Ihsahn
Norway · formed 2006 · last active 2024
Vegard Sverre Tveitan, known as Ihsahn, is the Norwegian guitarist/vocalist of the seminal black metal band Emperor (not currently an E.M.M.A. node) who since 2006 has built an acclaimed solo catalogue blending black metal with progressive rock, industrial and free-jazz textures - most notably via saxophonist Jorgen Munkeby of Shining (Norway). He co-founded the avant-garde project Peccatum with his wife Heidi 'Ihriel' Solberg Tveitan, guested on Arcturus's 'The Sham Mirrors,' and hosted Ulver/Arcturus/Borknagar vocalist Kristoffer Rygg on his own debut. His Hardingrock side project fuses traditional Norwegian Hardanger-fiddle folk music with metal.
SCORE PROFILE
Accent numbers counted towards the index. Hover an axis — or hold it on a phone — for what it means.
WHY THOSE SCORES
- Jazzy 4 — Recurring collaborator Jorgen Munkeby (Shining) supplies free-jazz-influenced saxophone soloing on 'After' and 'Eremita'; Ihsahn has cited Ornette Coleman and John Zorn as influences for the saxophone's role.
- Death 1 — Root background in the death metal band Thou Shalt Suffer (1990-91), though solo output is not death-metal-centered.
- Black 7 — Wikipedia credits him as 'a progenitor of the symphonic black metal genre' via Emperor, and his solo work retains black metal vocals/riffing within a progressive-metal frame.
- Technical 7 — Eight concept-driven solo albums blending progressive metal, classical and industrial elements; reviewers describe dense compositional structures.
- Glitch 2 — 'Das Seelenbrechen' (2013) uses drum machines, coldwave synths and noisy electronic effects for a deliberately unsettling, non-metal texture.
- Theatrical 2 — Legacy of Emperor's conceptual/corpsepaint theatricality carries over in muted form to concept-album framing.
- Folk 4 — Side project Hardingrock (with wife Starofash and fiddler Knut Buen) sets traditional Norwegian Hardanger-fiddle folk melodies against metal/electronic arrangement on the 2007 album 'Grimen.'
- Doom 1 — Occasional slow, heavy passages within otherwise up-tempo prog-metal songwriting; not a doom-centric artist.
- Drone 1 — Minor sustained-tone textures within the more ambient stretches of 'Das Seelenbrechen'.
- Ambient 4 — 'Das Seelenbrechen' was described by reviewers as trading songwriting for 'abstract atmospheres' and 'industrial ambient elements'.
MEMBERS
- Ihsahn (Vegard Sverre Tveitan)vocals, guitar, keyboards, composition· also in Peccatum
CONNECTIONS
- Aenaonpath →
Both bands' cover art/illustration work was done by freelance artist Costin Chioreanu (Twilight13Media, Discogs artist id 1821476): Ihsahn - "Pharos" (2020, Illustration) and Aenaon - "A Parallel Zoetrope" (2011, Graphics). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Chioreanu is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Alfa Obscurapath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Alfa Obscura's "Plutonian Shores" (2011, Design, Photography By) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Arcturuspath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Arcturus's "Sideshow Symphonies" (2005, Design, Photography By [www.trineogkim.no]) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design), same Discogs artist entity (id 1912469) on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Dødheimsgardpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen + Kim Sølve, Oslo design duo, Discogs artist id 1912469): Dødheimsgard's "Supervillain Outcast" (2007, Artwork, Design) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Ephel Duathpath →
Both bands' cover art/design/photography work was done by freelance artist Kim Sølve (Discogs artist id 340792, distinct from the 'Trine + Kim Design Studio' duo entity): Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design) and Ephel Duath's "Pain Necessary To Know" (2005, Artwork), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Kim Sølve is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Fleuretypath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Fleurety's "Ingentes Atque Decorii Vexilliferi Apokalypsis" (2009, Design) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Godfleshpath →
Both bands' cover art/design/photography work was done by freelance artist Kim Sølve (Discogs artist id 340792, distinct from the 'Trine + Kim Design Studio' duo entity): Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design) and Godflesh's "Long Live The New Flesh" (2021, Photography By [Band Photo]), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Kim Sølve is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- In Lingua Mortuapath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo; Discogs artist id 1912469): In Lingua Mortua's "Salon Des Refusés" (2022 Repose Records vinyl edition, Cover) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Manimalismpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo; Discogs artist id 1912469): Manimalism's "Demo Sessions 1996-1998" (2015, Design, Image Editor) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Mayhempath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Mayhem's "Ordo Ad Chao" (2007, Artwork) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Oranssi Pazuzupath →
Both bands' cover art/illustration work was done by freelance artist Costin Chioreanu (Twilight13Media): Oranssi Pazuzu's "Valonielu" (2013, Illustration/Layout) and Ihsahn's "Pharos" (2020, Illustration) and "The Hyperborean Collection" (2021, Illustration). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Chioreanu is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Peccatumpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Peccatum's "Lost In Reverie" (2004, Design) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Shining (Sweden)path →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen + Kim Sølve, Oslo design duo, Discogs artist id 1912469): Shining (Sweden)'s "Redefining Darkness" (2012, credited to both Kim Sølve [Art Direction] and Trine + Kim Design Studio [Artwork] on the same release) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Solefaldpath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Solefald's "Red For Fire - An Icelandic Odyssey Part I" (2005, Design, Photography By) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Sturmgeistsatellitepath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Sturmgeist's "Manifesto Futurista" (2009, Cover, Design) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Terra Tenebrosapath →
Both bands' cover art/illustration work was done by freelance artist Costin Chioreanu (Twilight13Media, Discogs artist id 1821476): Ihsahn - "Pharos" (2020, Illustration) and Terra Tenebrosa - "The Disfigurement Bowl / Serpent Me" split (2014, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Chioreanu is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- The Kovenantpath →
Both bands' cover art/design/photography work was done by freelance artist Kim Sølve (Discogs artist id 340792, distinct from the 'Trine + Kim Design Studio' duo entity): Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design) and The Kovenant's "In Times Before The Light 1995" (2005, Photography By), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Kim Sølve is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Tormentorpath →
Both bands' cover art/illustration work was done by freelance artist Costin Chioreanu (Twilight13Media, Discogs artist id 1821476): Ihsahn - "Pharos" (2020, Illustration) and Tormentor - "Anno Daemoni" (2019, Cover [Inner]). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Chioreanu is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. One representative Discogs credit cited; the companion credit is logged in research/edge-taxonomy-ledger.json. source ↗
- Ulver (electronic era)path →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Ulver (electronic era)'s "Svidd Neger (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" (2003, Cover) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Ved Buens Ende.....path →
Both bands' cover art/design/photography work was done by freelance artist Kim Sølve (Discogs artist id 340792, distinct from the 'Trine + Kim Design Studio' duo entity): Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design) and Ved Buens Ende's "Written In Waters" (2003, Photography By), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Kim Sølve is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Viruspath →
Both bands' cover art/design/photography work was done by freelance artist Kim Sølve (Discogs artist id 340792, distinct from the 'Trine + Kim Design Studio' duo entity): Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design) and Virus's "Carheart" (2003, Design, Illustration), same Discogs artist id confirmed on both releases. Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Kim Sølve is not an atlas band member so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Yureipath →
Both bands' cover art/design work was done by Trine + Kim Design Studio (Trine Paulsen and Kim Sølve, Oslo): Yurei's "Night Vision" (2012, Design) and Ihsahn's "The Adversary" (2006, Design). Pairwise artwork tie per the 2026-08-07 ruling (PROTOCOL rule 7) — Trine + Kim Design Studio is not an atlas band so there is no anchor band. source ↗
- Age of Silencepath →
Shared label roster: Candlelight Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Arcturuspath →
Shared label roster: Candlelight Records USA, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Blut aus Nordpath →
Shared label roster: Spinefarm Records U.K., per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Cult of Lunapath →
Shared label roster: Pelagic Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Godfleshpath →
Shared label roster: TOY’S FACTORY, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Napalm Deathsatellitepath →
Shared label roster: Trooper Entertainment, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Peccatumpath →
Shared label roster: Mnemosyne Productions, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Shining (Norway)path →
Shared label roster: Shining Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
- Shining (Sweden)path →
Shared label roster: Temple of Darkness Records, per MusicBrainz. source ↗
FURTHER LISTENING
Nearest score profiles in the atlas.
- Blackgaze / avant-blackEI 19FleuretyBlackTechnicalJazzy
Formed in 1991 by Alexander Nordgaren and Svein Egil Hatlevik, Fleurety began as a conventional Norwegian black metal band before radically expanding its palette: Min Tid Skal Komme (1995) folded in atonal harmonics and folk elements, and Department of Apocalyptic Affairs (2000) - produced by Ulver's Kristoffer Rygg - spans metal, jazz, trip-hop and electronica. Both records leaned heavily on the Norwegian avant-garde scene for guest performers, pulling in Mayhem's Hellhammer and Maniac, Ulver's Rygg (as vocalist "G. Playa") and Tore Ylwizaker on programming, Arcturus/Winds' Steinar "Sverd" Johnsen, and Borknagar's Knut Magne Valle; a later 2009 EP brought in Mayhem's Hellhammer and Necrobutcher again alongside Thorr's Hammer vocalist Runhild Gammelsæter.
- Blackgaze / avant-blackEI 13VainaBlackTechnicalFolk
Vaina is an active Finnish avant-garde black metal project (formed by siblings in 2014) whose records braid raw black-metal riffing and shrieked/growled vocals with flute, horns, strings, choral and clean singing, and dense ambient/noise passages — critics have compared the effect to Dead Can Dance colliding with black metal. Sung entirely in Finnish, releases run from the 2017 EP Viisikärki through 2024's Unio Mystica (Aesthetic Death, UK).
- Norwegian avant-blackEI 20SolefaldBlackTechnicalJazzy
Solefald is a Norwegian avant-garde metal duo formed in 1995 by Cornelius Jakhelln and Lars Are 'Lazare' Nedland. They build on a black-metal foundation while folding in clean vocals, piano, jazz guitar, classical passages, punk, electronic components and folk rhythms, self-described as 'Red Music With Black Edges.'
- UnaffiliatedEI 18Alkuharmonian KantajaBlackTechnicalJazzy
Alkuharmonian Kantaja are an avant-garde black metal quartet from Oulu, Finland, founded in 2020 by J. Usurper with S. Redeemer (drums) and Swiss-based D. Harbinger (keys). Their I, Voidhanger-released debut Shadowy Peripherals (2021) draws critical comparisons to 1990s Norwegian avant-prog black metal acts like Ved Buens Ende, splicing jazz, folk, and classical fragments into spitfire riffing and clean-toned synth melancholy.
- UnaffiliatedEI 19HengetTechnicalBlackJazzy
Henget is a Finnish avant-garde black metal project founded in late 2021 by guitarist Jesse J. Heikkinen (also of The Abbey and Iterum Nata) and vocalist King Aleijster de Satan (of Saturnian Mist), signing to Season of Mist in September 2022. Their debut album Beyond North Star (May 2023) pursues a violent hallucinatory journey rooted in psychedelia, the occult, and ancient shamanism.
- UnaffiliatedEI 28夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker)BlackTechnicalFolk
夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker) is a self-described 'multinational experimental black metal enigma' whose three members — credited only as PBV, NN, and KJM — are based in Osaka, Tver, and New York, composing remotely online before convening in person to record. Active since 2015 and released mainly through Oakland's Sentient Ruin Laboratories, their sound fuses raw psychedelic black metal with krautrock, free jazz, ritual folk instrumentation, and noise-rock deconstruction.
- Blackgaze / avant-blackEI 9MRTVIBlackTechnicalAmbient
MRTVI ('dead' in Serbian) is the solo experimental black metal project of UK/Serbia-based musician Damjan Stefanović, active since the mid-2010s. Albums pair dissonant, blast-beat-driven black metal with ambient textures, Eastern-scaled acoustic-guitar interludes and tribal-percussion breaks. Stefanović performs every instrument himself.
- UnaffiliatedEI 14AryosBlackTechnicalAmbient
Aryos is a long-running French avant-garde black metal act from Ussac/Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), formed in 1994 (originally as Forlorn, renamed 1997). Built around an occult/esoteric concept by members using the stage names Napharion, Pétal and Alilteas Gornnec, their sound layers jazz-tinged synths, classical piano and prog-rock textures over a black metal core. Later releases like Les Stigmates d'Hécate (2015) lean into atmospheric, folk-tagged textures.
- UnaffiliatedEI 14NirrtiBlackTechnicalJazzy
Nirrti is a solo psychedelic black metal project based in Orlová, Czechia, signed to Depressive Illusions Records. The project's music has been described as eerie, dissonant, and 'progressive black metal played through the lens of psychedelics and jazz,' aiming to convey darkness, uncertainty, and glimpses of other dimensions rather than adhering to traditional black metal norms. Releases include 'Psychonautix' (2022), 'Palindromos' (2023), and 'Cyberpsychosis' (2024), the latter continuing the project's cyber/psychedelic conceptual throughline.
- UnaffiliatedEI 21HanormaleBlackTechnicalJazzy
Hanormale is an Italian 'unconventional black metal' collective from Milan, born in 2009 as a psycho-project of Arcanus Incubus (Carlo Meroni), who handles vocals and most instruments and has since expanded into a rotating cast including violin and saxophone players. Their discography (Oni Monogatari 2010, 天照大御神 2015, Reborn in Butterfly 2019, The Cathartic Anointing of Heterodoxy in Resilience 2022) draws on Japanese-folklore themes and contaminates black metal with jazz, dark ambient doom, and progressive improvisation. The band frames itself as a musicians' collective rather than a fixed lineup, embracing irrational, free-will structures over conventional songwriting.