Sólstafir are rapidly moving into the veteran stage, with their 30th anniversary rushing towards them in 2025. Over those 30 years, or to be more accurate 22, since their debut album Í Blóði Og Anda arrived in 2002, the Icelandic quartet have constantly shape-shifted, moving from formative Black Metal sounds through a post-Black Metal style into their current unpredictable but still captivating soundscapes that are almost impossible to label.
Sólstafir – Hin Helga Kvöl (Century Media Records)
Release Date: 8 November 2024
Words: Paul Hutchings
Hin Helga kvöl is the band’s eighth album, following on from 2020’s Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love, and once again, this is an album that leaves you scratching your head in awe at the ability of the band.
Here we have just about everything a Heavy Metal fan could want, such as the bursts of Slayer-style riffage that explode out of the final minutes of the title track or the almost singalong first single, Blakkrakki, with its soaring hooks and catchy chorus.
Although the band have strayed from their Black Metal roots in past albums, their ability to run the gamut between their origins and anthemic rock is special in every respect.
Crushingly heavy in parts, the tortured vocals of Aðalbjörn Tryggvason sprawl over the sonically charged instrumentation that rolls through the collection of songs here. There is more than a touch of vibrant rock ‘n’ roll underpinning this album.
If you cannot enjoy the chaos of Blakkrakki, or the expansive Floydesque Sálumessa that changes the tempo in dramatic style, then there may be no hope. The latter is a meandering cinematic soundscape that provides the ideal counterfoil to the first three high-octane songs. Progressive maybe. There is so much to unpick that it is almost unfair to try. Delicately crafted, the overall orchestration is sublime.
Hin Helga kvöl is not an album to take lightly. You need to spend time and respect the effort that has gone into this release. 49 minutes pass in what feels like a split second, coaxing you into another listen, followed by another and another.
The ability of Sólstafir to switch from the heights of atmospheric Post-Black Metal into almost traditional Heavy Metal is phenomenal.
There is an urge to sing along to the second half of Vos ás, with the female vocals providing another dimension to the Sólstafir sound. And as if to prove that they can change direction at will, we have the harrowing Freygátan, a four-minute track that starts with Tryggvason and piano before the band cut in, with some epic Gilmour style lead work cutting right across the piece.
In ten minutes, the band demonstrate why there is no one like them in the Metal world today. Freygátan is followed by Grýla, a shimmering piece draws sharp intakes of breath. These two songs encapsulate all that this band are about.
That they can follow these two highs with the most explosive track on the album is simply phenomenal. The eruption of frenetic riffs that rolls through the shortest song, Nú mun Ljósiõ Deyja, combined with more strangled and frantic vocals and an eerie percussive feature, shakes the skull.
And then there is the haunting conclusion of Kuml, with saxophone and echoing, mesmeric and monastic vocals providing one final contrast.
Hin Helga Kvöl is a truly diverse and magnificent album.
Few thought that Sólstafir could top the breakthrough release Ótta, but a decade on, this might just be the album that sees them burst into the next level.
Whether they are concerned or not is another matter, but regardless, this release is simply beautiful. A must listen.
Sólstafir bring the Nordic Descent Tour 2024 to the UK in November with Oranssi Pazuzu and Hamferð. Tickets are available from here.
