5 Best Metal Albums Of May 2018

Metal Hammer’s Alec Chillingworth hit the nail on the head when he described the seventh solo album from lauded aural extremist Ihsahn as “basically a pop album through a black metal filter.” By blending one of metal’s most despondent and terrifying subgenres with such eclectic notions as synths, clean singing and high-flying melodies, the former Emperor leader created a diverse powerhouse that is as engaging as it is sophisticated.

Ámr (Norwegian for “emptiness”) transcends any and all clichés, using metal in a truly organic and original manner – instead of dictating the record’s delivery, it is merely one prominent ingredient. For Ihsahn, black metal is only a fraction of his dynamic arsenal and, in the choral loveliness of tracks like “Twin Black Angels” and “Marble Soul”, the progressive master is clearly flexing all of his muscles. There’s a beauty in this disc that defies description, but is made omnipresent as Ámr continually twists and turns, shifting from grinding aggression to alluring electronics with surprising grace.

As Ihsahn provides probably his best work since Emperor’s Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, it is hugely difficult to imagine any album in the near-future outdoing Ámr in terms of sheer quality.

But that definitely won’t stop a slew of metal groups from trying…