Ihsahn Announces Double EP Releases for 2020

Ihsahn will be releasing two EP’s in 2020 with Telemark set to arrive on February 14 through Candlelight Records. This forthcoming EP is expected to focus on the heavier aspect of Ihsahn‘s music while the follow-up will center on his more progressive tendencies. In an article from the PRP, he said, “The title of the EP is Telemark – it’s the county I grew up in and still live in, so the whole thing is situated there and very much inspired by that. So you could say it’s a roots-orientated album. I decided early on that I wanted this to be very purely related to black metal aesthetics. I wanted to distill the basic, bare bones black metal influences of my musical roots, given the overall concept, writing something for and from Telemark. I decided to do Norwegian lyrics for the first time, too. It feels very much closer to home in many ways.”

Ihsahn was the frontman for the band Emperor for decade before venturing out into his solo career. Ihsahn said, “I have seven solo albums out now, so the first EP is like a small recap, in a way. I did touch on some of the same thematics with ‘Arktis‘ but this time it’s closer to home, both musically and, dare I say, culturally. The plan is to then follow up this EP with its aesthetic and musical counterpart, wherein I can distil all those more progressive, experimental and mellow elements of my music. Ultimately, it’s all a means for me to get some of those ideas out of my system, giving myself space before I delve into the next album!”

Ihsahn fans well know his well defined style. After all these years, the man is still exploring, wandering the aural wilderness for the perfect collision of melodious vocals, time signature trickery, retro-styled synthesizers, chunky guitar, saxophone, syncopation, and black metal traditionalism. In a previous mxdwn article, Ihsahn’s music is described as “the subgenre of black metal is especially ripe for auteurism. It is not unusual for artists in the genre to lock themselves in a room, record all of the instruments and vocals themselves, and emerge, pale, grim and proud, bearing new dark prophecies in the form of song.”