Ihsahn "Angl" CD

Angl, part two of Ihsahn’ “A” trilogy features somewhat of a regression from The Adversary. Regression on the surface, but Angl is quite the progression from 2006’s The Adversary.
Angl features much heavy material as compared to The Adversary. Songs like the opener Misanthrope, features sinister syths layered overtop Asgier Mickelson’s impressive drum work. Although the material is much heavier, the music contains much more complexity within each song. For instance the solos in Scarab and Malediction are simple stellar.
The most significant addition to Angl is bassist Lars Norberg. This guy knows how to play! Every song on the album is filled with complicated bass lines and fills. For example listen to the bass lines on Scarab. Norberg plays the bass like a lead guitar rather than just playing the root notes like most metal bassists.
Opeth seems to have influenced Ihsahn on this album, not just Unhealer which features Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals but within the composition. The Opeth influence is mostly heard within the mellow sections such as the acoustic pre-chorus on Scarab. This influence is rather subtle. Angl’s syth work often sounds more like Emperor (Prometheus era). Like all of Ihsahn’s synth work, it doesn’t distract from the overall picture but rather complements the music. Check out songs like Misanthrope, Malediction and Alchemist all of which will give you a nice trip down memory lane.
For the new twists, Ihsahn displays more traditional singing on Angl. The later half of the album is where most of this occurs, songs such as Threnody and Elevator both feature soft vocal passages. These passages do not distract the listener but rather open up another side of Ihsahn’s creative potential. Both songs have a depressive delivery, which fits the album perfectly. Unlike many bands who use clean vocals as a way to gain mass appeal (metalcore, or newer melodic death metal) these clean vocals add dimension to this music, unlike older albums featuring Ihsahn which were limited to clean operatic vocals.
Highly recommended for fans of progressive metal or fans that can truly appreciate talent when they hear it.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...