Ihsahn – "Extreme music lends itself well to experimental arrangements"

In an extraordinary double album, former Emperor guitarist Ihsahn delivers new material in two contrasting versions: metal and orchestral. "It was a perfect match," he says, “because my guitar had the same tuning as the cellos!"

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Heavy metal and classical music may appear to be diametrically opposed, but there’s a lot to be said about the shared kinship between them. And few understand this as well as Norwegian musician Vegard Sverre Tveitan – the man better known as Ihsahn to his army of fans around the world.

As the founding singer/guitarist of Emperor, whose 1994 debut In The Nightside Eclipse is widely considered to be ground zero for symphonic black metal, he was able to layer orchestral sophistication into some of the most twisted noises ever conceived by the human mind, daring to delve deep into the baroque to further intensify the gothic qualities within his own compositions.

In 2006 he embarked on a solo career which has seen him thrive in the progressive leftfield, pairing extended-range guitars with synths, soundscapes and even saxophones. On his new self-titled double concept album, however, he's revisiting some of the musical concepts that kickstarted a new wave of cinematic extreme metal, once again finding ways to link the contrasting worlds of six-string aggression and classical finesse. The dualities at play are further emphasised by the two versions of each track - one led by distorted guitars and another reimagined in full orchestral form. Bearing similarities to the final Emperor album, 2001 masterpiece Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise, it's undoubtedly one of the finest metal releases you'll hear this year.