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After over two decades Icelandic black metal meets post-rock quartet SÓLSTAFIR have perfected their delicate balance of lush soundscapes, driving rock rhythms and ferocious tremolo-picked riffs. With their eighth studio album Hin Helga Kvöl, roughly translated to “The Holy Torment”, the post-metal four piece display an uncanny ear for dense atmosphere while delivering their most memorable work to date.
While originally performing as a more straightforward black metal act back in the late 90s by frontman Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, SÓLSTAFIR have steadily shifted further towards post-rock, keeping a touch of their black metal edge intact. Opening track Hún Andar elegantly demonstrates the band’s full range with steady, rock n’ roll inspired drums forceful vocals that manage to burrow themselves into the brain of the listener even if there is an Icelandic to English language barrier. Both new listeners and longtime fans of SÓLSTAFIR are sure to be impressed by the fragile balance of genres on Hin Helga Kvöl straight out of the gate.
Despite leaning far towards the ambient end of their sound, Hin Helga Kvöl still has enough moments of heaviness to keep old-school SÓLSTAFIR fans happy. The track Vor Ás, with its ominous and oppressive atmosphere and squealing distorted guitars, evokes acts like ALCEST without losing any of SÓLSTAFIR’s unique appeal while Grýla shows off an ELECTRIC WIZARD style doom metal inspired side to the band with a deliberately paced feel and chugging riffs battling thundering percussion. While the swirling, post-rock inspired material on Hin Helga Kvöl is just as engaging, these bursts of brutality provide a jolt of energy to the album, keeping the listener on their toes and providing a contrast to the layers of mystical sonic fog.
The track Blakkrakki stands out as not only the most memorable track on Hin Helga Kvöl but as a beam of sunlight shining through SÓLSTAFIR’s distinguished career. Building up around a punchy, confident guitar riff and Trygggavason’s rugged vocals this track really comes into its own during the chorus, driving its repeated vocal line deep enough into the listener’s ear that it stays firmly in place for days to come. Post-metal isn’t known for its catchy hooks but SÓLSTAFIR manage to mash together hefty distorted guitars, intricate ambience and a memorable chorus.
Closing track Kuml takes the album in a ghostly new direction, creating a dramatic soundscape far from the subtle ambience on other tracks. While tracks like Freygátan and Sálumessa lean heavily into SÓLSTAFIR’s gentler tendencies with a thick mist of reverberating guitars backing ethereal vocals, Kuml takes this to its logical conclusion, ramping up across its almost seven minute runtime, creating a haunting aura with sinister chants, wailing horns and elegant guitar lines emulating an orchestral string section before exploding in the final few minutes with drawn-out, climactic layers of distortion. While far less memorable than peaks like Blakkrakki, Kuml creates a fittingly intense ending to an album packed with standout moments.
With their precise balance of unforgettable rock rhythms, dense atmospheres and ferocious black metal, Icelandic quartet SÓLSTAFIR curate a high-brow yet heavy experience with enough details for dedicated fans to sink their teeth into and enough catchy hooks to attract newcomers. Hin Helga Kvöl stands out as one of SÓLSTAFIR’s most varied releases and a bright spot in the thriving post-metal genre.
Rating: 7/10
Hin Helga Kvöl is set for release on November 8th via Century Media Records.
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