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https://ihsahn.com/
Norwegian progressive metal visionary, Ihsahn has just released “Twice Born.” This is the second single from his forthcoming, eponymous, eighth album, due out February 16th, 2024 via Candlelight Records. The long-player will be issued in two twin parts; one prog metal, one fully symphonic. Similarly, “Twice Born” comes with two videos, representing the different sides of the album. The video for the metal version was filmed by Shaun Hodson at Loki Films. For the orchestral version of the track, an animated visualiser by Costin Chioreanu has been created. Check them both out below.
Commenting on the new track, “This second single, “Twice Born,” picks up the conceptual narratives right where the previous single, “Pilgrimage to Oblivion,” ended. Both the metal version of this song and orchestral version will be accompanied by two more videos, continuing the storylines. Musically this song is perhaps slightly more playful than ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion’ but follows the same interplay of screams, guitars and orchestra.”
Wholly self-produced and scored over the course of three years, the metal version has been mixed by Jens Bogren, the orchestral version mixed by Joel Dollié and both versions were mastered by Tony Lindgren. Ihsahn freely admits that the process pushed him to his limits. It began, simply, with a piano.
Comments Ihsahn, “On average, I’ve been releasing a full-length album every second year since I was 16. And, you know, that has given me some opportunity to explore different options, so for my eighth full-length solo record, I thought, ‘okay, how can I do what I do best, but also raise the bar tenfold?’ At the heart of what I do is black metal, extreme distorted guitars and screaming, but since the earliest Emperor recordings you’ll hear the keyboard parts influenced by classic soundtracks by the likes of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, John Carpenter and so on. So, 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. Somehow an attempt to write a soundtrack within the structures of the full production, allowing me to explore different, and sometimes contrasting, variations of essentially the same music. In the end I wrote all the music as a piano short-score and arranged it for a typical band ensemble and orchestra, accordingly, making sure everything interlocked.”
Ihsahn tracklisting:
01 Cervus Venator
02 The Promethean Spark
03 Pilgrimage To Oblivion
04 Twice Born
05 A Taste Of The Ambrosia
06 Anima Extraneae
07 Blood Trails To Love
08 Hubris And Blue Devils
09 The Distance Between Us
10 At The Heart Of All Things Broken
11 Sonata Profana
Ihsahn Orchestral tracklisting:
01 Cervus Venator Orchestral
02 The Promethean Spark Orchestral
03 Pilgrimage To Oblivion Orchestral
04 Twice Born Orchestral
05 A Taste Of The Ambrosia Orchestral
06 Anima Extraneae Orchestral
07 Blood Trails To Love Orchestral
08 Hubris And Blue Devils Orchestral
09 The Distance Between Us Orchestral
10 At The Heart Of All Things Broken Orchestral
11 Sonata Profana Orchestral
Joining Ihsahn on this album are Tobias Ørnes Andersen and Tobias Solbakk on drums and percussion, with Ihsahn’s son Angell Solberg Tveitan adding additional percussion and violins by Chris Baum. Artwork for the album was created by Ritxi Ostariz, with all promotional photography by Andy Ford.
More from Ihsahn:
Not satisfied to only create a dual-record, there is also a conceptual story which underpins both sides of Ihsahn – a pair of separate but interwoven Wagnerian narratives revolving around the traditional hero’s journey, and while Ihsahn is reticent to tell all, he is confident that meaning will soon emerge for listeners willing to show equal commitment.
“I’ve been honoured to work with some astounding visual artists on this, who were all given access to my scrapbooks, music, lyrics, stories, mood boards etc. It’s been amazing to see how they’ve all interpreted the material differently, but still in a way that binds everything together.”
“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.”
Since 1991 Ihsahn has defied expectations and pushed boundaries. More than any other artist to emerge from the fertile black metal scene of the early ‘90s, Ihsahn has firmly established himself as an unpredictable maverick. As the founding frontman of Emperor he is universally lauded as one of extreme music’s most important and influential voices, and he stands as the figurehead for what was arguably black metal’s creative apex. What is even more important to note is that as a solo artist Ihsahn has all but outgrown the confines of that achievement, and over the course of seven records he has forged a sterling reputation for innovation and unabashed originality that’s as genre-bending as it is gleefully indifferent to the weight of expectation. Starting with the release of 2006’s critically acclaimed The Adversary he has never made the same record twice, and it is that resistance to a templated approach that has become the cornerstone of his gloriously creative second act.
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