Year: 2020
Total Time: 24:42
Label: Candlelight Records
Ihsahn’s new EP they said… It will not be hard they said… Good one huh; So let’s dive into it…
Our beloved Norwegian Ihsahn (or Regard Sverre Tveitan), decided that after 7 albums, it was time to give us a smaller release, in the form of an EP. Here we find 3 new tracks and 2 covers, one in LENNY KRAVITZ (the track “Rock And Roll Is Dead”) and one in IRON MAIDEN (the track “Wrathchild”). The second choice was no surprise to me, after all, it is known that everyone up there in this generation are huge IRON MAIDEN fans. Kudos for me though for choosing a song from this particular album.
Let me make a reference before we start, to the two guests of this release. On the drums we have Tobias Ørnes Andersen (SHINING, ex-LEPROUS) and on the saxophone (yes you read that right), we have Jørgen Munkeby (SHINING). We have a nice atmosphere, we have vocals in the veins of “Prometheus” (EMPEROR), we have a lot of guitar parts, with nice riffing, with solos, with rhythm guitars playing different parts in the left from the right side and of course musicianshio. A lot of it. Although I’m a drummer, I have to say that I liked the drums being a bit pushed back compared to the other instruments and it makes sense after talking about a guitarist’s solo work. Also say the lyrics are all in Norwegian which gave that extra touch. Going back to the vocals, I admit that it’s one of the few times I’ve had the goosebumps from them alone. I don’t know if I can describe the feeling it brings out in words. Moreover, the feeling comes out as a whole, with the use of the keyboards and the saxophone. I don’t have much to say about the two covers. They are COVERS and not re-recordings. He has even included female vocals, and various wind instruments (yes in “Wrathchild” also) and it is as if you hear JAMES BROWN in some moments. Talking about having imagination.
There were moments in the EP that (also while watching the video clip of the first track), I was transferred into the icy mountains just walking around. This EP could be EMPEROR in a few years after the release of “Prometheus”. I thought about it long enough before I write this and finally agreed with myself, so yeah that’s that. Dear Ihsahn, you did it again. You played with our hearts… Wait what?
Rating: 7,5/10
Name: Nick Samios
Related Link: IHSAHN – Official Page
