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Ihsahn - Angl

About.com Rating fourhalf out of Five

By Chad Bowar, About.com

Ihsahn - Angl

Ihsahn - Angl

Candlelight Records
Emperor frontman Ihsahn released his first solo CD The Adversary a couple of years ago. After doing some festivals and tours with Emperor, he went back to his Symphonique Studios in Notodden, Norway to work on this album. It features guest appearances from Spiral Architect bassist and drummer Lars Koppang and Asgeir Mickelson along with Opeth vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt.

His first solo effort was good, but Angl is even better. The songs are better and more focused, while still retaining a lot of diversity. There are still a lot of progressive elements, but Ihsahn increases the black metal quotient on this one along with sprinkling in gothic, death and traditional metal. He weaves the varied genres into a cohesive package, and the CD has excellent flow.

Ihsahn's vocals are a combination of melodic singing and harsh growls. Akerfeldt's contributions on "Unhealer" makes it a standout and very memorable. In addition to the vocals, Ihsahn's guitar talents are also pretty good as he breaks off some excellent solos. Angl is an elegant CD with a lot of depth and complexity, but it also has a dark underbelly that gives it balance.

(released May 27, 2008 on Candlelight Records)

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