Solefald Black for Death: An Icelandic Odyssey Part II
Season of Mist SOM141 November 2006
By Jason Jordan
The prolific duo of Cornelius (Sturmgeist) and Lazare (Borknagar, Age of Silence) returns a year later with the other half of An Icelandic Odyssey, namely Black for Death. Solefald come through once again as BfD is a satisfying follow-up to Red for Fire, but not quite strong enough to overtake its predecessor.
While Solefald peaked with In Harmonia Universali, in my opinion, their work since then has been solid, yet deserving of the criticism it receives. Because Black for Death contains what can be deemed filler essential to the lyrical story centering on Bragi the Poet and Loki the Trickster, however its easy to dismiss tracks such as the instrumental jazzy interlude Underworld, the heavy instrumental Dark Waves Dying, and the string and spoken-word pieces Lokasenna Part 2, Spoken to the End of All, and Lokasenna Part 3. Perhaps its my impatience, but the above-mentioned songs just seem to slow things down when Im in the mood for quick, energetic numbers like opener Red for Fire + Black for Death, Queen in the Bay of Smoke, and Necrodyssey. Others (Silver Dwarf, Allfathers, Sagateller) are memorable, too, due in part to the lyrics that can be remembered and chanted easily.
Though the production and musicianship are jaw-dropping not to mention that Solefald have succeeded in tackling a 2-part concept that would take years to be fully realized the production is too clean for my liking, which as a result removes the edge that could be heard so often in In Harmonia Universali. And, at times, Cornelius overextends himself in the vocal department, dragging the respective tunes quality down with him. Speaking of vocals Trickster G./Garm (Ulver, Head Control System, ex-Arcturus, ex-Borknagar) turns in a cameo performance in Loki Trickster God, which ranges from average to terrible especially when he skyrockets needlessly. Its just awkward and bad.
Overall, Black for Death: An Icelandic Odyssey Part II will not disappoint Solefald fans whove been eagerly awaiting the sequel to 2005s Red for Fire. While they certainly have superior albums in their discography, Cornelius and Lazare have capitalized on their ambition once again. Still, with offerings from Cs Sturmgeist and Ls Borknagar having recently been unleashed, the market is kind of saturated with their stuff right now. Thus, the poor consumer will have to be more discerning than usual.
7.5/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Solefald Website
Official Season of Mist Website
Season of Mist SOM141 November 2006
By Jason Jordan
The prolific duo of Cornelius (Sturmgeist) and Lazare (Borknagar, Age of Silence) returns a year later with the other half of An Icelandic Odyssey, namely Black for Death. Solefald come through once again as BfD is a satisfying follow-up to Red for Fire, but not quite strong enough to overtake its predecessor.
While Solefald peaked with In Harmonia Universali, in my opinion, their work since then has been solid, yet deserving of the criticism it receives. Because Black for Death contains what can be deemed filler essential to the lyrical story centering on Bragi the Poet and Loki the Trickster, however its easy to dismiss tracks such as the instrumental jazzy interlude Underworld, the heavy instrumental Dark Waves Dying, and the string and spoken-word pieces Lokasenna Part 2, Spoken to the End of All, and Lokasenna Part 3. Perhaps its my impatience, but the above-mentioned songs just seem to slow things down when Im in the mood for quick, energetic numbers like opener Red for Fire + Black for Death, Queen in the Bay of Smoke, and Necrodyssey. Others (Silver Dwarf, Allfathers, Sagateller) are memorable, too, due in part to the lyrics that can be remembered and chanted easily.
Though the production and musicianship are jaw-dropping not to mention that Solefald have succeeded in tackling a 2-part concept that would take years to be fully realized the production is too clean for my liking, which as a result removes the edge that could be heard so often in In Harmonia Universali. And, at times, Cornelius overextends himself in the vocal department, dragging the respective tunes quality down with him. Speaking of vocals Trickster G./Garm (Ulver, Head Control System, ex-Arcturus, ex-Borknagar) turns in a cameo performance in Loki Trickster God, which ranges from average to terrible especially when he skyrockets needlessly. Its just awkward and bad.
Overall, Black for Death: An Icelandic Odyssey Part II will not disappoint Solefald fans whove been eagerly awaiting the sequel to 2005s Red for Fire. While they certainly have superior albums in their discography, Cornelius and Lazare have capitalized on their ambition once again. Still, with offerings from Cs Sturmgeist and Ls Borknagar having recently been unleashed, the market is kind of saturated with their stuff right now. Thus, the poor consumer will have to be more discerning than usual.
7.5/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Solefald Website
Official Season of Mist Website
