The Bottom Line
Emperor's main man flies solo with smashing results.
Pros
- Diverse mix of styles.
Cons
- None.
Description
- Released in North America April 18, 2006 on Candlelight Records.
- Recorded at Symphonique Studios in Norway.
- This is Ihsahn's first solo album.
Guide Review - Ihsahn - The Adversary
2006 is shaping up to be a great year for Emperor fans. The band has reunited and will be playing some U.S. shows and European festivals. The band's vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn has also just released his first solo album, and it's a good one.
Ihsahn wrote all the music and lyrics for the album and plays all the instruments except drums. For that duty he brought aboard Asgeir Mickelson (Borknager). It's a really diverse album, both musically and vocally. There are hoarse raspy black metal style vocals along with melodic singing. Garm from Ulver is a guest vocalist. The music ranges from lush and melodic to abrasive and extreme. There are influences of everything from black metal to prog metal to death metal to mainstream metal. It's a complex album, but has plenty of melody and memorable hooks.
