Album of the day: Ihsahn – After

Lovingly pinched from About.com: Heavy Metal: After is the third solo CD from Ihsahn, and the ending to a trilogy. The former Emperor frontman’s solo releases have been more progressive and experimental in nature, while still being rooted in black metal. After pushes the envelope even more, with extensive use of saxophonist Jurgen Munkeby.

Each song on After is painstakingly composed and arranged, and the album flows extremely well. Ihsahn utilizes many different tempos, textures and intensities throughout the album, embarking on a musical ride with many ups, downs, twists and turns. After kicks off with ‘The Barren Lands’,  a natural progression from his first two solo efforts. But then things take an interesting path.

‘A Grave Inversed’ starts off in old school black metal style, dense and fast. Then the sax kicks in, providing a compelling contrast to the intensity of the guitars and drums.

Continue reading:  Ihsahn After Review – Review of After by Ihsahn – About.com.

Tags: About.com: Heavy Metal, album of the day, candlelight records, Chad Bowar, Emperor, Ihsahn, Jørgen Munkeby, progressive metal

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 6:57 am and is filed under 2010, Album of the Day, Roadburn Recommended . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.