Ihsahn
Das Seelenbrechen
Candlelight Records
2013
About a year after “Eremita”, Ihsahn is back with his fifth solo work which is entitled “Das Seelenbrechen”. The blending of rock, atmospheric, avant-garde, black, extreme, melodic, hard, metal & progressive music still continues on this album.
Ihsahn has also got his beloved wife Ihriel (Star of Ash) on vocals by his side and Tobias Ørnes Andersen (Leprous) on drums. The mixing & mastering has once again been done by the renowned Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Katatonia, Dark Tranquillity, Enslaved tec.). Needless to say, the final result is superb.
“NaCI” & “Pulse” are probably the most melodious, avant-garde and atmospheric tracks Ihsahn has ever presented in his solo career. If only there were more songs like those. Unfortunately, the downfall begins in the middle of the album with “Tacit II” & “Tacit I”. Why’s that? Lack of inspiration? Boredom? Shortage of ideas?! Maybe all those things together! “Rec” & “M” both sound more like an intro to nowhere… while “Sub Ater” & “See” are “concluding” to a big, noisy fiasco.
Once again, the non-cohesive song arrangements is the major problem here as in “Eremita”. Ideas here and there, different music themes, various “intros/noises” and so on that can hardly be blended harmonically. I’ll say it once again; if only there were more tracks like “Pulse”… at least let’s hope that Ihsahn will think of his music direction twice in the future. Honestly, I can’t see how much longer he can take this road that leads him nowhere…
Ihsahn has also got his beloved wife Ihriel (Star of Ash) on vocals by his side and Tobias Ørnes Andersen (Leprous) on drums. The mixing & mastering has once again been done by the renowned Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Katatonia, Dark Tranquillity, Enslaved tec.). Needless to say, the final result is superb.
“NaCI” & “Pulse” are probably the most melodious, avant-garde and atmospheric tracks Ihsahn has ever presented in his solo career. If only there were more songs like those. Unfortunately, the downfall begins in the middle of the album with “Tacit II” & “Tacit I”. Why’s that? Lack of inspiration? Boredom? Shortage of ideas?! Maybe all those things together! “Rec” & “M” both sound more like an intro to nowhere… while “Sub Ater” & “See” are “concluding” to a big, noisy fiasco.
Once again, the non-cohesive song arrangements is the major problem here as in “Eremita”. Ideas here and there, different music themes, various “intros/noises” and so on that can hardly be blended harmonically. I’ll say it once again; if only there were more tracks like “Pulse”… at least let’s hope that Ihsahn will think of his music direction twice in the future. Honestly, I can’t see how much longer he can take this road that leads him nowhere…