Ihsahn - Arktis.

Everyone likes Ihsahn, right? The guy is indisputably a hell of a musician, and is responsible for some black metal classics. That said, his solo material isn't always everyone's speed, and Arktis. (don't forget the .) is not going to change any minds.

Let's get this out of the way - this is some cheesy shit. The cheesiest of Ihsahn's catalog, I do believe. He embraces all the gooiest elements of prog on this record, and while his musicianship continues to be phenomenal, the pieces don't always click for me. I think the worst offender in this respect might be the EDM-influenced track 'South Winds'. While electronic elements are used pretty tastefully throughout the album, the pulsing beat on this track feels like I should be at a 90s goth rave. Which isn't a bad thing I suppose... but it's jarring in a bad way, and makes me think of other artists (Peste Noire) who have incorporated EDM elements in to metal music in a much more convincing way. There's a couple other cringe-worthy ones - I think 'Frail' is supposed to be unsettling in parts but just comes across as goofy, and the fucking sax on 'Crooked Red Line' is just a bit much.

Of course, there are tracks where the prog elements are effective. I love the sweet organ solo on 'My Heart is of the North', for example. 'If I Too Dissolve' probably makes the best use of goofy prog influences; it helps that it lubes you up with that intro riff which, yes, is indeed a Van Halen riff. And all musicianship here is solid. Ihsahn's vocal range, in particular, is really impressive. 'Celestial Violence' really shows it off, and while I've heard people criticizing that track for being 'pussy' or 'whiny' or something in the vocal delivery I don't really think that's fair (then again, full disclosure: I love Coheed and Cambria.). If there's something cringey about this album, it's just the earnestness with which some of the progressive and experimental elements are introduced. While there's probably not enough heavy here to satisfy the trve (although he does through in a blastbeat on 'Pressure'), if you're a prog fan I'll think you'll love this. Just don't fall asleep listening to the kvlt Norwegian spoken word on the last track, as it's punctuated with a sudden screech that actually gave me a start.

Giving this a score is hard, and runs in to a lot of the problems I have with giving albums scores, and why I don't like doing it. After all, your mileage will almost certainly vary, depending on your cheese threshold and whether or not you're a prog guy(ette).

3/5 personally, probably a 4/5 if you're a prog fan.