Independent, 2004
www.solstafir.com
1. I Myself the Visionary Head
2. Bloodsoaked Velvet
3. Ritual of Fire
In underground metal today, it's sadly unusual to find a band with a voice and style all their own, who genuinely has something new and genuine to offer, who are above and beyond the countless hordes of ultimately useless DARKTHRONE or CARCASS imitators. Preconceptions of what an extreme metal band should sound like seem to encourage shallowness, inhibit progression and creativity and stifle the development of metal at large all too often these days, but fortunately there are those who dare beyond.
One such band, that I have followed rather closely for a few years now, is Iceland's premier metal export SÓLSTAFIR. Coming from heathen metal roots -- having released the utterly impressive Til Valhallar MCD in 1996, a work somewhat reminiscient of bands like ENSLAVED or HELHEIM, but with a distinct feeling of its own -- but ultimately refusing to be pigeonholed in any existent genre, SÓLSTAFIR have consistently impressed me. Especially the sole full-length Í Blóði og Anda (2002) was a work of fierce originality that combined musical traces of Norwegian black metal roots with long, slowly developing compositions, as drawn out and epic-scaled as Iceland's desolate plains, Aalbjörn Tryggvason's quite unique vocal style and a guitar tone more reminiscient of MOTÖRHEAD than MAYHEM. It took some time to grow on me, but eventually I realized that epic numbers like "Árstiðir Dauðans" or "2000 Ár" were something quite special and amazing indeed.
This latest promo CD-R (promo? Note to metal labels worldwide: send this band a contract offer posthaste!) takes the epic approach of Í Blóði og Anda's best moments to the extreme (with two of the songs being 19:43 and 14:45 long respectively) while including some new elements as well. I have recommended this promo to numerous people into bands like ISIS, CULT OF LUNA and NEUROSIS on several occasions, generally with very positive results; especially "I Myself the Visionary Head" here has a sound somewhat reminiscient of the above bands, though I'd argue that SÓLSTAFIR still stand with both feet in Heavy Metal here, though with a sound that is unmistakably SÓLSTAFIR. SÓLSTAFIR does not compromise; the first and finest track here repeats the very same slow, atmospheric theme for probably over 10 minutes, very subtly building up tension in a masterful manner, until the climax at around the 17 minute mark when they, with barely a warning, suddenly VISUALIZE MY SOMETHING... HUAH! RIFF! BLASTBEAT FURY!!!!!! and every time, it fucking floors me. This should be a textbook example on how to do tension/release buildups; some rather enviable songwriting skills right here, folks.
The other songs... "Bloodsoaked Velvet" might as well have been from the Í Blóði og Anda sessions... Very solid work with some rather gloomy lyrics. "Ritual of Fire" (they're making a video for this one) ends up somewhat less interesting than the first masterpiece of a track, slightly suffering from the fact that this version is entirely instrumental -- I presume that an upcoming full-length will contain a version with vocals. Speaking of the vocals, Mr. Tryggvason has improved considerably since previous releases. It's hard to describe his vocal style to those who haven't heard it; suffice to say that he still does the same thing, he's just a tad better at it nowadays.
Well gee, that's a whole heap of praise, but this way too fucking overlooked band deserves it as they've done nothing but impress me since 1996. The band has all three songs up for download on their homepage... I suggest anyone with an interest in truly innovative metal to go download them. Deeply recommended... Anxiously awaiting a forthcoming full-length.
Rating: 9/10
