IHSAHN shares new single 'Twice Born' from upcoming self-titled album
15-12-2023
Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Ihsahn (EMPEROR) will release his next solo LP, “Ihsahn”, on February 16 via Candlelight Records. The release will embody two melodically interlinked versions of the same album: one metal, one fully symphonic, both creating a cinematically influenced masterpiece that is simply, definitively titled “Ihsahn”. Ahead of the release date, Ihsahn has shared the LP’s second single, “Twice Born”, with an accompanying video filmed by Shaun Hodson at Loki Films.
“This second single, ‘Twice Born’, picks up the conceptual narratives right where the previous single, ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion’, ended,” Ihshan says. “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.”
“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” features 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 was created by Ritxi Ostari.
Track listing:
01. Cervus Venator
02. The Promethean Spark
03. Pilgrimage To Oblvision
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
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