Ihsahn
The Adversary

IHSAHN - The Adversary

 "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds

  I will be like the most High"

                                                         IS 14: 14

Feel the darkness.

To perceive in the depths of the soul the torment of an ungrateful existence, the agony of the flesh that transfigures into the anguish of a chained thought, crushed by the will of the powerful, annihilated by its own diversity, its felt "adversity." Ihsahn, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, and main composer of the late Emperor (now disbanded), takes us on an intense journey through the darkest paths of the soul, in search of that individualism and inner determination that can allow man to overcome the crude limits of the banal common sense, and he does so with a beautiful album, a perfect continuation of that autarchic and grand philosophy that had characterized the entire history of the Emperor. Lucifer ("Anthems To The Welkin' At Dusk"), Icarus ("IX Equilibrium"), Prometheus ("Prometheus: The Discipline Of Fire And Demise"): dazzling symbols of human self-determination, emblematic metaphors of revenge, passionate redemption from all those "hands" that, in the absurdity of pre-established law and morality, violently manipulate our destiny, our ideas, our lives.

In each of them the musical embodiment of the "black sentiment," the deepest word of what many define as "Black Metal," or the artistic sublimation of that elitist and intellectual vision that only a few brilliant and restless spirits have been able to grasp.

But "unlike" the multitude, the ingenious Ihsahn has been able to impregnate the "black metal" that permeated his historic group, with an aesthetic, lyrical, and musical sophistication, absolutely extraordinary, perfecting step by step, album after album, an increasingly intelligent and visionary conception of the "black sentiment." Over time, many followers of this very particular group have viscerally tied themselves to the first (very important) album, "In The Nightside Eclipse," stupidly and cowardly ignoring however the subsequent works (cited above), in which the extreme musical experience of Ihsahn and Samoth (second guitarist and composer) matured in full and concrete form. A path of violent and fierce sounds, but also poetic and epic, imbued with intense spirituality and shattering humanity, where a complex Black Metal perfectly blended with the grandeur of symphonic music, but also with the visceral nature of Death and the melancholy of Dark.

Parallel to the infernal dimension of Emperor, our Ihsahn had set up another carousel of creative madness, an immense stage for the boldest sound and ideological experiments: the project "Peccatum" (accompanied by his wife Ihriel), in which all his boundless musical talent converged, and above all, the innate desire to delve into and explore the entire lyrical-musical universe of Dark to the fullest. From the body of Emperor and the soul of "Peccatum" comes this first solo work of his, where all instruments (vocals included, except for drums) are skilfully molded by the extraordinary hands of the genius, in a blend of ideas and indescribable emotions. Chilling screaming voices, soaked with pain and anger (in classic Black style), confront clean and passionate voices, in a moving love interweaving, where guitars, piano, and strings carve out spaces of vital harmony, a brilliant framework of feelings. Meanwhile, an absolutely perfect rhythmic substrate materializes, in the destroying chaos typical of Black, rock incursions and "classically" metal cadenced rhythms. All wrapped in a path of sounds and lyrics that is undoubtedly extreme, but at the same time varied and rich with nuances, full of great sensitivity and poetry.

It is impossible to dwell on the individual songs, all equally splendid, complex, and multifaceted. Indeed, it seems even more banal to spend useless words to describe the multitude of musical forms, expressed in the magnificent visionary setting of the Norwegian genius, where Rock, Dark, Gothic, Classic, Death, Black, Symphonic, Hard, Doom, Thrash, Progressive, and much more harmoniously and intelligently fuse together.

Feel the darkness.

To perceive in the depths of the soul the torment of an ungrateful existence, the agony of the flesh that transfigures into the anguish of a chained thought, crushed by the will of the powerful, annihilated by its own diversity, its felt "adversity." Not everyone can approach this music. Even fewer would come to understand and love it. But for those few lucky ones, it remains a sublime and profound, sensitive and cultured, immense and sincere experience.

PS: Take that, to those who think Black Metal is just screams, curses, inverted crosses, and music played with feet!

Tracklist :

1. Invocation

2. Called by the Fire

3. Citizen

4. Homecoming

5. Astera ton Proinon

6. Panem et Circenses

7. And He Shall Walk in Empty Places

8. Will You Love Me Now?

9. The Pain Is Still Mine