I am starting to recover from my Arcturus depression. I knew I would. It was a shock to have lost them for this years ProgPower, but theres nothing we can do about it.
But Ihsahn is an INCREDIBLE replacement, and for you skeptics and casual fans, I hope this comes as a step toward welcoming one of Norways most talented musicians with open minds and open arms.
First, a little background on the man himself (some of this is Wiki, some of this is my own personal take):
He is best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Emperor. He has appeared in Thou Shalt Suffer, up until March 4, 2006, played in Peccatum with his wife Ihriel (real name Heidi S. Tveitan), and now devotes himself to his solo project, Ihsahn. In his very early releases, he went by the name Ygg.
Emperor is one of the most popular black metal bands of all time. They were one of the first (and likely still one of the best) to incorporate ample keyboards into the black metal sound. Thou Shalt Suffer were a death metal band, and a damn good one. Hes also dabbled in symphonic arrangements.
Ihsahns solo material is quite a bit more progressive than former projects, but still keeps the black metal spirit very much alive. If youre skeptical of the harsh vocals, I really encourage you to look up the lyrics to his songs, because they are quite good. Hes already performed live with his solo act a few time, including a few shows last year and an appearance at Wacken Open Air.
Here are some samples of a few songs we might expect to see live (based on sets hes previously played).
Official video from a song from his first album, The Adversary
Hes played this song at all of his live shows, to my knowledge:
This one too:
Heres a song from his second album, angL. It features guest vocals from Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth. Live, the Leprous guys have helped with the singing of the guest vocals.
A song from his latest album, After, which is probably the most progressive of the trilogy:
And at least one of his shows, hes made his Emperor fans quite happy by playing a couple of Emperor tunes, so heres one for those with tastes that are a bit more extreme:
Final Thoughts:
Like Arcturus, this isn't going to be for everyone, I know that. But this guy really is a genius, folks.
If you were on the fence about Arcturus, prepare to dig that fence deeper in your ass with this one. Ihsahns invitation to ProgPower shows an even further shift in the formula (or lack thereof) for this festival. At its base this is the first black metal band to play this festival, albeit one that is truly transcendent and very progressive.
I really feel bad for those who will tune out just because of the harsh vocals. They are really the most appropriate style for this music, and Ihsahn has some of the best and most recognizable vocals in his respective genre. Most of this stuff is headphones music too, so really listen to it and give it a fair shot. This guys going to raise more than just eyebrows with his performance. Hes going to kill it I know it.
I just pray to Baby Satan that theres nothing that happens between now and September to keep him from playing this fest.
But Ihsahn is an INCREDIBLE replacement, and for you skeptics and casual fans, I hope this comes as a step toward welcoming one of Norways most talented musicians with open minds and open arms.
First, a little background on the man himself (some of this is Wiki, some of this is my own personal take):
He is best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Emperor. He has appeared in Thou Shalt Suffer, up until March 4, 2006, played in Peccatum with his wife Ihriel (real name Heidi S. Tveitan), and now devotes himself to his solo project, Ihsahn. In his very early releases, he went by the name Ygg.
Emperor is one of the most popular black metal bands of all time. They were one of the first (and likely still one of the best) to incorporate ample keyboards into the black metal sound. Thou Shalt Suffer were a death metal band, and a damn good one. Hes also dabbled in symphonic arrangements.
Ihsahns solo material is quite a bit more progressive than former projects, but still keeps the black metal spirit very much alive. If youre skeptical of the harsh vocals, I really encourage you to look up the lyrics to his songs, because they are quite good. Hes already performed live with his solo act a few time, including a few shows last year and an appearance at Wacken Open Air.
Here are some samples of a few songs we might expect to see live (based on sets hes previously played).
Official video from a song from his first album, The Adversary
Hes played this song at all of his live shows, to my knowledge:
This one too:
Heres a song from his second album, angL. It features guest vocals from Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth. Live, the Leprous guys have helped with the singing of the guest vocals.
A song from his latest album, After, which is probably the most progressive of the trilogy:
And at least one of his shows, hes made his Emperor fans quite happy by playing a couple of Emperor tunes, so heres one for those with tastes that are a bit more extreme:
Final Thoughts:
Like Arcturus, this isn't going to be for everyone, I know that. But this guy really is a genius, folks.
If you were on the fence about Arcturus, prepare to dig that fence deeper in your ass with this one. Ihsahns invitation to ProgPower shows an even further shift in the formula (or lack thereof) for this festival. At its base this is the first black metal band to play this festival, albeit one that is truly transcendent and very progressive.
I really feel bad for those who will tune out just because of the harsh vocals. They are really the most appropriate style for this music, and Ihsahn has some of the best and most recognizable vocals in his respective genre. Most of this stuff is headphones music too, so really listen to it and give it a fair shot. This guys going to raise more than just eyebrows with his performance. Hes going to kill it I know it.
I just pray to Baby Satan that theres nothing that happens between now and September to keep him from playing this fest.
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