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)
South Winds
Ihsahn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dogmatic
Death cult
Fanatic
Hidden
In the open
Masked
Your face, your heart
Fervent to obey
Your face, your heart
You gave it all away
I'd rather live a life in sin
And take the devil's fall
Than let the madmen of belief
Make fools and martyrs of us all
Get up off your knees
Get up off your knees
Your burden is a lie
So, get up off your knees
Lift your head up high
Lift your head up high
Your burden is a lie
So, lift your head up high
Your code
Your line
Your mouth
Your spine
A hammer
To fictitious sins
A cold field
To south winds
What kind of promises
Could justify
The sacrifice you make?
This shame and fear
You force upon this
World for heaven's sake
Life you forsake
Hope ran out
In the desert sand
Cancel all flights
To the promised land
I'd rather live a life in sin
And take the devil's fall
Than let the madmen of belief
Make fools and martyrs of us all
I'd rather live a life in sin
And take the devil's fall
Than let the madmen of belief
Make fools and martyrs of us all
Your code
Your line
Your mouth
Your spine
A hammer
To fictitious sins
A cold field
To south winds
The lyrics of "South Winds" by Ihsahn are a scathing commentary on the blind faith and fanaticism of organized religion. The verses are full of condemning words like "static," "dogmatic," and "death cult." The song suggests that people blindly follow religious traditions and leaders because they are afraid to confront the truth. The lyrics also imply that religion is used as a tool to manipulate and control the masses. The lines "Hidden in the open, Masked by tradition" suggests how religion is ingrained in society, hiding in plain sight.
The chorus of the song is a powerful message of resistance against the authority of religion. The lines "I'd rather live a life in sin, And take the devil's fall, Than let the madmen of belief, Make fools and martyrs of us all" highlights the importance of freedom of thought and individualism over mindless submission to authority. The repeated phrase "Get up off your knees/Lift your head up high/Your burden is a lie" encourages listeners to rebel against the oppressive forces of religious dogma and reclaim their autonomy.
Line by Line Meaning
Static
Unchanging and devoid of progress
Dogmatic
Held unswervingly to one's beliefs despite evidence to the contrary
Death cult
A group that prioritizes death and dying
Fanatic
One who holds extreme and uncritical attitudes or zealotry
Hidden
Concealed and not easily noticed
In the open
Plainly visible and openly talked about
Masked
Concealed by a disguise or veneer
By tradition
As dictated by customs and long-standing practices
Your face, your heart
The parts of you that are most visible and most deeply felt
Fervent to obey
Enthusiastic about following orders without question
You gave it all away
You surrendered your autonomy to those in authority
I'd rather live a life in sin
I'd rather live according to my own values and beliefs, even if they are seen as sinful by others
And take the devil's fall
I'm willing to face any consequences of my choices, no matter how negative they may appear to others
Than let the madmen of belief
I refuse to be controlled by those who are fanatical about their beliefs
Make fools and martyrs of us all
I won't let others make me look foolish or try to turn me into a martyr for their cause
Get up off your knees
Stop subserviently begging and take a stand
Your burden is a lie
The weight of guilt and responsibility placed on you by dogmatic beliefs is false and unnecessary
Lift your head up high
Be confident and look straight ahead, don't bow down to external authority
Your code
The set of rules and dogmas you follow
Your line
The path you feel obligated to walk, despite doubts or misgivings
Your mouth
The means by which you speak out against or propagate religious beliefs
Your spine
The moral fortitude or conviction to stand up to pressure and adversity
A hammer
A powerful means of destroying false idols of belief
To fictitious sins
To manufactured sins that aren't backed up by reality
A cold field
A barren and inhospitable place
To south winds
To the call of reason and rationality, even when it's uncomfortable or unpopular
What kind of promises
What assurances or rewards could justify the costs of following dogmatic beliefs?
Could justify
What reasons could make it okay to sacrifice your own identity and integrity?
This shame and fear
The guilt and terror that adherence to false beliefs can inflict
You force upon this
The effect these beliefs have on society at large
World for heaven's sake
What does it really mean to sacrifice the here and now for a hypothetical afterlife?
Life you forsake
Why should one give up the one life we know for sure we have?
Hope ran out
The anticipated rewards for obeying dogmatic beliefs never materialize
In the desert sand
In a spiritual and emotional wasteland
Cancel all flights
Stop searching for easy answers and sky-high promises of salvation
To the promised land
To a far-off hypothetical state that may not even exist
Writer(s): Vegard Tveitan
Contributed by Jonathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steven Henderson
Been listening to Emperor and Ihsahn for well over a decade now... This is the most profound song he's ever written. Perfectly sums up his diverse Musicality, Religious Creed, and Political Beliefs. I really hope more people find this track and read into it.
leon stephenson
Great video. Sad to say I discovered this album about 6 months ago and it’s been full album repeat since then. Great variety of music and deep thought lyrics.
Marco Distefano
Great video! I recently discovered this song and I'm already loving it!
HeavyReign
Really cool lyric video! This stuff is so fresh, only discovered Ihsahn recently, the clean vocals are REALLY good.
Jareyoujoking
Outstanding lyrics in this song
Emanuel Gómez Cortés
Illustrations here are amazing, great song, thanks for upload
Free Allen Wrench
This really does it for me, you know?
ad-astra
Nice montage!