Emperor Legend Ihsahn Plays His Favorite Riffs

[@agustingiraldo7385]

Songs he plays: 0:33 - I Wanna Rock, by Twisted Sister 1:32 - Moonchild, by Iron Maiden 3:35 - Master of Puppets, by Metallica 4:15 - Welcome Home, by King Diamond 5:08 - Thus Spake The Nightspirit, by Emperor 6:40 - I Am The Black Wizards, by Emperor 7:31 - The Loss & Curse of Reverence, by Emperor 7:43 - Invocation, by Ihsahn 8:35 - Until I Too Dissolve, by Ihsahn 9:14 - Frozen Lakes On Mars, by Ihsahn 10:15 - Stridig, by Ihsahn * thanks for all the likes buds

[@911copcar]

7:31 The Loss and Curse of Reverence

[@killface69]

Untill I Dissolve with no other instruments in the mix sounds a bit like White Snake. It's a rockin riff!

[@KnightPlaylist]

Scarab is my favorite ihsahn riff

[@ManillaHeep]

Huge Emperor fan and I honestly never realized how complex and dissonant those riffs are. Amazing atmosphere!

[@behindthen0thing525]

No problem my niga

[@EvilLadderGaming]

I love how this man has made some of the noisiest, most brutal music ever and he speaks at approximately -12dB

[@HTYM]

And plays a purple guitar.

[@mirak63]

It's teriffying live, the contrast is funny 😂

[@bud1oo]

Stevo12 It's always the quiet ones.

[@BrandonKJohnson]

@@HTYM a Tele-style guitar non the less 👍

[@SpaceCowboy57]

If you close your eyes, you can pretend you're listening to NPR.

[@metal_monocle7334]

The melody bit of "I am the Black Wizards" should be the Norwegian national anthem - it's so freaking iconic!

[@smokingtrip]

In the nightside eclipse is the album i am the black wizards is song.

[@metal_monocle7334]

... Yes?

[@metal_monocle7334]

@@nicolausteslaus ok boomer

[@metal_monocle7334]

@@nicolausteslaus soyboy? Lulz

[@kcrich1310]

OK back to making the iconic riff of I Am the Black Wizards the Norwegian National Anthem How do we get a petition started?

[@denz5519]

5:44 "More or less" he says like he didn't absolutely nailed it. Humbleness: Sign of a real artist

[@humantacos9800]

The skill level difference between Emperor and many BM bands in his era is staggering. Most the other early 90s BM bands were tremolo picking four chords. Emperor was light years ahead.

[@john79taxidriver20]

varg guitar wise n vocal wise was beyond them all!!!

[@destructor.93]

@UCVxmD_Bk04M4AtEeu0sPseA Oh get fcked, he played repetitive riffs and nothing more. Burzum is just black metal Nirvana-unskilled trash. Ihsahn, Samoth, Euronymous, Shadow, Blackthorn, and Satyr steamrolled that talentless dumbfck.

[@life.9251]

@@destructor.93 And yet vargs music is superior to all of them....

[@spritefroggy]

@@destructor.93 The whole point of black metal was that it defied the overly-technical, grandiose style of playing that death metal extolled. The truth is, Varg's music feels more alive and articulates more on an emotional level than any of those bands. It's a pure reflection of his emotions.

[@toprak3479]

@@al760xff Symphonic black metal isn't black metal? Fuck off with that shit lmaooo

[@antonkovalenko364]

He is an incredibly nice and polite man. I had the chance to have a conversation with him when I saw Emperor and Peccatum long before some of this channel's viewers were born.

[@ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

Same experience here; Bradford Rios with Limbonic Art on the IX Equilibrium tour!

[@da5e]

@@ProjeKtWEREWOLF Oh man, I was at that. Limbonic Art were practically noise, it was amazing.

[@Edyime]

Ihsahn is so nice and polite he's the only band member who didn't go to prison after the first album.

[@anahowana]

Emperor is one of the finest black metal bands ever, they saved a whole wave of black metal from falling into a gimmicky childish genre, their level of musicianship and taste for classical and symphonic music is outstanding. All hail the EmpEroR. Cheers from Morocco.

[@sunandonag]

Some wise words mate. Cheers!!! Rock On 🤘🤘🤘

[@Lucifurion]

Amen dude. I remember hearing Wrath of the Tyrant back in the early 90's when the scene in Norway was starting to get attention & out of all the bands I heard I thought Emperor were different from everyone else in their scene even then. Everyone hails Euronymous for starting everything but IMO if it wasn't for Emperor there's be no symphonic metal & black metal wouldn't be what it is today. For me they tie with Carcass as my favourite metal band of all time. Hail to my Metal brothers in Morocco \m/

[@Dunkelzeitgeist]

@@Lucifurion probably wouldn’t use Amen in a sentence about BM, but what you say is the truth.

[@crimsondeath7468]

Dissection is another band that saved the genre and introdused another way of playing BM other than the the primitive style of BM of Darkthrone, Burzum, Mayhem etc. Emperor also got inspired by the album artwork, layout and band pictures from Dissections debut album " The Somberlain" on In The Nightside Elcipse

[@crimsondeath7468]

I also play guitar and have done so for 20 years now. In the nightside is not complex at all its simply compared to the somberlain but that does not really matter. Music is about the feeling. And to me Emperor was no longer the same band after anthems. After that it became Ihsanh solo and i never liked that @@Joseph-cw3gn

[@robwalsh9843]

Such a gentle voiced and reserved man, in stark contrast to the genre he's known for.

[@jeffwillemain6098]

Only Ihsahn can speak softly, play classic and brutal riffs, all while wearing a Batman shirt! Legendary!!

[@morbidcorpse5954]

He's probably still a teen at heart.

[@KingCrimson82]

infact most of us are that way.

[@KingCrimson82]

a music professor in norway @@morbidcorpse5954

[@Edyime]

He's the only member of Emperor that didn't go to prison after recording the first album

[@thelittlesagg2]

@@Edyime Indeed, but he was still a bit edgy back then.

[@jasonvegan5761]

Ihsahn ASMR Channel coming soon. Soft whispers of progressive Hungarian minor scales and alternate tunings 🎸

[@VortechBand]

Hear my call

[@TillTheLightTakesUs]

I can die happy.

[@Blyatuber]

His solo albums are phenomenal

[@demonshinji]

I fucking love how he can be banking it with Emperor but instead he’s releasing an album every 16 months of something completely badass that everyone would probably hate coming from Emperor. Him and Akerfeldt are some of my favorite composer/writers of our time.

[@henrywalton5967]

@@demonshinji even if I love old Emperor/Opeth I respect them way more as musicians because it's obvious they are playing exactly what they want to play and aren't just pleasing the crowds.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

Anyone else notice how humble Ihsahn is? When he busts out the Emperor stuff, it's like it's not even him. It's BUTTER. Insane. Great guy. Like turkey sandwiches. Fact.

[@MoonOvIce]

It's his inner self on Emperor and his solo stuff. A lot of people that make specially extravagant, and in this case, heavy music, tend to be more on the polite/introverted side, that's why they have the outlet of creating powerful music as an outlet. By powerful I don't just mean heavy, but also emotional.

[@roberttoompuu]

Black wizards riff is one of my favourite riffs ever

[@henrywalton5967]

That and Nights Blood taught me how to play black metal riffs \m/

[@thebloodychord]

Same

[@hiTocopter]

Yep, we can see that.

[@francescodavi1602]

Is that the Dissection reaper with a lantern? Kek

[@SpiralDream]

It's a good companion riff to Mother North

[@misanthropicperspective1877]

“Them” by King Diamond is my favorite record of all time so to that was a treat hearing Ihsahn playing the intro to Welcome Home

[@kimmolaine8069]

GRANDMA~~~~!!!

[@TheDevineGamer]

Met him at the local shop the other day! really cool dude!

[@BigMuff75]

That Night Spirit Riff is beyond insane. I mean, I knew the song since 1998 but never seen it broken down or being able to look at his fingers that close. WOW!

[@Youcifer]

Seeing him play that riff from "Thus Spake the Night Spirit" is juuuust spectacular.

[@NainUsar]

Yeah, I just had to pick up my jaw from the floor after he played that... I listened to that song a thousand times, but I never knew it on that level of detail...

[@Youcifer]

@@NainUsar Same here! Really made me appreciate it on a whole new level.

[@markusdoremans5605]

He looks like a more civilized version of Jonathan Davis

[@ariojordan4080]

He looks like a more badass version of Jonathan Davis

[@markusdoremans5605]

@@nicolausteslaus homophobia doesn't look good on anybody, dude.

[@markusdoremans5605]

@@nicolausteslaus Social Justice Warriors Warriors? Is that whom you're talking about? Let me get my tin foil hat before you continue. Just don't be a dick dude. Are you being harassed by homosexuals? No? Then why harass them? Are you going to drop the N word next? Is that what you're here for? Hating on cultures that are different from yours. 'Cause both of your comments leave me no other conclusion.

[@Exgrmbl]

Or like a dark haired Julian Assange

[@radicalstanza3614]

@@nicolausteslaus The insane 'SJW' term is a far newer (and more nonsensical) term than homophobia. Not that that matters to you, since you're too busy defending homophobia in your crusade to own the libs or whatever.v

[@Sven.Jeschke]

"Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" is and will always be Black Metal's Magnum Opus. I have listened to it thousands and thousands of times and it will never get boring. Like a tornado, the most hypnotic, ecstatic, powerful, mysterious album ever written.

[@nigelnichol6486]

Sven Jeschke well put - 100% agree 🤘🤘🔥🔥💪

[@benedictdonald4338]

That album, along with “Nightside”, is the stuff of legend.

[@emperialAnthems]

Totally agree with you ! You can see my YT channel where I covered a lot of Emperor and Ihsahn songs !! With several tracks from Anthems of course (I'm currently working on "The Acclamation of Bonds") ! Cheers from France !

[@cehaem2]

@@benedictdonald4338 Both were clearly ahead of their time. In the Nightside is rather simple stuff while the next one was definitely a display of outstanding craftmanship.

[@markwyman6753]

Vide, ravens caw in reverence. Anthems to the Welkin at dusk. In celebration of the few, the kin, beyond flesh, beyond words. Those of the core, beyond gods, as gods received. I float among them on wings once broken, now gleaming black. I share their song of words unspoken. Cries of the past.

[@andreronco8380]

Seventh son of a seventh son was a huge part of my musical influence and I also love Black Metal. I think it's Maiden's darkest album and it had a great impact in the Norwegian metal scene of the 90's.

[@mirak63]

Thanks for remind me I have to cover it start to finish. On bass. I am a bit stuck on The Number Of the Beast right now.

[@gravemike44]

It also had a huge impact on early prog metal

[@Alien_ark]

In my opinion the best Iron Maiden album ♡

[@jesusguerra1093]

the x factor is even darker (yes the x factor such a GREAT album by the way) and according to Steve it is one of his favorite along with seventh. Both records very progy and yes kind of dark, with deep lyrics.

[@leandert.8768]

He seems like a calm and nice guy🤘

[@HeathenDance]

Of course. He is a Libra!

[@Aquila81]

Until he starts playing and singing!! LOL 😅🤘

[@RohannvanRensburg]

I'm glad he likes the Frozen Lakes riff so much. That's a super underrated riff and is probably one of the best hooks I've heard on 8 string -- catchy as hell and doesn't sound like Meshuggah.

[@jesusguerra1093]

Suck a huge crime how underrated King Diamond band is, so cool to see black metal majesty Ishan paying tribute to the one and only King Diamond, man the album The eye for example is a whole thrill, one of the coolest heavy metal records ever made, dark, eerie, heavy with a great storyline. Those who don't know king diamond (if theres any) go and check his discography you won't regret it specially my personal favorite: The eye.

[@d.sherman8563]

The funny thing is the most difficult parts of Thus spake the nightspirit are all after that. It really is an incredible song on guitar, learning to play it currently, very challenging but fun.

[@frankiesaenz7265]

Love hearing ihsahn play the emperor riffs. You can hear how his approach to melody and structure was so unique and sophisticated.

[@nazgmusic7856]

he talks like his kids are sleeping in the next room.

[@louisjamin7195]

And then he plays his guitar. They might not sleep anymore...

[@tomdreler6528]

"Emperor .... always big sunglasses" - Fenriz Love the guitar style!

[@hypnotizerLuna]

I love how soft-spoken he is, despite the kind of music he makes.

[@SoundJester82]

Long live the legend of EMPEROR! Some of black metal's finest.

[@Taradhish]

Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is still one of ma favourite album in any genre. Even Rob Halford said it's in his top 10, that says a lot!

[@thomaswheeler5216]

Man - King Diamond is definitely one of the bands whose riff/melody combos really had an impact on me. Abigail/Them are just absolutely killer start to finish.

[@laceydez]

Abigail is one of my all-time favorite albums! Miriam's dead, I am her head!

[@JosephSaintClair]

This has to be one of the best plays favourite riffs you guys have done. Mainly due to Ihsahn actually plying and not just talking. Well done Ihsahn and thank you for your talent 🤟

[@hilalabbas]

Twisted sister were covered by dimmu borgir, and influenced ihsahn playing. That's why i love metal.

[@alvaronavarro5602]

That purple guitar is a beauty, and I know it's an understatement but he's a fucking great musician, wow

[@Oddlyoko2K]

Gear factor has to be the best video series I've seen recently, as a guitarist myself it's been really fun to watch

[@SamuelBlackMetalRider]

The Living Legend who has composed some of the Absolute best Black Metal Riffs OF ALL TIME. Mad Eternal Respect to this Genius

[@k8sune]

Amazing how he has come from founding a band that has reinvented and refined heavy-metal to being an artist who can bravely explore other avenues of music and make incredible genre-defying records from those influences.

[@Northdracula]

Seeing a Black Metal legend wearing a Batman shirt and telling some of his stories is wunderbar

[@jackcoleman1784]

Honestly I've been a thrash guitarist most of my life. The band that got me into black metal was Emperor. To this day as a thrash guitarist this kind of playing is so refreshingly alien to me.

[@tylerjacobson8012]

5:00 “more or less” haha ihsahn is a legend. What an insanely good guitar player.

[@MonTube2006]

5:43 *

[@tylerjacobson8012]

@@MonTube2006 no. That doesn’t show the riff then.

[@MonTube2006]

The purpose wasn’t specified 🤷‍♂️ have a nice day

[@frankunodostres473]

until I too dissolve is one of the most fun songs to play on the guitar. the main riff is so jammable, you just don't get tired of it even after the 800th time :D

[@aurelijusvijunas529]

Thank you. This is a very lovely monologue, that was a pleasure to listen to.

[@ryliefranco3910]

Note: He downpicks MOP for the first bit at 3:39. As a guitar player myself, Ihsahn has some serious chops. i have the scattered ashes tab book and some of the stuff in there would be impossible to figure out. it's high level stuff (black metal wise). strumming across 3 to 5 strings for chord qualities to come through really works out the strumming hand and endurance is king. now think about singing at the same time!!!! great interview. the master of puppets thing, he can do downpicking if he wanted to but just didn't want to do it. he is an alternate strum player.

[@Ale-iy4ou]

Welcome Home by King Diamond was amazing!!!! Ihsahn is a genius, everything that he does is unbelievable \m/.... my favorite is Thus Spake The Nightspirit.

[@ariojordan4080]

When he said I wanna rock, I thought to myself, "I'm a goofey goober !"

[@Barbro247]

Goofy goofy goofy goofy yeaaah!!!

[@nongshabaokram]

"I know James Hetfield does that down picking but I won't attempt it here today" Even the black metal legend himself won't mess with James😁

[@nihilist1680]

I don't know why I laughed to that part...

[@russellzauner]

It's a good thing he never tried Dime's up picking then lol

[@lokarrsboots9337]

Not to shatter anyones legends here but James didn't play it that fast on the record. They did speed up the song for the record.

[@nihilist1680]

@@lokarrsboots9337 And then they played it even faster live....

[@mathieup.8366]

@@nihilist1680 Yes, but sometimes in alternate picking.

[@loompy1440]

I’ve never seen a black metal guy play rock so well. It probably adds to his sensibilities in metal. Always loved emperors guitar riffs. Very well rounded musical palette!

[@erlgro]

My beloved favourite rock star, and favourite musician, componist!! Sincerely, Erlend, North Norway!! \m/ :)

[@esteban7740]

Master mind! Ihsahn is an incredible musician.

[@winterkhan]

Thanx Ihsahn, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk great greaaaat album, I was listening to read Lord of the Rings, it was amazing days.

[@blutos]

The 3 songs on the Telemark EP are some of the best stuff he's ever done. I was blown away by it; it has a kind of deep, lower-gain heaviness that sounds incredible

[@Ammeo]

He sounds like such a nice and down to earth guy. I see so much personality resemblance between him and Jonathan Davis of Korn.

[@bes5164]

Geez, I want Emperor back so bad. :( Noone writes such music anymore, even not Ihsahn himself.

[@V3ntilator]

King Ihsahn. Greetings from Norway.

[@Abdullah_Studio1]

The black metal maestro of all time he is a musical Genius 🤘i really miss emperor early days

[@HerrBrandt]

O saw Ihsahn at last Emperor's tour in Brazil and It was so great! Can't wait to see hum Live in solo career. He's one of the greatest!

[@gringochucha]

Thank god he didn't play 'Smoke on the Water' or any Black Sabbath. On a side note, the opening riff on 'The Barren Lands' is incredibly sick. Well, pretty much every single riff on After is incredibly sick.

[@churlifior]

This man needs his own YT channel. Do it!

[@jamieplatt1243]

I Wanna Rock was one of my first songs that had big impact on me!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻Awesome!!

[@markkevorkian]

Goddamn I got chills when he was play thus spake the night spirit. That album changed me. I remember getting it when it came out and almost studying it. I still listen to it all the time. It's beyond brilliant. No one will ever come close to creating something like that

[@grogu1986]

Legend. I nearly shat myself the first time I heard I Am The Black Wizards 🤘 He’s got insanely good taste of course as well!

[@crazydavec3861]

Oh yeah, "I am the Black Wizards" is an awesome song.... almost as good as Quagmire's joke! 😁

[@grogu1986]

CrazyDave C dammit I just put on new pants!!! 😆

[@pauldainton6718]

He reminds me of Hopkins when he played Hannibal in Silence of The Lambs, complete with the quiet voice and the slicked back hair

[@saintluciaofficial2019]

Ihsahn is probably my biggest inspiration as a musician along side Steve Vai, Killswitch Engage and Neil Young. One of the best for sure.

[@DeffoZappo]

As an Emperor fan who plays mostly thrash metal and only buys telescasters it was nice to see Ihsahn playing one.

[@deluge71]

Excellent video. I never knew that Ihsahn was so soft-spoken!

[@spencerdeeks2051]

This is super dope! One of my fave riffs that Ihsahn has been a part of is the intro to "Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times"

[@M47H145M]

Darkest home studio around the web

[@zackcoffmanguitar]

Mathias Miranda nAw. Teloch is darker

[@higler.]

GRIM

[@is6031]

It's trve kvlt

[@nikolaytrofimov4175]

@@zackcoffmanguitar Teloch went full black. Mayhem, what can you say

[@NorthAmericanDogmanProject]

Nothing more awesome than humble genius.

[@ultrahighgain412]

Ihsahn is a very interesting fellow. He and his band have composed some of the greatest and most intense metal music ever, yet he seems so kind, polite, and gentle in person. Guess he purges all of his negative energy into his music.

[@chagatainouveau]

His music (with Emperor that is) is chilling in a brutal way, and his speaking voice is chilling in an ASMR way. Pretty wild.

[@jmhanelineiv]

I will never get enough of the 'Until I Too Dissolve' riff.

[@metallersai]

Was expecting "Are you ready"

[@DOM08042000]

*Unleashes literal hell by playing the most absurd, badass, extreme riff achievable in E standard tuning* - "more less 🥺👉👈"

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

Whoa his riffs are amazing, I must check out his music..

[@felipemonteiro5877]

Damn, that guitar is beautiful!

[@demonshinji]

Thank you for releasing whatever the fuck you want and giving us a lot of gems. Imagine not getting one of his solo albums because he’s restrained by how he’s supposed to sound because you know, Emperor. This guy is creative af and im all here for it. Metal or not, he has my money.

[@vyrhem]

I see Ihsahn, I click

[@theworstben]

I, too, am a simple man like this.

[@testrabbit]

Bro's a legend in the metal fan community in New England. I bought Scattered Ashes and the commemorative set of Emperor (with the black CDs/DVDs) & saw them for a reunion tour at BB King's in NYC. He's very cool in person to talk to. Salve Norge!🤘😈🤘

[@RomanYalyshev]

Johnathan , is that you?)

[@ar156]

What a great surprise was this video, I wish Ihsahn did more guitar videos

[@oleauby3852]

Thought it was Jonathan Davis when I first saw the thumbnail lmao

[@EmperorWelkin]

He's playing a Telecaster for Telemark. He learned guitar on Iron Maiden. I learned guitar on Emperor.

[@arsgraff]

Such a nice tone, so jucy. I love it!

[@dennisblom7011]

Make a video like this with Morgan Håkansson from Marduk! 😁

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

I love how Ihsahn is another guitarist that plays melodic solos and proves you don't need to be that flashy to have sick music.

[@Yupppi]

I love this guy's music and playing. He writes so interesting stuff that I sometimes forget to be excited about his riffs and guitar playing just to admire his melodies and vocals. But a killer player too and riff writer. And handles wide variety of music styles too, would've never guessed from hearing Emperor. Some of those chords on Adversary really made me try to figure out the album! The arpeggiated chords particularly. So unfamiliar sounds to me, it was like "I recognize this style but it's completely different from what I know". It's like your traditional rock gone for a huge sidespin and almost transforming to a different thing. Frozen Lakes on Mars is a song that's been haunting me for years ever since I found it, it's so ugly at first and then turns to one of the most beautiful things I've heard and particularly the vocals in chorus. The great construction of emotional contrast is also something I really enjoy from his music.

[@BeardedMenace25]

I remember an interview where he was asked who his main inspiration for clean vocals was and he didn't say King Diamond. To this day I refuse to believe that.

[@UlvenK]

I know this is kinda unrelated but I've always wanted to know how the song Unhealer came to be. Like how he met Akerfeldt, how the song was born and if they are still in contact somehow.

[@Themonist]

metalheadzone.com/ihsahn-explains-what-he-thinks-about-opeths-mikael-akerfeldt/ Here

[@UlvenK]

@@Themonist thanks m8

[@Payduro]

Holy shit what is he playing through? That tone is amazing!!

[@MoonOvIce]

It would seem he's playing through an interface and the sound seems to be coming out from the monitors behind him, but not sure.

[@briannielsen9556]

Aristides guitars might be a part of the sound. They have a lot of uniqueness to them. Especially a lot of sustain. But I think, that there are some “digitalness” to the sound as well.

[@jason2841]

Gonna break out this light purple tele to play some of the new "black metal oriented" riffs.

[@Frostwulf1313]

There can never be enough Ihsahn.

[@luxi378]

5:08 i fucking love this! i mean i heard the damn song many times but hearing it like that, what a killer riff. true master!

[@Barbro247]

Yeah its quite unbelievable how big he makes it sound. So thick, tight and just overall amazing.

[@frankspeed2665]

Jeez! Ihsahn making a Batman concept album is something that needs to happen

[@vipersb1]

Wow, a REAL metalhead on Loudwire, I'm shocked.

[@reps138]

emperor was the 1st bm band i was introduced to in the late 90s...i honestly didn't get it then...bt loved them since... they shaped my interest in bm

[@remiserpent2821]

That last purple guitar he played looks awesome

[@dmitryborovkov]

Emperor forever!

[@eddmata5312]

Excelente Maestro!! mis respetos para Ihsahn

[@brucenatelee]

Haven't seen Loudwire videos for a minute, too many in my Watch Later 2 playlist. Looked into "sax metal" and found a reddit post featuring Ihsahn. This is kinda new, yet it took a damn reddit post and a thought about "sax metal" to find this video. Yep, checked the bell, was already set to "All."

[@RudalPL]

Favourite Ihsahn's riff? Basically first two full Emperor's albums and the riff from the middle of the song in Undercurrent. That riff kills!!

[@ChordxClient]

Damn, Samoth came up with one of the most iconic riffs in black metal history 🤘🏻