Former Emperor vocalist/guitarist IHSAHN will make his first American solo appearance at ProgPower USA, scheduled September 14-17 at Center Stage in Atlanta. Confirmed by festival organizer Glenn Harveston, IHSAHN replaces Arcturus on the Friday evening lineup of the popular music festival. Tickets are nearly sold out; fans are encouraged to buy tickets now.
IHSAHN comments, “I am very excited to get the opportunity to play at ProgPower. My backing band, Leprous, played the festival last year and had a fantastic time. Given the nature of my solo-material, I believe this festival will be a great place to present it live. I have already performed at several festivals/shows in Europe in 2009/2010 and will do a few more this year.”
IHSAHN’s performance is expected to include selections from all three solo albums – The Adversary (2006), Angl (2008) and his most recent, After (2010). “As compelling as Emperor’s best,” says Decibel in a review of After in their February 2010 issue. Continuing, the magazine notes, “IHSAHN sounds as fresh as he did fifteen years ago, but with the hindsight of a grown man.” Revolver called the album, “brimming with classical, goth, prog, and eighties-metal passages.”
After completes IHSAHN’s planned trilogy of initial recordings. The album showcases the Norwegian icon with drummer Asgeir Mickelson (Spiral Architect), bassist Lars K. Norberg (Spiral Architect), and saxophonist Jorgen Munkeby (Shining). Currently at work on his fourth album, IHSAHN confirms he is eighty percent done with the songwriting and is planning for a mid-2012 release.
Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy) Award Nominee IHSAHN (born Vegard Tveitan) began playing music at a very early age. As a teenager, his friendship with Tomas Haugen (a.k.a. Samoth) would trigger the start of his music career — one that to date includes over fifty individual recordings, five high-profile Emperor European tours (the band reaching US shores on only three occasions) and the respect of fans and peers worldwide. In mid-2009, IHSAHN gave his first live performance in Oslo supporting Opeth.
IHSAHN is endorsed exclusively by Ibanez Guitars, Line 6, Steinberg and Blackstar Amplification.
Tickets for ProgPower USA are available now via Ticketmaster.
(Source: Earsplit PR)
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LONG LIVE IHSAHN.
Stone.
Thank you Blackie Lawless. Thank you for not going away, taking an extended leave of absence or selling out. There are too many 1980’s Heavy Metal Bands that did just those things, now they are scrambling to make their triumphant comeback or best album ever. Some are doing just that, only Blackie Lawless does not belong to that club. The Heavy Metal membership card that Blackie Lawless holds says two words… for life. Why shouldn’t it say just that? The true fans of Heavy Metal and/or W.A.S.P. are in it for life. While the 1990’s ushered in the Grunge genre and scores of pretentious bands (being mistakenly labeled) Heavy Metal, all the while lining up at Hollywood’s red carpet gala’s for accolades, W.A.S.P. was too busy making real Heavy Metal albums of integrity. The politically correct mainstream press was not a necessity for W.A.S.P.’s survival then, it certainly is not now. There is no return of or part ll theme happening with W.A.S.P., just a band that is a Heavy Metal mainstay, due to the perseverance and creativity of Blackie Lawless. To take a quote from Blackie Lawless, (as stated in the liner notes from Babylon)… If it is not the truth, it will not stand.
Crazy is the opening song on Babylon. The weight of the world always seems to be put on the opening track of any album. The first song sets the table for the remainder of the album, good or bad, this all important track can either be the demise or exclamation point for the songs that follow. With Crazy, this song kicks and extends it’s Heavy Metal tentacles like a giant sea squid on a caffeine rush. Crazy is the prelude to nine Heavy Metal songs of substance, this song alone foretells that W.A.S.P. connects in 2009. Blackie Lawless borrowed some of his Old School Heavy Metal and fused it with a more mature presentation, both with lyrics and tempo. Sure, Crazy is a fast moving song, only it’s the streamlined sound of it’s speed that makes it so appreciable. The consistency of Heavy Metal muscle is what I have come to expect from W.A.S.P., Crazy illuminates and flexes it from the opening note. My best Metal buddy Scott cued me into the comparison of Crazy to Wild Child, from the 1985 W.A.S.P. classic, The Last Command. (This was well before I owned a copy of Babylon, Scott was a lucky one who nailed Babylon on it’s import release date of October 13th). The opening guitar intro to both Crazy and Wild Child are very similar, still not a mirror image note for note.
I’m always looking for good deals on my Heavy Metal Music purchases, from albums, CD’s to memorabilia and books. Upon one of my recent stops into a local thrift store, I happened upon quite the Heavy Metal find indeed, for the ripe price of fifty cents. Yes, fifty cents. The find you ask? Well, none other than The Rough Guide To Heavy Metal – and it is quite the book for me. (This book is a 1st printing, printed in 2005 by Rough Guides). While perusing the book aisle at this thrift store, the image of none other than Ozzy Osbourne caught my eye. What is this? I could not believe what I had found! Knowing immediately too, that any book in this thrift store is only fifty cents… I was Metal stoked. As a bonus, this book stared right at me in gem mint condition as well. As I picked it up and browsed through it’s Heavy Metal filled pages, it was obvious to me that the previous owner of this book never bothered to read it. As crisp of a new book you will find. Life is a sweet journey sometimes, especially when you can stumble on a 410 page book, when you least expect it, that is dedicated to your favorite music genre… Heavy Metal.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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