Norway’s polymath IHSAHN offers a masterclass of contrast.
NOTODDEN TEATER, NOTODDEN
Norway’s black metal poster child unleashes his full kaleidoscopic vision
LAST YEAR THE genre-fluid creative force of nature known as Ihsahn released a brace of EPS that, once again, illustrated his flair for crafting pigeonhole-busting, utterly arresting music. Telemark signalled a return to the Emperor frontman’s BM roots, while Pharos saw him delve further down the rabbit hole to deliver a twisted take of pop and prog while also paying tribute to his early influences.
Tonight, in front of 20 fans in the flesh and thousands more at home, Ihsahn finally gets to perform those EPS live – plus some promised cuts from Das Seelenbrechen. Opening his set
with Losing Altitude, the brooding clean vocals and hypnotic guitars lure you in from the get-go and the slow-burning number is full of intrigue and drama.
“This is a new situation for me - it’s the first show I’ve sat down for,” announces the metal maverick from his stool. While his presentation may be different, his ability to command an audience’s attention remains the same. The jazzy Spectre At The Feast is a treat and tips a cap to Angel Dust-era Faith No More, as is his cover of A-ha’s synth-driven oddity Manhattan Skyline. Boasting some beautiful vocals from
Leprous’s Einar Solberg, the waltzing track delivers goosebumps you could hang a hat off.
“It’s time to turn the heat up a little bit,” the now upright Ihsahn offers as the band deliver a blistering version of Hiber. While the cover of Lenny Kravitz’s Rock And Roll Is Dead falls flat without a proper crowd, their rendition of Maiden’s evergreen Wrathchild is wonderfully raucous. Signing off with an epic version of Telemark’s title track, the song is every bit as spectacular live as we hoped it would be and it was definitely worth the wait to witness it. EDWIN MCFEE