Born in the town of Notodden, Norway, Tveitan began playing piano at seven and guitar at ten and began recording songs shortly thereafter. His influences range from heavy metal, classical, ambient and techno. He grew up on a large farm in rural Norway.
Tveitan first met his partner in numerous musical projects, Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen (a.k.a. Samoth) at the age of thirteen at a music seminar. Tveitan gained Haugen's attention with his Iron Maiden patches. In 1991 they formed Thou Shalt Suffer together, a death/black metal band where Tveitan was guitarist and keyboardist. They produced several releases before Haugen left the band. Tveitan was left as the only member of the band and continues it to this day as a side-project. Unlike his solo work under his own name, Ihsahn's latest compositions for Thou Shalt Suffer are predominately keyboard-based and more classical in nature and influence.
After Haugen's departure from Thou Shalt suffer, the two formed Emperor where Tveitan again played guitar and provided vocals and keyboards. Emperor had a much more refined black metal sound which showcased Tveitan's developing keyboard sound, a distinct feature that would appear in his later releases. The band at this time received much support and encouragement from black metal pioneer Euronymous (member of the black metal band Mayhem) and after several demos, In the Nightside Eclipse was released to much acclaim.
Shortly thereafter, bandmates Haugen and Bård Eithun (a.k.a. Faust) were arrested and imprisoned leaving Tveitan to his own devices. He retreated to a property owned by his family to compose much of what would later become Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, which was recorded after the parole of Haugen.
In 1995 the cult album Blood Must Be Shed from Zyklon-B was released featuring members of Emperor and Satyricon, with Tveitan on synth. In 1998 Tveitan formed, along with his wife Heidi Tveitan (a.k.a. Ihriel), the highly experimental project Peccatum. In 1999 Emperor released IX Equilibrium.
Peccatum would feature his trademark synth sound as well as clean and black vocals. Over the years Peccatum has released five albums and EPs and was Tveitan's main project until the project was ended in early March 2006.
In 2001, the final Emperor album was realesed. A studio album, Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise was entirely composed by Tveitan and featured much more complex melodies than previous works. It had significantly less synth than before. It was at this time Emperor mutually decided to dissolve, leaving the band with more time to focus on side projects.
On September 30th 2005, Emperor made a surprise return at Scream's 15-year anniversary party in Oslo at the Rockefeller. The move was kept top secret, was only known by a handful of people, and they played three songs only. This was to announce the reuniting of the band for a few shows around Europe and America in 2006, namely at the Wacken Open Air festival and Inferno Festival.
His first solo album The Adversary was released in April 2006. All work was done by him with the exception of percussion, which was done by Asgeir Mickelson (Borknagar, Vintersorg and others). It showcases his progressive influences as well as heavy metal, black metal and classical music. The album was recorded at Symphonique Studios in Norway and is to be released on his label Mnemosyne Productions, which was formed in 2003 with Ihriel. A video accompanies the track Invocation.
As well as being a talented musician, Tveitan is also a capable artist and once considered doing the artwork for a Thou Shalt Suffer album. He presently lives in Notodden, Norway with his wife and one dog, an Akita Inu. He also teaches music at the local school.
From Official Myspace:
Just thirty years of age, Ihsahn has traveled far beyond his rural beginnings. In little more than a decade, the largely self-taught musician has amassed a resume that when combined exceeds more than three quarters of a million worldwide album sales. His cumulative professional accolades include a 2001 Spelleman (Norwegian Grammy) Award nomination, 2003 Notodden City Cultural Award, and countless "Best of" class honors in internationally respected metal and rock magazines including Terrorizer, Metal Maniacs, Revolver, Kerrang!, Guitar World and many more. Now with The Adversary, the former Emperor vocalist/guitarist steps outside the comforts of an ensemble or collaboration and commands for the first time his most challenging project - a solo album.
He also contributed vocals on Devin Townsend Project's album, Deconstruction.
Discography:
Thou Shalt Suffer:
1991 - Into the Woods of Belial (Demo)
1991 - Open the Mysteries of Your Creation (Demo)
1997 - Into the Woods of Belial (Compilation), (Re-issued 2004)
2000 - Somnium
Emperor:
Full Length:
1994 - In the Nightside Eclipse
1997 - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
1999 - IX Equilibrium
2001 - Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise
Live Albums:
2000 - Emperial Live Ceremony
Compilation Albums:
1998 - Wrath of the Tyrant
2001 - Emperial Vinyl Presentation
2003 - Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath
Split Albums:
1993 - Emperor / Hordanes Land - Split with Enslaved
1999 - Thorns vs. Emperor - Split with Thorns
2000 - True Kings of Norway - Split with Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Ancient and Arcturus
Singles/EPs:
1993 - Emperor
1994 - As the Shadows Rise
1996 - Reverence
Demos/Promos:
1992 - Wrath of the Tyrant
Bootlegs:
1995 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
1997 - Conquering Europe
1999 - Live in Frostland
Videography:
1997 - The Loss and Curse of Reverence (Promo Video)
2000 - Emperial Live Ceremony (VHS/DVD)
2001 - Empty (Promo Video)
Peccatum:
1999 - Strangling from Within
2000 - Oh, My Regrets (EP)
2001 - Amor Fati
2004 - Lost in Reverie
2005 - The Moribund People (EP)
Ihsahn: (Solo-albums)
2006 - The Adversary
2008 - Angl
2010 - After
2012 - Eremita
2013 - Das Seelnbrechen
2016 - Arktis
2018 - ÀMR
Hardingrock:
2007 - Grimen
Guest appearances and session:
1995 - Ildjarn - Det Frysende Nordariket (Session vocals on various tracks)
1995 - Wongraven - Fjelltronen (Session synth)
1995 - Zyklon-B - Blood Must Be Shed (Session synth and guitar)
1998 - Ulver - Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven & Hell (Guest vocals on A Song of Liberty)
2002 - Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (Guest vocals on Radical Cut)
2002 - Star of Ash - Iter.Viator. (Various roles including guitar and bass duties)
2011 - Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction (Guest vocals on Juular)
2012 - Jeff Loomis - Plains Of Oblivion (Guest vocals on Surrender)
Citizen
Ihsahn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whence came your voice
your right to speak?
Is there a purpose to your tongue
and gnawing teeth?
I ask thee;
How deep and hollow
is your mouth?
for you to stomach?
With humility and obedience
you pride yourself
Evasive and lukewarm
until the end
Citizen!
The interdependent morality
of your collective
made too soft the bed
in which you lie
I ask Thee;
Do you acknowledge
your own fragility
when you sleep
to serve the "Greater Good"
United in fear
Lives "hard to bear"
Illusions that "we are all peers"
I preach not for understanding
In you I have no faith
I spit at you my truth;
that you are the burden of my heritage
For herein lies the irony
There is neither room
nor air
for the wakeful fire
in your precious world
of equality
Citizen!
You are truly faithful
to tradition
when you crucify
those whose voices burn
Alas
a hundred years from now
you recite and corrupt
their epitaphs
to crucify another
In Ihsahn's song "Citizen," the lyrics explore the question of where people's voices come from and what their rights to speak truly entail. It questions whether there is a purpose to one's tongue and gnawing teeth, and how authentic their words and actions are. Ihsahn asks, "How deep and hollow is your mouth?" and "What lie is too decayed for you to stomach?" The lyrics suggest that people pride themselves on their humility and obedience, and that they are evasive and lukewarm until the end.
The song also criticizes the idea of collectivism and the "Greater Good," asking if people acknowledge their own fragility when they sleep to serve this ideal. It points out how fear unites people and how illusory the notion of equality can be. Ultimately, the song expresses a sense of disillusionment and condemnation towards those who crucify those whose voices burn and corrupt their epitaphs.
Overall, "Citizen" takes a critical stance on the notion of collective morality and the conformist tendencies of society. It questions the authenticity and the moral standards of people's voices and actions and warns of the danger of suppressing those who dissent.
Line by Line Meaning
Citizen!
Addressing the subject of the song in a critical manner.
Whence came your voice
Questioning the legitimacy of the subject's right to speak.
your right to speak?
Referring to the right to free speech and questioning its origins.
Is there a purpose to your tongue
Questioning the motives behind the subject's speech.
and gnawing teeth?
Metaphorically comparing the subject's biting words to the action of gnawing teeth.
I ask thee;
Asking a question in a formal manner.
How deep and hollow
Asking about the depth and insincerity of the subject's words.
is your mouth?
Asking about the honesty of the subject's speech.
What lie is too decayed
Asking whether there are any falsehood the subject would refuse to tell.
for you to stomach?
Asking if the subject is capable of accepting and spreading even the most corrupted of lies.
With humility and obedience
Describing the subject's subservience to authority.
you pride yourself
Highlighting the irony of the subject's supposed humility and obedience.
Evasive and lukewarm
Critiquing the subject's lack of conviction and resoluteness.
until the end
Indicating that the subject's evasiveness persists throughout their lifetime.
The interdependent morality
Referring to the subject's moral code.
of your collective
Imputing the collective responsibility on the subject for their moral standards.
made too soft the bed
Blaming the subject's group for creating an environment of complacency and ease.
in which you lie
Portraying the subject as being content in their comfortable existence.
I ask Thee;
Asking a rhetorical question in a formal manner.
Do you acknowledge
Questioning whether the subject takes responsibility for their vulnerability.
your own fragility
Highlighting the subject's susceptibility to external influences and pressures.
when you sleep
Metaphorically suggesting that the subject is unaware of their own flaws and weaknesses.
to serve the "Greater Good"
Questioning the legitimacy of the objective to serve the collective good when there is no regard for the well-being of individual members.
United in fear
Describing the collective as being driven by fear and insecurity.
Lives "hard to bear"
Emphasizing the difficulty and suffering of the subject's existence.
Illusions that "we are all peers"
Exposing the falsehood of equality within the subject's community.
I preach not for understanding
Declaring the singer's lack of interest in convincing the subject to think differently.
In you I have no faith
Expressing the singer's complete lack of confidence in the subject's morals or actions.
I spit at you my truth;
Conveying the message with an intent to insult and provoke the subject.
that you are the burden of my heritage
Condemning the subject as a representation and continuation of the singer's legacy.
For herein lies the irony
Pointing out the irony of the situation.
There is neither room
Metaphorically suggesting that the society does not tolerate or accept anything new or unconventional.
nor air
Metaphorically suggesting that there is no space for diversity, plurality or individuality.
for the wakeful fire
Referring to the singer's creative or unconventional ideas and talents.
in your precious world
Referring to the subject's cherished values and morals.
of equality
Highlighting the group's supposed equality as being a superficial and unsubstantiated claim.
You are truly faithful
Ironically praising the subject for being loyal to their traditions and norms.
to tradition
Referring to the subject's adherence to their historical values and customs.
when you crucify
Metaphorically condemning the subject for punishing those who express unconventional ideas.
those whose voices burn
Referring to individuals whose creative or unconventional ideas challenge the status quo.
Alas
Expressing pity or sorrow.
a hundred years from now
Referring to the distant future.
you recite and corrupt
Suggesting that the subject will plagiarize, alter or distort the legacy of those who they perceive as challenging their traditions.
their epitaphs
Referring to the legacy or reputation of those who express divergent or creative ideas.
to crucify another
Predicting that future generations would persecute and punish those who challenge their values and traditions, just as the subject does.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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