By: Daniel
Jackson
Album Type: Full
Length
Date
Released: 8/4/2016
Label:
Candlelight Records
By and large, this album doesn’t have enough of what made Ihsahn
different to keep it from blending into a number of other prog metal albums you
might have heard over the last five years , but to get to the heart of the
matter, if you’re already a fan of Ihsahn’s more recent output you should enjoy
this as well, the songs fit in nicely within that style, and with more concise
songwriting to boot. However If you’re like me, and you tend to favor the man’s
earlier work, it’s worth hearing for the sake of appreciating the musical
talent on offer, but you may be left cold by the overall direction of what you
hear.
‘Arktis.’
CD//LP//DD track listing:
1.
Disassembled
2.
Mass Darkness
3.
My Heart Is Of The North
4.
South Winds
5.
In The Vaul
6.
Until I Too Dissolve
7.
Pressure
8.
Frail
9.
Crooked Red Line
10.
Celestial Violence
Ihsahn is:
Ihsahn
| Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
Tobias
Ørnes Andersen | Drums (Session)
Matt
Heafy | Guest vocals on “Mass Darkness”
Einar
Solberg | Guest vocals on “Disassembled”
Jørgen
Munkeby | Saxophone on “Crooked Red Line”
The Review:
I’ve
been listening to Ihsahn’s music, starting with Emperor, for
nearly twenty years now. Emperor had a profound impact on how I viewed music, and
created an elevated standard by which I judge other albums. Simply put, I count
Emperor as being
in an elite tier of all-time heavy metal bands, regardless of subgenre. When Emperor ceased
producing new material, I understood and appreciated the decision. Ihsahn wanted
to spread his musical wings and try new things, without the burden of calling
that music “Emperor” when it likely
wouldn’t have fit the character and style of that band. It was an admirable
choice to make.
How
you feel about Ihsahn’s solo work is largely going to depend on
what you were hoping to hear from it in the first place. If you’re wanting
something approximating Emperor, you’re less likely to have enjoyed anything
post-‘angL’. If you kept a
relatively open mind, or were at least willing to give just about anything Ihsahn did a
chance, you’ve probably had a good deal to celebrate over the course of his
solo career. In my case, the last Ihsahn album I really connected with was ‘After’, as ‘Eremita’ and ‘Das
Seelenbrechen’ roam too far into prog rock territory to truly hold my
interest. Why am I bothering to explain all of this? Because the best I can
really say about ‘Arktis.’ is that I
respect the level of effort and musicianship at work on the album, and you
should know what my bias is when considering my opinion of the album. By and
large, this album doesn’t have enough of what made Ihsahn different to keep it from blending into a number
of other prog metal albums you might have heard over the last five years.
This
album is at its best when it recalls ‘After’
stylistically, with “Mass Darkness”
being the best example. The song begins with the sort of epic guitar
histrionics familiar to anyone who’s heard Judas Priest’s “The Hellion” (or Ihashn’s own “Frozen
Lakes on Mars”). After the initial explosion, the song retreats and begins
to build momentum as it heads toward the chorus. It’s the easy standout of the
album, with the album’s best hooks and songwriting.
The
tracks that follow, “My Heart Is Of The
North”, and “South Winds”, offer
some keen examples of what falls flat for me on the album. In the case of the
former, it sounds like Ihsahn has been listening to a lot of the last two Opeth albums,
which is no doubt great news for some of you reading this. To my ears, those
albums proved a textbook example of a band that left a lot of what made them
unique behind in pursuit of becoming just another prog band. While Ihsahn hasn’t
fully made that same jump yet, it is
worthy of concern. In the case of “South
Winds”, the song is the bizarre clash of an electronics-centric verse,
anchored by a steady kick beat, against light prog fare during the chorus and
at other points throughout. While there’s something to be said for attempting
something with such unlikely musical bedfellows, the dueling personalities
don’t comingle especially well.
To
get to the heart of the matter, if you’re already a fan of Ihsahn’s more
recent output you should enjoy this as well, the songs fit in nicely within
that style, and with more concise songwriting to boot. If you’re like me, and
you tend to favor the man’s earlier work, it’s worth hearing for the sake of
appreciating the musical talent on offer, but you may be left cold by the
overall direction of what you hear. In any case, there’s no arguing the man’s
abilities.
You can pick up a CD/LP copy here.
Band info: Facebook
