Single Slam – Wake by Ihsahn (Ámr)

Ihsahn has released the second single from his new solo album. That single is called Wake and it will feature on the album Ámr which is due to be released on the 4th of May via Candlelight/Spinefarm.

The frontman of black metal giants Emperor is no stranger to a solo project. In fact Ámr will be his seventh solo album so far. Ihsahn, real name Vegard Sverre Tveitan, is a multi talented musician, a multi instrumentalist, a composer and a vocalist. He is someone held in high regard within the metal community and here at GBHBL. This has seen him be invited to feature or add impact to albums far from the Emperor style. The likes of Trivium had him compose an album opener for Snøfall and Devin Townsend borrowed his vocals for Deconstruction

Wake is the second single released from Ámr. The first was Arcana Imperii. A brilliant track. You can read our review of it here. Wake is even better. Ámr is looking like being an absolute classic already.

Wake is around 4 and a half minutes long and again showcases the different influences that Ihsahn enjoys. Crashing intermittent drums with a blazingly fast picked riff kick the song off. Ihsahn comes in with dark growled vocals. His vocals over the crushing wall of noise coming from the guitars and drums is both aggressive and very dark. A slight switch up comes after the first verse. It stays heavy but the guitars drag in a little melody to join the wall of power.

Vocals come back in with more menace before moving into a cleanly sung section that is just phenomenal. What a voice this guy has. While clean, they still deliver in attitude and force and the music stays fast and heavy underneath. An instrumental section follows that jaw dropping chorus. The speed of the drums are now mesmerising – almost hypnotic before we are back to dark growled vocals for another verse. The verse stops suddenly and a little effect brings the track into an even darker section with almost symphonic sounding guitars and blackened vocals.

That leads into an eerily melodic section with intermittent drum hits and a ringing melody before the speed picks up again with a brilliant high pitched solo. The solo moves through different tones, pitches and speeds and is frankly brilliant. As it fades out and the cleanly sung chorus comes back in, I am genuinely left with every hair on my body standing on end. This song is amazing.

I don’t know what else to say. Just, damn, Wake is brilliant.  Wow. An absolute belter and a song that you absolutely have to listen to.

Pick up Wake at all the usual streaming services like Amazon, Apple Music and Spotify now. You can preorder Ámr now over from here or over at Candlelight Records from here. You can also grab this, the preorder and more from Ihsahn at the links below. Keep up to date with news and releases from Ihsahn at his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram page. Be sure to like or follow him while you are there.

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