Year: 2020
Total Time: 63:01
Label: Season Of Mist
SOLSTAFIR from Iceland, are undoubtedly one of the most interesting bands of the last twenty years. Their journey from the extreme metal of their debut to the more experimental and atmospheric style of their latest albums, could be easily compared to bands such as the legendary IN THE WOODS…
From album to album, the group gave us fascinating releases defying labels, combining diverse genres like Black Metal and Alternative Rock through their unique Icelandic prism. Everything was fine and good until their previous album where something didn’t work out well. Was it their return to the safety of the sound they created with “Otta”? Was it the awkward drumming of the newly arrived Hallgrímur Jón “Grimsi” Hallgrímsson? Was it the record’s few intense moments? Whatever it was, “Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love” comes to put things in their place.
From the opening piece, the ten-minute “Akkeri”, it is understood that the Icelanders’ adventurous appetite is back and moreover they’re willing to revisit their past. This song has it all: riffs, melancholic melodies, atmospheric parts, a blast beat, twin guitar leads a la IRON MAIDEN (one of the singer Tryggvason’s favourite bands) and even a cowbell! So, it’s a great start. The western gothic riff that opens “Drysill”, perfectly matches the band’s Scandinavian cowboy look, and evolves into a hypnotic Doomy Rock anthem, with the guitar melody repeating and leading to a wonderful, almost choral, finish. “Rokkur” starts with the use of strings to create a very sublime atmosphere which doesn’t last long as the song turns into a sluggish ballad with the guitars acquiring a simple ornamental role and the vocals narrating rather than singing (in the style of Nick Cave).
“Her Fall From Grace” is the only track with lyrics written in English that deal with the loss of a loved one from mental illness. Unfortunately, SOLSTAFIR here choose to move on familiar and safe paths, creating another slow ballad with the electric guitars not offering the necessary climax. The album picks up the pace with “Dionysus” which touches on the past heaviness of the “Masterpiece of Bitterness” and “Kold” era. Black Metal guitars and drums brilliantly combined with the broad influences of the Icelanders, giving us one of the most musically interesting songs on the album.
“Til Moldar” that follows, relaxes the mood again, in an effective way however, since it takes us to the atmospheric Post Rock soundscapes of their fellow countrymen SIGUR ROS. The Grunge/Shoegaze influences of the band shine brightly in the awesome “Alda Syndanna” with the calm-noise dipole working flawlessly here and the distorted guitars reminiscent of the SMASHING PUMPKINS of the 90s. Just before the end, the quartet from Reykjavik will experiment very cleverly with the Blues in “Or” and will close their seventh musical adventure ideally with the wonderful guitar crescendo of “Ulfur”, showing us that they still have it.
SOLSTAFIR return enthusiastically with “Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love”, which reminds us why we love this band so much. We could say that this new album can act as a retrospective of the group’s history, which could also act as an ideal introduction for new fans to the band’s unique sound. If SOLSTAFIR manage to step out completely from the comfort zone of the atmospheric Post Rock sound that they have adopted in recent years (present in this work too) and embrace their heavier side, I believe they will give us another masterpiece again.
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Dimitris Benetatos
Related Link: SOLSTAFIR – Official Page
