More innovative Norwegians. In fact, more innovative Norwegians from Notodden, not quite sure what they are putting in the water there, but any ways. Ihsahn is a visionary, innovator and all-round renaissance man. In his teens, he formed Emperor, perhaps the most important and certainly the most influential of the second-wave of Nordic black metal acts. They refined the initially raw and under-produced sound and developed it into something much more orchestral and widescreen.

When Emperor dissolved at the turn of the century he put his considerable creative energy into a solo career that has produced some really rather special records indeed. For the eighth entry into his lexicon, he has gone down the self-titled route. In many ways, it is really fitting to simply call it Ihsahn as it is a fantastic amalgamation of all he has achieved over his immense 35-year career.

This is a luxuriously prerogative album that is heavily symphonically orchestrated. It is a lush musical forest of sumptuous sound and multiple layered aural appreciations. Its utter magic is in its density, there is just so much going on here and in many ways you are spoilt for choice of where to put your attention.

It fluctuates in visceral waves, continually shifting tempo and  composure. It feels like he’s taken every inventive idea that it ever had and amalgamated that into one single collection of songs. An absolute masterpiece of innovative songwriting that transgresses any particular genre or style.

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