Ihsahn, the legendary mastermind behind the widely influential Emperor, is returning in 2018 with his seventh solo record, Àmr, due May 4 through Candlelight/Spinefarm. The album once again charts new sonic territory as evident by the first single, "Arcana Imperii."

Maintaining a balance between extreme and more fluid, accessible moments as he has since debuting with The Adversary in 2006, Ihsahn combines the warring facets, injecting a dose of synths for some fresh elements. The winding arrangements hinge on drummer Tobias Ørnes Andersen who navigates jarring transitions with flurries of kicks and elegant fills, allowing Ihsahn to glide from his signature caterwauls to peaceful, soothing cleans.

“Knowing that the form would be somewhat similar to what I did on the previous album, and given that I write stuff in a certain way, I wanted to change the wrapping this time,” Ihsahn said of Àmr. “So instead of going with my go-tos of strings and orchestration, I focused on analog synths and more in-your-face sounds. It goes back to the beginning of Emperor, when we brought in strings and horns inspired by orchestral movie scores by John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, but at the same time we loved all those eerie synth soundtracks of, for example, John Carpenter´s Halloween. I’ve also been listening to some contemporary R&B and hip-hop stuff with those deep, deep 808s. It’s just somehow darker than a lot of metal or black metal. It has a depth and an energy to it that I find captivating, so I wanted to explore those arrangement styles as well.”

“Every album, I intend to make the darkest album ever. I never set out to make anything more melodic or accessible," he adds. "However, growing up on '80s metal, plus having a rather wide range of musical influences, I often end up with quite contrasting elements. This is my seventh solo album, so in the end it really comes down to methods and perspectives that keep me exited and fired up about what I´m working on. If I’m not excited about it, I can’t expect anybody else to be!”

Ihsahn, Àmr Artwork + Track Listing

Candlelight
Candlelight
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01. Lend Me The Eyes Of The Millenia
02. Arcana Imperii
03. Sámr
04. One Less Enemy
05. Where You Are Lost and I Belong
06. In Rites Of Passage
07. Marble Soul
08. Twin Black Angels
09. Wake

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