Freitag, 13. Mär 2009, 9:35
It was not long ago that I discovered Sólstafir, who come from the cold plains of Iceland. When I first heard their name I thought they were a pure black/viking metal band, which, at least based on their latest two efforts, is terribly wrong. I decided to give them a listen eventually, and hell it wasn’t a mistake at all. I just pity myself that I missed out on them for so long.
These guys, in my opinion, are doing something that can basically be described as experimental metal. That’s not very clear? Well, there are certain post rock influences, ambient influences, and of course an extreme metal base in the core. No brutal or scream vocals used, it’s a unique style, which reminded me of Primordial’s Alan at times, and, don’t beat me for saying this but, Nirvana’s Kurt. (Especially in Necrologue) Guitars, drums and bass are used to compliment each other and create the haunting atmosphere that this record is all about. There are no super guitar work, or insanely fast drums, or anything similar, and there’s no need for it. It’s all about creating the atmosphere and pulling you into it, and they succeed at that damn well.
The album starts off with burning guitar riffs of “78 Days in the Desert”, which is a long intro to the album. A nice instrumental that seems to have popped out of a “God Is an Astronaut” album, only with a heavier and more metal vibe to it. It could as well be used as a soundtrack. “Köld” and “Pale Rider” are pretty solid songs as well. The latter being heavier and faster, more chaotic song. Köld has a lot of rhythym changes, and includes nice vocals which, as I said, remind me of Alan Nemtheanga a bit. “Necrologue” is another highlight on the album, which includes a really nice guitar solo. Also attention to the riff that starts at 2:35. With the vocal performance and the lyrics, this song makes you feel loneliness and desperation to the bones. “World Void of Souls” is an interesting piece of work, 11 minutes of experimenting. With only some spoken vocal lines in the beginning, it’s a long, ambient type of song, which doesnt include any “real” notes. “Love is the Devil (and I am in Love)” is the shortest, most straightforward song on the album while the last song “Goddess of the Ages” is a great ending to a nice album, having a remarkable drum beat that goes on for most of the song, not getting you bored, on the contrary, hypnotizing and taking you to another world for a short while.
Production on the album is average, I think, it adds to the atmosphere though, so I think it’s good enough for this album. Cover art is also beautiful. So it doesn’t let you down on other aspects either.
Overall I think this is a solid album. If I could pick one word to describe all of this album, it would no doubt be: atmosphere. Yes, it’s all about that. Fans of atmospheric, long songs, and experimental metal would enjoy this album in my opinion. These guys are not known so well, so give them a try and maybe you’ll discover another “favorite album to put on at night”, just like I did.