Ihsahn – "Ihsahn"
Not necessarily a masterpiece, but undeniably the work of a master
My acquaintanceship with Ihsahn is limited to what I heard from Emperor in the '90s. And the splendid gig that Emperor played at Copenhell 2022. Which I didn't review, because I was never that much into black metal. So, disclaimer: This is coming from a guy who's never heard any of Ihsahn's previous solo albums.
However, this is also coming from a guy who recognizes mastery when he hears it.
There's a clear cinematic element all the way throughout Ihsahn's 10th solo record. It's evident from the intro's escalating and dissolving tensions, the many string instruments echoing those in his former main band. But another element that's almost as ubiquitous here, much like on the latest Queens of the Stone Age LP, is the element of contrast.
For example, the contrast in "The Promethean Spark" between the uptempo rock 'n' roll drum beat, the carefully palm-muted and almost jazz-like dissonant chords, and the desperate black metal snarl. Or the contrast between the heartfelt, melodic chorus in "Blood Trails to Love", its near uncountable break section meter, and the ensuing gypsy-like mid-section of an almost Mr. Bungle-like expression. Or just the fact that, much like this year's comeback from Morbid Saint, the riffs and themes are often played in more or less dissonant intervals.
Like a successful scientist or world explorer, Ihsahn is slowly, but surely, teaching us new things by exploring the borderlands of how we think about extreme music.
Yes, we're dealing with an almost unbridled level of creativity here. And I'm deliberately saying almost, because 100% unbridled creativity is just chaos. Ihsahn, however, manages to summon, escalate, and control a considerable amount of chaos. Over and over. The initial build-up in "Pilgrimage to Oblivion", for example, climaxes into a pure, frenzied black metal blast blitz; strange chords over an almost thrash metal-like rhythm then morph into a rusty, dry half-time with a backdrop of dramatic violins. See, there's that contrast again.
In certain places, this album hits the perfect spot between avant-garde prog and symphonic black metal. One common denominator between the two being, it makes zero attempts at pandering to anyone. The lead themes are huge, and you can hum along to them. But they never contain any shred of commercialist leaning. Some are elusive, escaping the listener upon conclusion of each song rather than sticking. And you could very well write that down to artistic integrity.
You could also argue that it's a weak point. And you might have a point. Because while the compositions here are powerful expressions of creative and individualistic curiosity, you're not exactly gonna remember a whole lot of this album even after several spins, let alone entire tracks. But that's obviously not the artist's goal here, either.
As side 2 progresses, it is, indeed, as if the progressive element unfolds; as if each track is trying to one-up its predecessor in progging out. "Hubris and Blue Devils" features the most unlikely 4/4-time I've heard since Meshuggah, morphing into a symphonic whole-note waltz and then into a Devin Townsend-like 5/4 time mayhem. This is one of those songs you can hear over and over again and keep discovering new details. You should know songs like that if you're reading this.
In certain places, this album hits the perfect spot between avant-garde prog and symphonic black metal. One common denominator between the two being, it makes zero attempts at pandering to anyone.
Toward the end, the obvious inspirations from Opeth, especially their later-day efforts, become even more obvious. And you can like Opeth's newer direction or not, but you can't argue with its creativity or level of ambition. Which are exactly the main drivers here.
And ultimately, those initially mentioned cinematic qualities somewhat end up serving as an overall frame, with "At the Heart of All Things Spoken" segueing into a string theme almost like that of an intense car chase in a thriller movie – and the album's instrumental outro sounding more like a horror movie backdrop than anything else.
As you'll gather, there are more things going on in an album like this than can very well be explained and accounted for in a medium like this. But as you'll also gather if you're into indescribable extreme music like this, you need to check this record out. Because, like a successful scientist or world explorer, Ihsahn is slowly, but surely, teaching us new things by exploring the borderlands of how we think about extreme music.
Rating: 5 out of 6
Genre: Extreme avant-garde metal / progressive rock / you-tell-me
Release date: 16/2/2024
Label: Candlelight
Producer: Ihsahn