- Apr 5, 2003
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Ihsahn - The Adversary
Candlelight Records - April 10th, 2006
By Brandon Strader
After the breakup of Peccatum, and long after the breakup of Emperor, Ihsahn has organized his own solo-project which he rightfully named after himself. Rather than going completely insane and making a hip hop masterpeice or Norwegian gangsta rap, Ihsahn sticks to what he knows best: The dual guitar leads reminiscent of Emperor, as well as similar songwriting and his distinct cackling scream. For fans of Emperor, this may be the closest thing we get to the next Emperor album... It's definitely close enough in style to be such, yet Ihsahn is incorporating more emotional acoustic passages and has further explored the outer reaches of his voice. "Invocation" starts up very strong with a skillful percussion performance, staccato keyboards playing in the background, and those familiar screams. This verse is juggled with a more thrashing verse for a while, until you hear Ihsahn bellow, 'Let it all come down!' and the song speeds up a ton and the totally epic arrangement oozes out like a blanket to wrap you in awesomeness. I love how similar to Emperor this moment sounds, and how similar a lot of others do. The songwriting is really brilliant and exciting, never dropping into the horrifying realm of boredom.
The increased amount of acoustic passages spread throughout The Adversary really add a whole new dynamic that hadn't been in Emperor so much. Now there are dual acoustic guitar leads which sound completely amazing, and we've got Ihsahn performing layered clean vocals - and yes, a lot of falsetto - during these acoustic passages. A lot of the songs sound like they could have been featured on an action movie soundtrack for a fight or chase scene, as they are really intense and they roll smoothly throughout the song. The introduction to "Called By The Fire" would be perfect for a bike or motorcycle chase with it's funky high powerchords. The only way that could have been any better is if Ihsahn had used a wah-wah effect on the guitars. The solo section after the chorus is notable too, as it's some of the most insane stuff you would never expect Ihsahn to be playing. It's totally ethereal and pleasant stuff with soft, layered vocals that makes you feel like you're floating on clouds. "Citizen" really breaks out hard Emperor style from the start. There's a rhythm guitar part in the left channel, and a completely different one in the right and they both seem to work fine together as the rhythm. The percussion cuts easily through the music with a clicky bass drum sound, and a higher velocity than the music. The music wasn't mastered to the extent that it could have been. The volume could be cranked up a bit more, and the equalization isn't ideal. The bass is way too low, I suppose to try to hold on to that "grimmer" sound yet the music has gone in a completely different direction almost. Despite the weaker production, it does sound better and better the louder you turn it up, of course!
This is an awesome solo release from Ihsahn that totally makes up for the loss of Peccatum, and in a way, Emperor. One can only imagine the musical differences held in the Emperor camp that led to their disbandment, yet luckily we've got all the best elements of Emperor and the softer side of Ihsahn as well. In the end, the album really sounds like a more comfortable and calculating Emperor, and yes, a bit more honest. Just listen to the major acoustic chords and clean vocals on "Homecoming" followed by the pop-like falsetto chorus. That's something you would never hear from Emperor. "Astera Ton Proinon" is a highly orchestrated peice that almost plays like a ballad except for the extremely grim chorus that breaks in. It sounds totally menacing when the heavy guitars and screams overlap the orchestration and layered clean vocals. The Adversary really pumped me up and made me wish for more Emperor and a new Ihsahn album, even... One can only hope that will come fairly soon.
9/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Ihsahn Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
Candlelight Records - April 10th, 2006
By Brandon Strader
After the breakup of Peccatum, and long after the breakup of Emperor, Ihsahn has organized his own solo-project which he rightfully named after himself. Rather than going completely insane and making a hip hop masterpeice or Norwegian gangsta rap, Ihsahn sticks to what he knows best: The dual guitar leads reminiscent of Emperor, as well as similar songwriting and his distinct cackling scream. For fans of Emperor, this may be the closest thing we get to the next Emperor album... It's definitely close enough in style to be such, yet Ihsahn is incorporating more emotional acoustic passages and has further explored the outer reaches of his voice. "Invocation" starts up very strong with a skillful percussion performance, staccato keyboards playing in the background, and those familiar screams. This verse is juggled with a more thrashing verse for a while, until you hear Ihsahn bellow, 'Let it all come down!' and the song speeds up a ton and the totally epic arrangement oozes out like a blanket to wrap you in awesomeness. I love how similar to Emperor this moment sounds, and how similar a lot of others do. The songwriting is really brilliant and exciting, never dropping into the horrifying realm of boredom.
The increased amount of acoustic passages spread throughout The Adversary really add a whole new dynamic that hadn't been in Emperor so much. Now there are dual acoustic guitar leads which sound completely amazing, and we've got Ihsahn performing layered clean vocals - and yes, a lot of falsetto - during these acoustic passages. A lot of the songs sound like they could have been featured on an action movie soundtrack for a fight or chase scene, as they are really intense and they roll smoothly throughout the song. The introduction to "Called By The Fire" would be perfect for a bike or motorcycle chase with it's funky high powerchords. The only way that could have been any better is if Ihsahn had used a wah-wah effect on the guitars. The solo section after the chorus is notable too, as it's some of the most insane stuff you would never expect Ihsahn to be playing. It's totally ethereal and pleasant stuff with soft, layered vocals that makes you feel like you're floating on clouds. "Citizen" really breaks out hard Emperor style from the start. There's a rhythm guitar part in the left channel, and a completely different one in the right and they both seem to work fine together as the rhythm. The percussion cuts easily through the music with a clicky bass drum sound, and a higher velocity than the music. The music wasn't mastered to the extent that it could have been. The volume could be cranked up a bit more, and the equalization isn't ideal. The bass is way too low, I suppose to try to hold on to that "grimmer" sound yet the music has gone in a completely different direction almost. Despite the weaker production, it does sound better and better the louder you turn it up, of course!
This is an awesome solo release from Ihsahn that totally makes up for the loss of Peccatum, and in a way, Emperor. One can only imagine the musical differences held in the Emperor camp that led to their disbandment, yet luckily we've got all the best elements of Emperor and the softer side of Ihsahn as well. In the end, the album really sounds like a more comfortable and calculating Emperor, and yes, a bit more honest. Just listen to the major acoustic chords and clean vocals on "Homecoming" followed by the pop-like falsetto chorus. That's something you would never hear from Emperor. "Astera Ton Proinon" is a highly orchestrated peice that almost plays like a ballad except for the extremely grim chorus that breaks in. It sounds totally menacing when the heavy guitars and screams overlap the orchestration and layered clean vocals. The Adversary really pumped me up and made me wish for more Emperor and a new Ihsahn album, even... One can only hope that will come fairly soon.
9/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Ihsahn Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
