Ihsahn has been full of surprises throughout the past year. Right off the heels of his 2012 release Eremita, he announced he'd be releasing the experimentally excellent Das Seelenbrechen in 2013 and in 2014 he reunited Emperor to do some live shows as a kind of one-off thing. Now he's made it known through his Facebook that he's secretly been working on his own studio, has been writing a new record since January and has completely done away with his live backing band Leprous.
"Now, this has not kept me entirely busy for the whole year, so since January I’ve also been writing material for the next Ihsahn album, partly interrupted by rehearsals, shows and a total rebuild of our studio.
On the live front, several shows are all ready announced for 2015, and I’m excited to tell you that I’ll be back on stage with a new, handpicked line-up that I am confident will take my songs to a new dimension.
On that note, I’d like to thank Leprous for a fantastic collaboration over many years!! They have been invaluable in getting my songs to the stage and we’ve had some great trips around the world. Maybe now we’ll actually get to watch each other’s shows"
Ihsahn's doing away with Leprous has got me curious as to what he might be planning live over the course of the next year. Is he looking for a group that can tour more full time with him and is planning on taking the act on the road extensively? Will the new album consist of a bigger ensemble that he'll need live and will tailor the old songs to fit? Obviously new Ihsahn in 2015 is going to be awesome, but what's up with the live band situation?
