With The Weight of Silence, Norwegian composer and multi-instrumentalist Karelius Ihlang unveils one of his most introspective and cinematic works to date. Set for release on November 14, 2025, the nine-track album marks a remarkable evolution in Ihlang’s artistry — a step away from his metal beginnings and into the realm of ambient, emotional storytelling. Known for his contributions to Norway’s atmospheric music scene as drummer for Eldamar and member of Paracrona, Ihlang’s latest work embraces solitude and serenity.
Recorded in Drammen, near Oslo, and shaped by both his Romani heritage and his lineage as the son of acclaimed saxophonist Gisle Røen Johansen, The Weight of Silence reflects a life spent listening as deeply as performing. Tracks like Troubled Flow, Whispers in the Wind, and A Promise Once Made are meditative yet emotionally charged — bridging his rhythmic roots in metal with a minimalist, piano-driven sound. The result is a record that feels deeply human, balancing quiet introspection with cinematic grandeur.
Apricot Magazine sat down with Ihlang to discuss his creative transformation, personal journey, and the stories behind his most personal album yet.
Interview with Karelius Ihlang
Karelius: I’ve always loved melody… even when I was deep into metal. Bands like Dimmu Borgir and Children of Bodom showed me that heaviness and harmony can exist together. Over time, I started connecting more with film music… especially composers like Howard Shore. The piano became this space where I could express that side of myself… honest and emotional. The Weight of Silence is a solo piano album, but for me it still holds the same intensity as metal… just in a quieter, more personal way. It revealed a part of me that had always been there… I just needed to listen to it.
Karelius: With Eldamar and Paracrona, there’s this shared energy… a collective sound. The Weight of Silence is different because it’s just me… it’s much more intimate. Me and my twin sister was taken from my mom when we were five… she struggled with addiction, and my father was never there. Growing up, I didn’t really know where I belonged. But I was lucky… my foster family was wonderful. They gave me love, stability, and a real home when I needed it the most. Music became my way of processing everything I couldn’t explain back then. This album is the most honest reflection of that… it’s not about performance, it’s about emotion.
Karelius: Silence has never felt empty to me… it’s full of life and feeling if you listen close enough. I treat silence as part of the music… like a living element. When I write, I don’t try to fill every space. I let the piano breathe… let the notes fade and leave room for the listener to feel something on their own. It’s all about trust… trusting that the smallest moment can hold the biggest emotion.
Karelius: It always starts with emotion… something I can’t put into words. “Troubled Flow” came from a place of restlessness… where everything feels like it’s moving too fast inside. “Whispers in the Wind” came from peace… from walking in nature and just listening. I’m very analytical with music… I love breaking things apart… but when it comes to writing, I try to stay connected to the feeling more than the structure.
Karelius: My mom is Romani, and that’s always been a big part of who I am… even though growing up, I didn’t fully understand it. I was bullied for it as a kid… people didn’t really know what it was, and neither did I, except that it made me different. Over time, I’ve learned to feel proud of it. There’s so much rhythm and emotion in that culture… you can feel it in your blood. My father wasn’t in my life when I was little, but I met him when I was sixteen. He’s a jazz musician, and that meeting was powerful… it helped me understand where some of my musical instincts came from. Both sides of my story live in this album… the pain and the pride.
Karelius: In metal, rhythm is power… it’s energy and drive. On the piano, rhythm becomes something more fluid… more emotional. I still think like a drummer when I play… I feel timing and tension in my hands… but now it’s more about movement and breath. Even when it’s quiet, there’s still that pulse underneath it all. It’s just more human… more reflective.
Karelius: Belfalas gave me freedom. It was the first time I created something completely on my own… and it showed me that I didn’t have to limit myself. That project is full of melody and atmosphere inside a heavy sound… and The Weight of Silence comes from the same place. It’s the same emotion and storytelling… just through piano instead of distortion. Belfalas taught me to trust my instincts completely.
Karelius: Silence used to feel heavy for me… it reminded me of loss and things I couldn’t change. I’ve lost people close to me because of addiction and life taking wrong turns. But over time, I started to see silence differently. It became something peaceful… a space to think and heal. Artistically, silence is everything. It’s the space before the sound… the moment where emotion starts forming. That’s really what the album is about… learning to sit with silence and finding meaning in it.
Karelius: Norway has this calmness… the forests, the light, the air… it all affects how I write. There’s something about the space here that lets emotion breathe. But emotionally, my landscape has been more complicated. I’ve seen a lot… lost people, made mistakes… but I’ve also been given love and stability from the right people. That mix of darkness and light, peace and struggle… that’s what my music really sounds like. It’s calm, but with a lot of life underneath.
Karelius: Yeah… it definitely feels like a turning point. Not because I’m leaving metal… I’m still playing metal, and I love it… but because I’ve opened another door creatively. The piano lets me tell stories in a different way… with more emotion and space. I want to keep exploring both worlds… the cinematic and the heavy. I’d love to work on film music someday, or collaborate with visual artists who think in the same emotional way. Whatever comes next… it’ll come from the same place… that love for melody and feeling that’s been there since I was a kid.
Closing Thoughts
With The Weight of Silence, Karelius Ihlang delivers a deeply personal statement — one that bridges pain and peace, metal and minimalism, rhythm and reflection. It’s not just a musical shift but a personal reckoning; a space where the echoes of his past meet the stillness of his present. As he prepares to share this album with the world, Ihlang reminds us that sometimes, silence carries more meaning than any noise ever could.
The Weight of Silence will be available November 14, 2025 on all major streaming platforms and via Bandcamp early access. Follow Karelius Ihlang for updates and future releases.
