Ihsahn

Review: Ihsahn’s Eremita

Ihsahn: EremitaIhsahn: Eremita (Candlelight, 6/19/12)

“The Paranoid”

Ihsahn: “The Paranoid”

Though the hazy noise of 1992’s Wrath of the Tyrant may seem a far cry from the sleekly produced Eremita, the songwriting of former Emperor guitarist and vocalist Ihsahn always has been based upon a very specific melodic voice. There is a clear thread from the tremolo-picked intro to “I Am the Black Wizards” (from 1993’s Emperor) to the arpeggiated “Introspection” (from Eremita), even if one composition tends much more towards Celtic Frost and the other much more towards Gentle Giant. Eremita, or “The Hermit,” is Ihsahn’s fourth solo album, and it continues a hybrid of progressive rock and black metal that was heard on Emperor’s later albums such as IX Equilibrium and Prometheus.

Wu Fei: Experimental Expression of Chinese Traditions

Wu Fei‘s work is a marriage between the East and West. Using traditional Chinese instruments such as the guzheng and erhu in unconventional ways, Fei strays from the strict, painterly elegance of the instrument’s usual genre, instead introducing improvised and experimental elements.