Metal Riot

Some people Darby Crash or Syd Barrett their way to enlightenment. Others seek perfection of form or religion until some part of them slowly erodes (in cases when it fails). Whether you are a Tim Lambesis or a Blake Judd or a Mic Todd, these people all made meaningful art that affected people, as much as people debate the morality of some of their actions. Sometimes, as ugly as things can be, it is just part of the equation of life. We do have free will and choice to embrace higher roads, but karma or preconditioned hurdles in the psyche or environment can create major speed bumps (sometimes made of actual speed!).

Ihsahn of Emperor fame is still most associated with that classic Black Metal juggernaut, including their social infamy. Nowadays the founding 2nd-ish wave black metal father turned prog giant has evolved through non beholden to Orthodox Satanism and anti-morality to something inclusive of all that but much more vast and still very empowered. Ihsahn’s new solo-opus Das Seelenbrechen is a trip down the rabbit hole. This is not just restless reinvention for the sake of throwing out the past but rather a revealing of more layers and a sharpening of corners. “M” is delicate prog turned Floyd blues freak out. Space and ritual bells come at you on some tracks. Invisible siamese twins and stunning ambient poetry flitter up against stuff so harsh (i.e.: “Tacit 2” is an edifice crumbling into endless shadows) it competes with the most intense shit of OvO , Rotting Christ, Oslo’s Årabrot or Today Is The Day’s Sadness Will Prevail era. Think drums as falling beams, courtesy of Leprous drummer Tobias Ornes Anderson.

Das Seelenbrechen does not babysit you, like a purgatory of growth. This is the Orobouros throwing aside fear as it eats it’s tail. Haunting. Inspiring. Controlled/Chaotic.

‘I don’t know what I fear the most. What I am or what I’m not”. – Ihsahn from “PULSE”

Click HERE to read the interview!