Candlelight (2010)

And now, once and for all, I think it's about time to get rid of the "wish it was an Emperor album" and get on with life. This is definitely not an Emperor album, despite the obvious factor which is reminiscent, namely Ihsahn's own vocals. "After" is a progressive extreme metal album, simply put. Though simple? Nah, far from it...

An album that demands its time and effort from the critical listener cannot be simple, now can it? It's not about effects and sounds that reveal themselves after numerous spins, but more the there-and-then atmosphere of songs that grow slowly on you. Just as is the case with Opeth. Yes, I dare to say that Ihsahn makes music that is more extreme than Opeth, yet holds the same ingredients. Ihsahn himself, the respected musician, uses both his clean and his hoarse vocal and he sings really well. There is acoustic guitar and the songs are varied enough to keep up my interested for numerous spins.

However, the main ingredient that really makes this album, if one can use such a word as make, is the use of saxophone. At times it reminds me strongly, in a postive way, of Solefald's "In Harmonia Universali", especially in the closer "On The Shores". The sax closes the whole album, and leaves me with a desire to press play again, something I of course do repeatedly. I think Ihsahn has composed and recorded the album trying to avoid an overuse of the sax, and succeeded well. Yes, I think the whole album is well balanced coming to whatever ingredient you'd refer to.

But the peak to my ears is the staccato "Heavens Black Sea", which is quite bombastic in the verses, while the chorus and the solo-section softens it. But that melody during the verses? Now, that's really magic to sore ears, longing for melodies wrapped within extreme metal...

"After" is in my book an uplifting momentum from the quite dissapointing "angL", and an album that has a whole to it, never becoming dull instead of interesting. And Ihsahn anno 2010 broadcasts that he's still up to par. Excellent.

www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

Composed by Roy Kristensen