Ihsahn

Vegard Sverre Tveitan (born 10 October 1975), better known by his stage name Ihsahn , is a Norwegian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer who is best known for his work with the black metal band Emperor. Tveitan is also a founding member of Thou Shalt Suffer, where he played guitar and keyboard in addition to vocal duties, and Peccatum, a project in collaboration with his wife and fellow musician Heidi Solberg Tveitan, also known as Starofash. Since 2006, Tveitan has primarily devoted himself to solo albums and occasional guest appearances.

Beyond the characteristics typically associated with metal music, Tveitan's musical style also includes classical, industrial, and progressive elements. He is a progenitor of the symphonic black metal genre.

Biography Tveitan was born in Notodden, Norway, where he grew up on a large farm. He began playing piano at age six and guitar at age 10.

Early years: Xerasia, Embryonic, and Thou Shalt Suffer At the age of 13, Tveitan met Tomas Haugen (also known as Samoth), who would become his long time collaborator and the co-founder of Emperor. While at a music seminar, Tveitan gained Haugen's attention with his Iron Maiden patches.

In 1990 Tveitan joined Haugen's band Xerasia, a death metal band in which he played guitar and keyboards. They eventually changed their name to Embryonic sometime that year. In November, the band released a self-financed four-track demo titled The Land of the Lost Souls. In 1991 they changed their name again to Thou Shalt Suffer. The project was partially funded by a government grant and the group made several releases in 1990 and 1991. Shortly after, Haugen left the band to focus on other projects. Tveitan later used the name Thou Shalt Suffer to release an album of electronic music that he composed entitled Somnium.

Formation of Emperor and Peccatum Later in 1991 Haugen and Tveitan formed Emperor. Emperor had a much more refined black metal sound which showcased Tveitan's developing keyboard skills, a distinct feature that would appear in many of his later releases. The band at this time received a lot of support and encouragement from black metal pioneer Euronymous, and after several demos, the Emperor EP was released in 1993 to much acclaim.

During this time, bandmates Bård Eithun (also known as Faust) and Haugen were imprisoned; Eithun for murder and Haugen for arson. Grimen, the only album by side project 'Hardingrock' was released the same year.

Tveitan released his third solo album, After, in January 2010. Lars K. Nordberg and Asgeir Mickelson once again contributed bass and drums, respectively, with Jørgen Munkeby (of Shining) playing saxophone on several tracks as well. Later that year, in October, a Mnemosyne web update confirmed that Ihsahn had already begun writing for a fourth solo album, and was also focusing on upgrading his studio at home.

2011–2013: Eremita and Das Seelenbrechen 2011 was a busy year for Tveitan. Aside from making his solo debut in the US at the annual ProgPower USA metal festival in Atlanta, Georgia, he also performed as a guest on two records, co-produced the album Bilateral with his wife, and continued to work on his fourth solo album. Collaborators once again included Jørgen Munkeby and Devin Townsend, who in a November 2011 interview mentioned that he was "singing a song for Ihsahn's new thing", but added that he could not elaborate any more at that point in time.

In 2012, Tveitan released his fourth studio solo album, Eremita.

Das Seelenbrechen was released on 21 October 2013. It was recorded in Juke Joint Studio and Tveitan's own Mnemosyne Studio.

2016–present: Arktis, Àmr, and self-titled eighth album In April 2016, Tveitan released his sixth studio album, Arktis, on Candlelight Records. The album was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren. The album cover features a photograph of Fridtjof Nansen, whose 1896 mission to the North Pole fits with the lyrical atmosphere of the album. They also share their birthday of 10 October. The title of the album is an old Norse word for "loathsome" or "black" and reflects the introspective nature of the songs. Tveitan added that the word Àmr, could also mean "rust red" and that the concept of a "room without walls" was a prevalent metaphor when working on the album. In comparison to previous albums, Àmr also features a greater use of electronic sounds, including analog synthesizers, that add to the intimate feeling of the music. In November 2023, Tveitan announced that his self-titled eighth album would be released on 16 February 2024. In addition to the traditional album version, the new album also includes an orchestral version. At the same time, the first single from the album, "Pilgrimage to Oblivion", was released.

Awards and publications In 2002, Tveitan was awarded the Notodden kommunes kulturpris (Notodden Municipality's Culture prize). He won the prize because he is considered the best-known inhabitant of Notodden, a great musician, a music teacher, and he arranges a lot of concerts for unknown bands. The fact that his band sold more than 500,000 copies was also a reason for getting the prize.

Tveitan has instructional videos on playing guitar that have appeared in online publications such as Guitar World.

Tveitan's third solo album, After, was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy, a Spellemannprisen.

Tveitan lent his voice in 2007 to an animated character from the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse, Eric von Wiechlinghammer, in the episode "Dethfashion".

Musical style and influences In an interview in 2012, Tveitan cited Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Judas Priest, and Pink Floyd as influential artists when he was young. He highlighted the conceptual and narrative aspects that these groups constructed their albums around as being particularly influential. His solo albums also strive to maintain a cohesive thread throughout.

Personal life Ihsahn is married to Heidi Solberg Tveitan, known professionally as Starofash or Ihriel. He has cited her as an important creative collaborator on his solo albums. He appears on the album Ámr on track 5.

Beliefs Ihsahn described himself a Satanist in the 1990s, when he was 18 years old and mainly known as the Emperor guitarist. As he explained in 1994, he considered Satanism to be hard to define, as there are different ways of Satanism, and to be more of a category the individual would have to set for themselves. He considered most other adolescents to be "soulless" people, too involved in materialistic things. He said the imprisonment of the other Emperor members had both positive and negative effects; it meant a difficult period for the band, but the imprisonment also gave them publicity and therefore more possibilities to spread their ideas. Ihsahn additionally has said he has seen no reason to be physically destructive and has had no personal connection to the church burning cases that rocked Norway. In a 1994 interview, Ihsahn described a social Darwinist influence on his Satanism, calling himself anti-Christian and saying it is "not for a weak person", while also expressing respect towards European paganism, meditation and stewardship of the environment. He has additionally condemned acts of criminality and other forms of religious intolerance such as the aforementioned arson cases.

Band

Current Ihsahn – guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards (2005–present) Session studio musicians Asgeir Mickelson – drums (2006, 2008, 2010) Tobias Ørnes Andersen – drums (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2024) Lars K. Norberg – bass (2008, 2010) Jørgen Munkeby – saxophone (2010, 2012, 2016)

Live musicians (flexible lineup) Tobias Ørnes Andersen – drums (2010–present) Tobias Solbakk – drums (2018–present) Øystein Landsverk – guitars, backing vocals (2010–present) Eirik Kråkenes – guitars, backing vocals (2018–present) Nicolay Tangen Svennæs – keyboards, backing vocals (2015–present) Øystein Heide Aadland – keyboards, backing vocals (2016–present) Robin Ognedal – guitars (2015–2017) Tor Oddmund Suhrke – guitars, backing vocals (2010–2014) Einar Solberg – keyboards, backing vocals (2010–2014) Martin Skrebergene – bass (2013–2014) Baard Kolstad – drums (2013–2014) Rein T. Blomquist – bass (2011–2013) Halvor Strand – bass (2009–2011)

Discography

Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions SalesNOR US Heat The AdversaryReleased: 10 April 2006 Label: Mnemosyne, Candlelight Formats: CD, LP, digital download 33 —angL Released: 26 May 2008 Label: Mnemosyne, Candlelight Formats: CD, LP, digital download — —After Released: 26 January 2010 Label: Mnemosyne, Candlelight Formats: CD, CD+DVD, LP, digital download 38 31 US: 1,350+ Eremita Released: 18 June 2012 Label: Mnemosyne, Candlelight Formats: CD, LP, digital download — 34 US: 900+ Das Seelenbrechen Released: 21 October 2013 Label: Mnemosyne, Candlelight Formats: CD, LP, digital download — — US: 720+ Arktis Released: 22 April 2016 Label: Candlelight Formats: CD, LP, digital download — 6IhsahnReleased: 16 February 2024 Label: Candlelight Formats: CD, LP, digital download — —"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

EPs Telemark (2020) Pharos (2020) Fascination Street Sessions (2023)

Emperor

Peccatum

Strangling from Within – (1999) Oh, My Regrets (EP) – (2000) Amor Fati – (2000) Lost in Reverie – (2004) The Moribund People (EP) – (2005)

Guest appearances and session contributions