Ihsahn To Release New Self-Titled Album In February, "Pilgrimage To Oblivion" Video Debuts

Ihsahn‘s new self-titled studio album “Ihsahn” will be arriving on February 16th through Candlelight Records. The progressive Norwegian black metaller, who rose to prominence fronting Emperor, has just shared the below Shaun Hodson-directed music video for the record’s first single, “Pilgrimage To Oblivion“.

Ihsahn commented:

“‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion‘ offers a direct glimpse into the overarching musical and conceptual elements of the album. The lyrics delve straight into the storyline, and the accompanying video is the first installment in a series depicting the entire narrative.

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, 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?’ 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.

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. Somehow an attempt to write a soundtrack within the structures of the full production, allowing me to explore different, 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.

This new outing finds Tobias Ørnes Andersen, Tobias Solbakk and Ihsahn‘s own son Angell Solberg Tveitan contributing drums and percussion, with violins performed by Chris Baum.

“Ihsahn” track listing:

01 – “Cervus Venator”
02 – “The Promethean Spark”
03 – “Pilgrimage To Oblivion”
04 – “Twice Born”
05 – “A Taste Of The Ambrosia”
06 – “Anima Extraneae”
07 – “Blood Trails To Love”
08 – “Hubris And Blue Devils”
09 – “The Distance Between Us”
10 – “At The Heart Of All Things Broken”
11 – “Sonata Profana”