Here are Ihsahn's 10 favorite non-metal artists.
Even early on in the musician's career with black metal icons Emperor, Ihsahn demonstrated an attraction to music outside of the ironclad confines of heavy music. Those chilling keyboards and winding arrangements demonstrated a knack for composition far beyond what most of his peers had achieved during that era.
As a solo artist, Ihsahn has continued to challenge himself and work outside of his comfort zone for nearly two decades.
So, we invited him to open up about his biggest influences outside of metal (and rock), especially as it relates to his new self-titled record and its symphonic variant companion.
What You Should Know About Ihsahn
From: Norway
First Album: The Adversary (2006 – solo)
New Album: Ihsahn
This self-titled record is Ihsahn's first in six years, the longest gap in his recording career.
“On average, I've been releasing a full-length album every second year since I was 16. And, you know, that has given me some opportunity to explore different options," he assesses, "So for my eighth full-length solo record, I thought, ‘Okay, how can I do what I do best, but also raise the bar tenfold?"
And raise the bar, he did. Ihsahn will be released as two versions — one metal and one symphonic, both "melodically interlinked."
"At the heart of what I do is black metal, extreme distorted guitars and screaming, but since the earliest Emperor recordings you’ll hear the keyboard parts influenced by classic soundtracks by the likes of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, John Carpenter and so on," Ihsahn continues, "So, I approached the writing with the intent to present the material in its full-blown metal expression, but also to arrange the orchestral parts in such a way that they would work independently."
Ihsahn, "The Distance Between Us" Music Video
READ MORE: Emperor Legend Ihsahn Plays His Favorite Riffs
"Somehow an attempt to write a soundtrack within the structures of the full production, allowing me to explore different," he adds, "and sometimes contrasting, variations of essentially the same music. In the end I wrote all the music as a piano short-score and arranged it for a typical band ensemble and orchestra, accordingly, making sure everything interlocked.”
Ihsahn is out Feb. 16 on Candlelight.
View Ihsahn's favorite non-metal artists directly below.
