Ihsahn
Arktis.

Heavy metal, progressive metal, electronic music, a pinch of pop, and a sprinkle of power metal: this is the recipe used by Ihsahn (whose real name is Vegard Sverre Tveitan) for his latest album, Arktis. "Variety" seems to be the keyword for this work. And this great variety is a huge pro, not only because it ensures the album is never repetitive but also because it makes all the songs composing the tracklist extremely recognizable: for instance, you will never confuse "My Heart Is of the North" with "Until I Too Dissolve." With this work, the multifaceted mind of the former leader of the black metal band Emperor has proven (as if there were any need for confirmation) to be one of the most protean minds in the entire musical universe, not just metal, alongside Kristoffer Rygg, whom he probably drew inspiration from for some passages, such as the electronic inserts that seem to hark back to the works of post-Nattens Madrigal Ulver, but to which he always adds a roaring metallic touch, making his work full of references and/or allusions but personalizing it, never merely imitating (think, for instance, of "South Winds").

Compared to other works by Ihsahn, this Arktis. is more accessible for those not accustomed to his music, thanks in part to the often clean choruses, which are very catchy and easily memorable (I would almost say pop, but I wouldn't want to offend the more sensitive). Are there rhythm changes? Yes. But despite this extreme variety within the individual tracks (not just between different songs), the listening experience of the album is anything but complicated. Speaking of this, two songs come to mind: the already mentioned "My Heart Is of the North," which remains hard and assertive - in a word, metal - throughout the first part, only to then reach a moment of quiet where the harsh scream is replaced by a sweet clean voice, before abruptly returning to the metal fury of the first part; and the song that opens the tracklist, "Disassembled," which, while staying dark for all of its 5-minute duration, manages not to remain the same, thanks to a heavier part than the first verses, a very catchy clean chorus followed by a verse, also in clean, sung by Einar Solberg of Leprous, and then returns to more intense and heavy rhythms, where the familiar scream once again takes the lead.

I don't want to prolong the review too much, so as not to reveal the minute details of an album that every metal music lover should listen to, to encourage you to listen to it, so you can discover for yourselves the tracks and the magnificent arabesques they contain. Without a doubt, in this 2016, Arktis. is one of the best albums released so far, alongside The Astonishing by Dream Theater (in my very humble opinion).