Nou, ik heb de relevante vragen gelezen. Leuk dat zo iemand zoveel kanten laat zien. Ik ken Emperor van een paar nummers en dit vind ik wel even wat anders.
Hij ziet het dus als een stap verder als muzikant. Andere muziek dan de lijn van Emperor, maar toch zit er verband tussen.

[Demorpheus]

Garm heerscht.

De plaat ook

Homecoming rost. De rest van het album ook.

[Zagato]

Ik draai het album nog regelmatig, is er al nieuws over een nieuw album?

[RadiumAngel]

Ik las eind december dat het nieuwe album in de "final completion stage" zit en in de lente moet uitkomen.

[yowannuzz]

Ik ben benieuwd, ook ik draai The Adversary nog best regelmatig.
Vooral op mijn werk luistert het lekker weg.

[Hieronimus]

Ik las eind december dat het nieuwe album in de "final completion stage" zit en in de lente moet uitkomen.

Waar dat dan? Op de site van Mnemosyne staat geen nieuw nieuws meer sinds augustus. Zou wel tof zijn, ben benieuwd wat-ie ervan gebakken heeft.

[Radium]

Ben erg benieuwd naar een nieuw album, The Adversary is toch wel een aangenaam stukje muziek.

[kneuz]

[..]

Waar dat dan? Op de site van Mnemosyne staat geen nieuw nieuws meer sinds augustus. Zou wel tof zijn, ben benieuwd wat-ie ervan gebakken heeft.

blabbermouth en ook op de Borknagar forums wordt er regelmatig over gepraat

[RadiumAngel]

Ik had het hier gelezen http://www.bravewords.com/news/80334

[Metaltop]

van The Adversary vond ik alleen het eerste nummer Invocation wel goed klinken, het had ook meer het Emperor gehalte.

De rest was voor mij te rustig en vooral wanneer je met zo'n intronummer komt.

[Hieronimus]

Persberichtje:

"Former EMPEROR vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn has set "angL" as the title of his second solo album, tentatively due mid-spring via Mnemosyne Productions/Candlelight Records. "I'm currently doing the final mixes for this album, and hope to have everything ready for mastering within a couple of weeks," says Ihsahn. "Musically this album can be seen as a natural progression from 'The Adversary' [2006], but with a somewhat heavier touch.""

angL? Weird.

[Hieronimus]

IHSAHN: Opeth vocalist to feature on new album
OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has recorded a guest appearance on the track "Unhealer" from the forthcoming solo album from former EMPEROR vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn, entitled "angL".

Ihsahn commented: "We've been talking about doing something for a while and I'm really happy it finally came together. Needless to say, Mikael's performance is nothing short of amazing!"

Asgeir Mickelson and Lars Norberg (both of SPIRAL ARCHITECT) were responsible for laying down the drum and bass tracks on the CD, respectively. Ihsahn said, "Asgeir and Lars have delivered a rock-solid foundation for the whole album. Pounding blast-beats to slow fretless passages are all performed with great precision."

"angL" is tentatively due mid-spring via Mnemosyne Productions/Candlelight Records.

[enemy of reality]

Ik ben benieuwd. The Adversary was een heel goeie plaat. Ik hoop op bevestiging. En een iets zwaardere touch.

[Zagato]

IHSAHN: Opeth vocalist to feature on new album
OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has recorded a guest appearance on the track "Unhealer" from the forthcoming solo album from former EMPEROR vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn, entitled "angL".

Ihsahn commented: "We've been talking about doing something for a while and I'm really happy it finally came together. Needless to say, Mikael's performance is nothing short of amazing!"

Asgeir Mickelson and Lars Norberg (both of SPIRAL ARCHITECT) were responsible for laying down the drum and bass tracks on the CD, respectively. Ihsahn said, "Asgeir and Lars have delivered a rock-solid foundation for the whole album. Pounding blast-beats to slow fretless passages are all performed with great precision."

"angL" is tentatively due mid-spring via Mnemosyne Productions/Candlelight Records.

Leuk nieuws, ik ben wel benieuwd naar het nieuwe album

[Hieronimus]

"Track listing for angL (not in running order) is: Alchemist, Elevator, Malediction, Misanthrope, Monolith, Morningstar, Scarab, Threnody and Unhealer."

Aparte titels allemaal, I like.

[Zagato]

Nieuwe artwork (voor zover er iets te zien is)

[enemy of reality]

Nieuwe artwork (voor zover er iets te zien is)

Hmm...Het lijkt een marmeren beeld te zijn. Niet echt het mooiste artwork dat ik al heb gezien...zelfs vrij sober.

[Zahk]

Ziet de ouwe plaat er toch beter uit!

[Hieronimus]

Doet me eerlijk gezegd denken aan die afbeeldingen van engelen en duivels in de cd-boekjes van Emperor. Interesting.

[Zagato]

Ik kwam het nieuwe album al op internet tegen, ik luister er nu voor het eerst naar. Ik ben benieuwd!

[Lubridium]

Gaaf, gaaf!!
The Adversary staat me niet echt meer bij, maar deze plaat is toch wel een stuk heavier en duisterder geloof ik.
Aanrader!

[kneuz]

Kon het niet laten om 'm te downloaden en te luisteren, helaas moet ik toch echt toegeven dat ik The Adversary (véél) beter vind..
maar kga 'm toch kopen als ie uit is, waarschijnlijk is het zo'n album dat tijd nodig heeft om echt aan te slaan.

[yowannuzz]

Mijn eerste indruk (na één keer beluisteren) is ook dat The Adversary inderdaad stukken beter is.

[Zagato]

Mijn eerste indruk (na één keer beluisteren) is ook dat The Adversary inderdaad stukken beter is.

Yep, ik sta er op dit moment ook zo in (1 luisterbeurt) het nummer dat mij het beste beviel is het nummer Mikael Åkerfeldt ....

[Zagato]

....hij begint toch te groeien....

[sugar daddy]

Het eerste nummer klonk veelbelovend, het leek wat meer op Emperor, maar daarna werd het allemaal wat minder. Maar ik ga hem nog een paar keer luisteren misschien ga ik hem dan wat meer waarderen.

[Lubridium]

Emancipation is een ongelofelijk gaaf nummer!

[Nihil]

Nieuwe cd is ontzettend goed.

[Draconian]

Ik heb nu nog eens het debuutalbum opstaan en dat bevalt me nu toch wel beter dan toen het album pas uitkwam. Superveelzijdig, druk, bombastisch en symfonisch. Een album waar je dus echt even de tijd voor moet nemen, maar de nummers zitten wel stuk voor stuk uitstekend in elkaar.

[Zagato]

Stiekum sluipt angL telkens weer de cd lade op, in eerste instantie was ik niet zo kapot van het album maar het is een bijtertje!

[XnegativeX]

Waarom hoor ik niemand over het ge-wel-dige nieuwe album van Ihsahn? Ik had de beste man een beetje links laten liggen na X Equilibrium van Emperor. Prometheus was niet mijn ding en het eerste van Peccatum vond ik echt vreselijk. Alles na dat album heb ik dus links laten liggen.

Maar uit pure nieuwsgierigheid heb ik After eens een luisterbeurt gegund. En daarna heb ik hem direkt maar gekocht. Wat vreselijk goed zeg! Het heeft weinig tot niks meer met Emperor te maken maar het zit meer in het straatje van Opeth. Progressieve metal dus.

De gehele sfeer van After is introvert en ademt een desolate sfeer uit. Introvert betekend trouwens niet automatisch dat het ook een soft album is geworden. Er is een prachtige balans tussen harde, ruwe stukken en dromerige, softe partijen.

Het meest opvallende is de Saxofoon die wordt gespeeld door Jorgen Munkeby van Shining. Hier moest ik eerst erg aan wennen, vooral als Munkeby de vrije hand krijgt en stevig loopt te freaken. Maar na een tijdje viel ook dat puzzelstukje op z'n plaats. Maar vooral in de epische passages stuwt de saxofoon de muziek echt naar een nieuw niveau.

Check vooral de prachtige grootse nummers After en On the shores eens.

[Amibor]

Sorry, vergeten te melden! Draai 'em al een maand kapot, heerlijk album. Vind het de beste tot nu toe, van zijn solowerk that is.

[Draconian]

Waarom hoor ik niemand over het ge-wel-dige nieuwe album van Ihsahn? Ik had de beste man een beetje links laten liggen na X Equilibrium van Emperor. Prometheus was niet mijn ding en het eerste van Peccatum vond ik echt vreselijk. Alles na dat album heb ik dus links laten liggen.

Maar uit pure nieuwsgierigheid heb ik After eens een luisterbeurt gegund. En daarna heb ik hem direkt maar gekocht. Wat vreselijk goed zeg! Het heeft weinig tot niks meer met Emperor te maken maar het zit meer in het straatje van Opeth. Progressieve metal dus.

De gehele sfeer van After is introvert en ademt een desolate sfeer uit. Introvert betekend trouwens niet automatisch dat het ook een soft album is geworden. Er is een prachtige balans tussen harde, ruwe stukken en dromerige, softe partijen.

Het meest opvallende is de Saxofoon die wordt gespeeld door Jorgen Munkeby van Shining. Hier moest ik eerst erg aan wennen, vooral als Munkeby de vrije hand krijgt en stevig loopt te freaken. Maar na een tijdje viel ook dat puzzelstukje op z'n plaats. Maar vooral in de epische passages stuwt de saxofoon de muziek echt naar een nieuw niveau.

Check vooral de prachtige grootse nummers After en On the shores eens.

Ik ben er wel erg benieuwd naar, maar ja, als je een beetje een brede smaak hebt is het allemaal niet meer bij te benen

[yowannuzz]

Absoluut een geweldig album inderdaad.

[Satyr]

Alleen die constante aanwezigheid van de saxofoon (geloof ik) begint mij op een gegeven moment wel wat te irriteren. Maar het is veruit de beste van Ihsahn onder zijn eigen naam.

[Zagato]

Waarom hoor ik niemand over het ge-wel-dige nieuwe album van Ihsahn? Ik had de beste man een beetje links laten liggen na X Equilibrium van Emperor. Prometheus was niet mijn ding en het eerste van Peccatum vond ik echt vreselijk. Alles na dat album heb ik dus links laten liggen.

Maar uit pure nieuwsgierigheid heb ik After eens een luisterbeurt gegund. En daarna heb ik hem direkt maar gekocht. Wat vreselijk goed zeg! Het heeft weinig tot niks meer met Emperor te maken maar het zit meer in het straatje van Opeth. Progressieve metal dus.

De gehele sfeer van After is introvert en ademt een desolate sfeer uit. Introvert betekend trouwens niet automatisch dat het ook een soft album is geworden. Er is een prachtige balans tussen harde, ruwe stukken en dromerige, softe partijen.

Het meest opvallende is de Saxofoon die wordt gespeeld door Jorgen Munkeby van Shining. Hier moest ik eerst erg aan wennen, vooral als Munkeby de vrije hand krijgt en stevig loopt te freaken. Maar na een tijdje viel ook dat puzzelstukje op z'n plaats. Maar vooral in de epische passages stuwt de saxofoon de muziek echt naar een nieuw niveau.

Check vooral de prachtige grootse nummers After en On the shores eens.

Ik heb er nog niets van gehoord, snel doen dus!

[Zagato]

Hmmm, dubbelpost, zit via Youtube te luisteren nu maar dat klinkt inderdaad niet verkeerd!

[RadiumAngel]

Ik heb zijn eerste twee solo albums, maar moet de nieuwe cd nog steeds aanschaffen.

[sanguis]

Hmm aan deze heb ik eigenlijk helemaal niet meer gedacht. De eerste 2 waren prima platen, dus ik was eigenlijk wel benieuwd naar de 3e. Binnenkort toch maar eens beluisteren.

[Zagato]

Gisteren in After in huis gehaald, die saxofoon is een geweldige toevoeging! Ihsahn blijft toch lekkere muziek produceren.

[kneuz]

Ik vind dat het bergafwaarts gaat.

The Adversary is briljant, angL viel tegen, en After is niet echt mijn ding. Dat eindeloos gekrijs en die saxofoon verpesten het voor mij.

[Zagato]

Zo, 'On the Shores' van het nieuwe album, wat een geweldig nummer!

Ik ben het dus ook niet met de vorige post eens...opgaande lijn lijkt mij!

[Natasja]

Ik vind After juist prachtig, ligt me misschien zelfs beter dan The Adversary. Saxofoon is inderdaad een goede toevoeging.

[XnegativeX]

Nadat ik zo lyrisch was over After vertelde veel mensen mij dat AngL nog beter zou zijn. Ik kon er dus niet onderuit, ik moest dat album ook aanschaffen.

Intussen heb ik AngL een aantal keren kunnen luisteren maar ik ben er toch minder van onder de indruk dan van After. Het is zeker een sterk album. Zeer progressief ook.

Maar ik mis de desolate sfeer van After. Het zal wel een persoonlijk ding zijn maar ik voel gewoon minder bij AngL.

Nogmaals, ik vind AngL dus een erg goed album, maar After is voor mij duidelijk een stap vooruit.

[Walter]

We zijn weer twee jaar verder, dus er is een nieuwe.

http://www.metalfan.nl/reviews.php?id=7332

[Heidewolf]

ik was onder de indruk van after, dus ik ben erg benieuwd naar de nieuwe plaat. het nummer met devin townsend is te beluisteren en die klinkt erg goed.

[Dimas]

Nieuwe album is HIER in z'n geheel te luisteren.
Het staat ook op Spotify inmiddels.

[XnegativeX]

Wat vinden we intussen van Eremita? Ik had een aantal luisterbeurten nodig maar ik ben nu weer helemaal om. De verrassing is er een beetje af na After maar als je dat opzij zet heb je met Eremita een album dat de grandeur van After met gemak bij kan benen.

Het zal wel aan mijn hersenkronkel liggen maar het sfeertje op Eremita sluit in mijn hoofd perfect aan op de film Antichrist.
Een kluizenaar (ok, in Antichrist was het een stelletje) in een blokhut midden in het bos die langzaam gek aan het worden is. Zowel van de eenzaamheid als van zijn donkere, angstaanjagende omgeving.

Natuurlijk is dit puur persoonlijk maar voor mij geeft zoiets een album een grote meerwaarde. En Ihsahn lijkt erg goed te zijn in het oproepen van dit soort sferen.