News: IHSAHN releases second single 'Twice Born' (Candlelight Records)

Ihsahn releases second single/video ‘Twice Born’ ahead of album release

Eponymous concept album due 16 February via Candlelight Records

Two melodically interlinked versions of the same album: one prog metal, one fully symphonic

Art taps into the metaphysical and the archetypes of our existence – it lets us experience loss, death, love – it prepares us for all of those things in some way. That’s the value, that’s the perspective I wish to create from.” – Ihsahn

Ihsahn has released the second single from his forthcoming eponymous album. ‘Twice Born’ is a fraught maelstrom of symphonic metal which continues the conceptual storyline from previous single, ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion’.

New album, definitively titled Ihsahn, will be released on 16th February 2024 via Candlelight Records. Daring to push the realms of creative expressionism even further with his eighth studio offering, the Norwegian progressive metal visionary will release two melodically interlinked versions of the same album: one prog metal, one fully symphonic, both creating a cinematically-influenced masterpiece.

Accompanying the new single are two videos, one for each version (metal and orchestral). The video for the metal version was filmed by Shaun Hodson at Loki Films. For the orchestral version of the track, an animated visualiser by Costin Chioreanu has been created.

Check out ‘Twice Born’ here: https://youtu.be/aDlwCo0HNXs

Check out ‘Twice Born – Orchestral’ here: (set for active release 6pm GMT Dec 14) – https://youtu.be/np-OUXGKMMk

Pre-order and listen to Ihsahn here: https://ihsahn.lnk.to/IHSAHN

Commenting on the new track, “This second single, ‘Twice Born’, picks up the conceptual narratives right where the previous single, ‘Pilgrimage to Oblivion’, ended. Both the metal version of this song and orchestral version will be accompanied by two more videos, continuing the storylines. Musically this song is perhaps slightly more playful than ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion’ but follows the same interplay of screams, guitars and orchestra.”

Whilst his musical journey has been frequently revelatory, the masterful control of rhythm and movement displayed throughout Ihsahn shows his work as a songwriter and composer at its most focused and self assured. A gargantuan endeavour and one that Ihsahn professes to be one of the most complex projects he has ever undertaken, is a labyrinthine rabbit-hole of his own design; the scale of ambition immediately apparent. Wholly self-produced and scored over the course of three years, the metal version has been mixed by Jens Bogren, the orchestral version mixed by Joel Dollié and both versions were mastered by Tony Lindgren. Ihsahn freely admits that the process pushed him to his limits. It began, simply, with a piano.

Comments Ihsahn, “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.”

It’s that compositional core that allowed Ihsahn to build the two records from the ground up – a Herculean feat for the self-professed, self-taught musician, but it is perhaps that very absence of formal training that allowed him to throw out the rulebook and simply follow his instincts, and the time afforded by the pandemic created the natural gap required to so heavily invest himself in the project. That self-induced pressure came from a desire to keep his loyal fanbase and himself interested, which is not only the defining feature of his latest record, but it’s also the central characteristic of his entire solo career.

Joining Ihsahn on this album are Tobias Ørnes Andersen and Tobias Solbakk on drums and percussion, with Ihsahn’s son Angell Solberg Tveitan adding additional percussion and violins by Chris Baum. Artwork for the album was created by Ritxi Ostariz with all promotional photography by Andy Ford.

Not satisfied to only create a dual-record, there is also a conceptual story which underpins both sides of Ihsahn – a pair of separate but interwoven Wagnerian narratives revolving around the traditional hero’s journey, and while Ihsahn is reticent to tell all, he is confident that meaning will soon emerge for listeners willing to show equal commitment.

Check out previous single, ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion’, here: https://youtu.be/1WDCrgpKXaE
Check out ‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion – Orchestral’ here: https://youtu.be/U8muikUUz_k