Metal Anarchy

Ihsahn (Emperor) has premiered a new video for his new song “Pilgrimage To Oblivion.” This track is from his new self-titled album, which will be released on February 16. Notably, the record will be available in both traditional and orchestral versions. Pre-orders can be found HERE.

Ihsahn commented:

“‘Pilgrimage To Oblivion‘ offers a direct glimpse into the overarching musical and conceptual elements of the album. The lyrics delve straight into the storyline, and the accompanying video is the first installment in a series depicting the entire narrative.

On average, I’ve been releasing a full-length album every second year since I was 16. And, you know, that has given me some opportunity to explore different options, so for my eighth full-length solo record, I thought, ‘Okay, how can I do what I do best, but also raise the bar tenfold?’ At the heart of what I do is black metal, extreme distorted guitars and screaming, but since the earliest Emperor recordings you’ll hear the keyboard parts influenced by classic soundtracks by the likes of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, John Carpenter and so on.

So, I approached the writing with the intent to present the material in its full-blown metal expression, but also to arrange the orchestral parts in such a way that they would work independently. Somehow an attempt to write a soundtrack within the structures of the full production, allowing me to explore different, and sometimes contrasting, variations of essentially the same music. In the end I wrote all the music as a piano short-score and arranged it for a typical band ensemble and orchestra, accordingly, making sure everything interlocked.”

“Ihsahn” Track Listing:

01. “Cervus Venator”
02. “The Promethean Spark”
03. “Pilgrimage To Oblivion”
04. “Twice Born”
05. “A Taste Of The Ambrosia”
06. “Anima Extraneae”
07. “Blood Trails To Love”
08. “Hubris And Blue Devils”
09. “The Distance Between Us”
10. “At The Heart Of All Things Broken”
11. “Sonata Profana”