EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn will release a new EP, "Pharos", on September 11 via Candlelight Records. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Spectre At The Feast", can be seen below. Also appearing on the effort are covers of PORTISHEAD's "Roads" and A-HA's "Manhattan Skyline" (featuring Einar Solberg of LEPROUS).
Ihsahn, whose real name is Vegard Sverre Tveitan, told Metal Hammer about "Spectre At The Feast": "It's probably the most straightforward song on the EP. It's got this almost pop-rock attitude. Lyrically, it's kind of a fly-on-the-wall perspective on society — all the superficial, stupid things people turn into something meaningful when they're not. It's musing on when the façade will break."
"Pharos" EP track listing:
01. Losing Altitude
02. Spectre At The Feast
03. Pharos
04. Roads (PORTISHEAD cover)
05. Manhattan Skyline (A-HA cover, featuring Einar Solberg of LEPROUS)
"Pharos" is the follow-up to "Telemark", which came out in February via Candlelight. That effort represented the heavier side of Ihsahn's music.
"'Telemark' was everything that was close to my heart: basic guitar riffing, screaming vocals," Ihsahn said. "I thought, 'I need to do a sequel where I do the exact opposite' — things that I don't know how to do, explore sonic territory that I haven't explored."
Last year, Ihsahn once again dismissed the idea of EMPEROR writing and recording a comeback album. The group's last studio LP, "Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire & Demise", was released in 2001 and was written entirely by Ihsahn. EMPEROR broke up shortly thereafter, with Ihsahn going on to pursue a solo career, while guitarist Samoth (real name: Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen) partook in a variety of bands, including SCUM and ZYKLON. EMPEROR has reunited frequently in ensuing years to perform live, but has continually resisted calls to release new material.
