When it comes to Scandinavian metal, one of the most respected names is easily Ihsahn, the enigmatic multi-instrumentalist and composer who was the frontman of Emperor. Born Vegard Sverre Tveitan, Ihsahn has been steadily releasing a new solo album every few years since 2006 and this year brings his sixth endeavor Arktis. Having had a chance to listen to the album, I can tell you that it’s nothing short of a masterpiece, a collection of 10 tracks (11 on the special edition) that showcase the diversity of what progressive metal has to offer.

I had the honor to do a brief interview with Ihsahn and below you can read about the new album, the presence of several guests, including Matt Heafy of Trivium and Einar Solberg of Leprous, and the definitive Emperor vinyl boxset, which is being released by Blood Music.

Make sure to pre-order your copy of Arktis.

After nearly 25 years of releasing music and being part of the metal community, where do you find your inspirations?

For me, inspiration can come from anything, whether it involves the big universal, existential questions or just a quirky aphorism or even just the texture of a certain bass sound. It’s like there’s a few fundamental themes I deal with and then I try to approach them from different angles and perspectives.


What I love about listening to your music is that it feels like the complete package. There is always something fascinating to “chew on”. Where do you find that magical balance of “this is just right” as it never feels like you never bloat the songs.



Thanks! Well, these things are really hard to explain, as there are so many elements of just abstract intuition mixed with practical solutions. I guess I just try to keep myself exited and enthusiastic about the whole process and hope that comes through in the end result.

Talk to me about the lyrics on ‘Arktis’. Is there a central theme running through the album or does each song have its own story to tell? 


There’s no storyline or anything, but I guess some central themes. I think the cover artwork perhaps sums it up, as all the images are taken by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen on his expeditions. You have this immensely beautiful, yet hostile and cold Arctic landscape and the human venturing into this unknown, leaving comfort behind in exchange for the danger and excitement of adventure.

You’ve got several guests on here, including Einar from Leprous and Matt from Trivium. Taking those two examples, they’re both from rather different styles of metal, although each are extremely talented in their own right. What do you think they each brought to the record?


The key word here is talent! I’ve been very privileged to have guests on my album that can spice up my songs with voices and sounds that I myself could not provide in the same way, and so make the whole expression more interesting, also to myself. Having this freedom to implement other musicians for particular parts is some of the great advantages of being a solo artist!

I want to bring this quickly to Blood Music and the massive Emperor vinyl boxset they are releasing. It’s clearly a work of passion and a labor of love to put together something so definitive. What was it like for you to see all those years of work compiled together? What kinds of memories resurfaced?


I really feel honored by the fact that Blood Music has taken upon them this huge task and also by how they’ve left nothing to chance. I will have to give credit to Samoth too, who really have been overseeing things from our end. Really looking forward to seeing the end result in physical format.

I know that ‘Arktis’ hasn’t even come out but I have a sneaking suspicion that you’re already thinking about potential music endeavors for the future. What can fans expect next from you?



Usually I do have very concrete ideas about the next album, but at this point I find myself a bit at a crossroad. I think I have about 3 different directions I’m pondering at the moment, but have not landed on anything yet.

Last question for you: Metal and horror have always had a strong relationship, be it in lyrical content, album artwork, merch, and/or music videos. Do you have a relationship with horror and, if so, how does it influence your music?

Actually, soundtracks to horror movies was a big influence in the kind of “orchestral” sound of Emperor and I’ve always had a liking for this “epicness”. I was never a fan of the typical gore/chainsaw/violence stuff, so from back in the day, I guess stuff like the Omen movies have been more my kind of thing (absolutely including the soundtrack). I’m currently watching season 3 of the Hannibal TV series and think it is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Visuals, dialogue and music…pristine!!