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Music: Progressive/Black Metal Country: Norway Cool Songs: Scarab, Unhealer, Emancipation, Threnody Ihsahn, the former EMPEROR front man, released his solo debut in 2006. “The Adversary” marked a return to the symphonic black metal contained on his last three albums with EMPEROR, although it included progressive and melodic traits not found on those EMPEROR records, yet strayed from the ethereal movements of his prior project, PECCATUM. Since IHSAHN began his career, he has always refined his craft by exploring new musical avenues, sometimes stepping completely away from black metal. He continues to grow and sharpen his skills on this second album, "angL." “angL” revisits many of the same facets as his last album. Tracks such as “Misanthrope” and “Malediction” show Ihsahn bearing his snarled teeth to unleash his familiar, animal-like growl amidst rising-and-falling keys and speed-picked guitar rhythms. Asgeir Mickelson took time off from SPIRAL ARCHITECT and BORKNAGAR to keep the kick drum moving, Lars Koppang Norber, also of SPIRAL ARCHITECT provides the deep bottom. Speedy, keyboard enhanced numbers like the above retain the spirit of the last three EMPEROR albums, which should satiate the worshippers of the Icon E, but just like any Ihsahn creation, there are plenty of surprises. First of all, Ihsahn’s guitar playing has improved vastly. Ihsahn keeps his playing diverse, from charring guitar chugs, to weird guitar tricks, soaring melodies, progressive chord structures, and guitar solos. The number of guitar solos on “angL” seems vastly more than any of his past albums. Ihsahn even pulls out an acoustic guitar for the soulful harmonies of “Threnody.” From the rich melodies to the bluesy guitar solos, this track is reminiscent of OPETH. The progressive, poly-rhythms of “Emancipation” also bring to mind OPETH. Ihsahn recently stated in an interview that this comparison to OPETH may derive from OPETH’s front man, Mikael Akefeldt making an appearance on the disc. That’s right, the voice of OPETH appears on the third track, “Unhealer.” The melodies of this track seem suited for Akerfeldt, especially during his first, clean verse, but the heavier melodies are straight from the book of Ihsahn. Akerfeldt takes sole possession during clean-vocal moments, but alternates with Ihsahn during harsher moments. This extreme vocal duet is one of heavy metal’s highlights for 2008. Anyone who has followed Ihsahn’s career knows he possesses one of the strongest voices in black metal, so this side of his vocal performance comes as no surprise, but the maturation of his clean voice is astounding. “Emancipation,” “Alchemist” and “Threnody” are the most organic performances of Ihsahn’s career. These tracks are a testament to the years of training Ihsahn invested in to develop his voice into the smooth-as-suede throat he presents on these tracks. When an EMPEROR album came out, one could expect one of the best albums of the year. After the group split, the members have created various bands, most of which sound nothing like EMPEROR and are not of the caliber as that legendary group. When Ihsahn released his first solo album, he had returned to the dominant stance he had in EMPEROR, not only because of the familiarity, but also his musical brilliance. The second, full-length recording by the IHSAHN band continues this string of Ihsahn producing a top ten album. At this point in the year, “angL” is the best album of 2008! - Darren CowanRead full review
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