SOLSTAFIR: Hin Helga Kvöl (POST ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Despite its indisputable qualities, the fact is that “Endless Twilight Of Codependant Love” didn't bring much new to Sólstafir's now long career, just another album in the good vein of its predecessors. Did the Icelanders feel they were beginning to repeat themselves, no longer really evolving? In any case, the four years of recording silence that followed - an unusually long period between albums for the band - might suggest as much.

And 'Hin Helga Kvöl', the first track to be extracted a few months ago from this eighth effort, to which it gives its name, seemed to confirm this aspiration to renew itself. Without relinquishing their signature sound, Sólstafir negotiated a (relative) return to black metal, with touches of doom, in this excellent track accompanied by a video. To say that this appetizer is mouth-watering would be an understatement, especially after such a long absence.

But is it indicative of the rest of the album? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that “Hin Helga Kvöl” finally sees its progenitors leave their comfort zone and, in so doing, surprise us. But no, because this album is so diverse, exploring so many new avenues, that it can't be summed up by this one song, however great it may be. Indeed, what's the connection between the desperate ballad 'Freygattan' and 'Vor As', to which a surprising female choir lends a curious gospel touch, between 'Nu Mun Ljosi Deyja', full of savage fury, and the final 'Kuml', a quasi-instrumental track on the edge of dark jazz, zebrated by a wrenching sax?

Not much, of course, other than Sólstafir's unmistakable signature, and inspiration always at the ready. In addition to its diversity and pleasantly short format (less than 50 minutes) compared to its predecessors, who were at the 60-minute mark or even longer, “Hin Helga Kvöl” stands out for its quiet, twilight melancholy, as on 'Hun Andar', whose nocturnal sadness does not exempt it from a subterranean rage, or on 'Salumessa', a skeletal reptation carried by Aðalbjörn Tryggvason's distinctive vocals.

Sólstafir's successor, “Endless Twilight Of Codependant Love”, is a pleasant surprise, as it begins to hum along but doesn't disappoint, exploring an uncharted path while releasing a devilishly rocking energy. “Hin Helga Kvöl” is the Icelanders‘ most enjoyable album since 2005’s ‘Masterpiece Of Bitterness’! - Official website

SOLSTAFIR

HIN HELGA KVÖL

CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS

POST ROCK