Phonebook Eater 6/10

Ihsahn's Most Progressive Effort Yet.

“Eremita” is Ihsahn’s fourth full length studio album, the follow-up to “After”. Ihsahn is most known for being the vocalist and guitarist of legendary Norwegian Black Metal band Emperor; his major characteristic is his “pig squeal” shriek, one of the most distinct, unique and rare type of vocals in Black Metal. They make him stand out from all other vocalists of the genre. But after Emperor, Ihsahn on his own had started a decent solo career, in which he got more and more Progressive in his compositions. “Eremita” represents his most Progressive point, although there still is a great chunk of Black Metal influences.

Once again, Ihsahn surrounds his music with an incredible production, much cleaner and polished than some of his previous works, and with incredible musicians: he himself does a terrific job in every track, with both the shrieks and the clean vocals. But in general, letting the songs flow one by one, it’s noticeable that something is missing in “Eremita”. The songs are a bit too cold, too calculated in their Progressiveness, and most importantly, not that catchy or memorable, with a few great exceptions like the second track, “The Paranoid”, or the sixth one, “Something Out There”. Other songs are simply appreciable for their intelligence and structure, like “the Eagle and The Snake”, “The Grave” and “Departure”.

In Ihsahn’s work, the most noticeable trademark (other than the voice) is the frequent use of saxophone, usually there to give a touch of madness, or some genuine cacophony. On “Eremita” this instrument is extremely well-used and placed, and gives that nice feeling of diversity. Ihsahn also surrounds himself with a few, precious guest musicians: Eidar Soldberg from Norwegian band Leprous gives a great performance on the opening track, and Devin Townsend puts in the song “Introspection” so much of his character, and Jeff Loomis does some great guitar playing and solos on “The Eagle and The Snake”. But when Ihsahn plays by himself, it’s evident that everything is toned down quality-wise: as if Ihsahn had the need to have a special guest’s support, because without anyone he would wander almost shapelessly across the album. It would explain why he himself is so present as a guest musician in so many other albums.

Although the songs are Prog-oriented, and a certain level of maturity can be felt, Ihsahn doesn’t seem to have put the heart in some of these compositions, and it is frequent that they simply pass by without lingering in the listener’s head. Maybe, Ihsahn is more of a perfect guest star character, than a full-time songwriter.