IHSAHN LAUNCHES SECOND EP OF 2020
Pharos shows a different side of the Norwegian mastermind.
Norwegian prog metal mastermind Ihsahn will release Pharos, the follow up to February’s Telemark EP, via Candlelight Records on September 11.
While its predecessor focused on his black metal heritage, Pharos moves further left-field, as the lead single Spectre At The Feast proves.
Ihsahn reveals, “Telemark was about going back to my roots so, as a counterpoint, Pharos does the complete opposite of that. Across the two EPs I wanted to show the two extremes of the music I like to write. It was a really nice challenge to single out those two sides of my writing for each EP.”
He adds: “Pharos has an outward gaze and a real sense of adventure to it. Musically, it’s a little more unfamiliar compared to what people expect from me. I wanted to challenge myself by writing only clean vocals and more poppy, open arrangements.”
The new EP comprises three new original songs and two atypical covers – Portishead’s Roads and Manhattan Skyline, which was originally by 80s pop band A-ha. The latter features Leprous vocalist and long-time collaborator Einar Solberg. “I wanted two covers that in themselves influenced my approach when writing the original songs,” Ihsahn says. “I had A-ha posters on my wall when I was young so it was a really fun cover to do. Einar was the only person I thought of when it came to the vocals for that song; his voice is perfect for it.”
Find out more at www.ihsahn.com and turn to page 103 for our review.