ALBUM REVIEW: Obsidian Kingdom - “A Year with No Summer”

By: Jay Hampshire

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/03/2016
Label: Season of Mist

“This record is well constructed and the instrumentation is very impressive. But for those looking for similar fare to their previous work, they’d best keep looking.”

“A Year with No Summer” CD//DD//LP track list

1). A Year with No Summer

2). 10^th April

3). Darkness

4). The Kandinsky Group

5). The Polyarnik

6). Black Swan

7). Away/Absent

The Review:

Barcelona’s Obsidian Kingdom can’t be defined easily. Orbiting extreme metal, rather than landing directly in its dank confines, the five piece draw influence from a myriad of other acts and sub genres in order to create their sound. “A Year with No Summer” is their first album proper since 2012’s “Mantiis – An Agony In Fourteen Bites” (there was an album of remixes that followed the latter in 2013). There have been substantial line-up changes since their last full length, but has it seen them lose their way, or has it breathed new life into the kingdom?

The title track opens with some hissing snare, slowly adding layers of stabbing bass and rising feedback. It wanders at a satisfying pace, glossy, smooth clean vocals adding to the laid back lustre. Things kick up a gear, launching into an anthemic, surging chorus that Killing Joke would be proud of. Ojete Mordaza II throws in some excellent, bouncing drum grooves, and the track lurches into more ‘metal’ territory with a razor edged drive towards the end.

It becomes increasingly clear that the group have skirted off into lighter, more experimental waters than they waded in with “Mantiis…” they stretch their electronica wings much more. ‘10^th April’ broods with spoken word lyrics and wavering synths before being joined by grinding waves and urgent drum samples, twisting into swooping noise. When the band mesh these styles, it’s always complementary, and never seems tacked on or gimmicky.

‘Darkness’ races urgently with decent, grunty bass and yelped vocals, opening out into grinding chords and ascending guitar, stripping back into a moody shuffle around its centre. Longest track ‘The Kandinsky Group’ starts life as a wall of shuddering, creeping noise pierced by a singly bright sine wave, before lapsing into a smooth, rhythmic groove punctuated with porno guitar work. ‘The Polyarnik’ pulses at the jugular with deep synths and burbles its way towards cinematic, towering instrumental layers.

‘Black Swan’s curiously 80’s intro sees Rider G Omega’s vocals sounding curiously like Phil Collins, before swelling with powerful synths and bright guitar motes. ‘Away/Absent’ closes the show in style, kicking in with uplifting guitars before sweeping away with urgent riffs, splashy cymbals and rasped vocal yelps. It moves through a patch of tasty bass grooves, echoing spoken word vocals and frantic tom rolls, before the riffs return and a dazzling, manic guitar overlay drops in.

This is a very different band than the one that conjured up “Mantiis”. They’ve eschewed most of the trappings of death/black/extreme metal (no scream vocals, punishing blast beats or jagged riffs here). Dabbling more with electronica, jazz and lighter melodies, Obsidian Kingdom place themselves in with the post crowd, alongside the likes of Mogwai, Godspeed! And their ilk. This is no bad thing – this record is well constructed, the instrumentation is very impressive. But for those looking for similar fare to their previous work, they’d best keep looking.

“A Year with No Summer” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

FFO: Ihsahn, Enslaved, Sólstafir

Live Review: Sólstafir / The Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK. 24th January 2015

It’s not just BjÖrk and Sigur Rós representing the Icelandic music scene, Sólstafir are well on their way to cementing a name for themselves, especially after their triumphant 2014 with the release of ‘Ótta’ which featured in many top albums of the year lists (mine included). Impossible to pigeonhole into a specific genre, Sólstafir attract fans from a broad spectrum, from the Darkthrone worshipping black metal-ers (they delved into black metal in their early days) to the more indie post rock followers. They are a band that are difficult to compare to others and their wide spread appeal continues to flourish.

Tonight they play the Deaf Institute, a different venue from the norm for many attendees; it strikes a good balance between being cosy and intimate, but not so squashed in your inadvertently cuddling strangers. The support band ‘Her Name is Calla’ impress with their stompy post-rock anthems, intertwined with delicate vocal harmonies and beautiful violin segments.

Sólstafir are magnificent, they have honed their craft over the years and are an extremely assured live band, each riff is executed with precision and ‘Addi’ is one of the most captivating front men I’ve ever witnessed, no one in the crowd can avert their eyes from the cool, calm yet intense singer/guitarist. Guitarist ‘Pjúddi’ is equally mesmerizing, clad in cowboy attire and mutton chops that could give the wolverine Hugh Jackman a run for his money, he looks pretty damn cool, and that’s before he whips the banjo out for the title track off the new album ‘Ótta’. A few tracks from the latest release make an appearance, and hearing them live further enforces the beauty and power of those songs, particularly ‘Lágneætti’ which is such a standout track. The aforementioned banjo presents itself, much to everyone’s delight for ‘Ótta’, and the very indie sounding ‘Dagmál’ is also translated live to absolute perfection. The emotionally devastating ‘Fjara’ from ‘Svartir Sandar’ is welcomed by the crowd, possibly their most familiar song which they did a stunning music video for, before finishing with ‘Goddess of the Ages’ from the KÖld album.

Drummer ‘Gummi’ was sadly not a part of this tour due to personal reasons, however Karl Smith filled in for the second leg of the European tour.

Sólstafir predominantly sing in their native tongue, yet the music resonates so deeply, evoking images of journeying into the wilderness surrounded by misty Icelandic landscapes. The mood of their songs comes across quite harrowing at times yet the atmosphere in the room is nothing but upbeat. This was a gig that no one wanted to end; the crowd is left in rapture as everybody chats about how good it was the minute they left the stage. Furthermore, no rock star behaviour from these boys as they emerged at the merch stand happy to meet and great fans. The Nordic cowboys were heart-stoppingly epic tonight, clearly not one of those ‘finding themselves’ bands but secure in their art and play with utter conviction, resulting in one of the most enchanting performances I’ve ever seen.

Words by: Heather Blewett

You can read our review of their latest record here

The Sludgelord News: Sólstafir stream new KEXP session

SÓLSTAFIR are video streaming their fantastic KEXP radio in-studio session here. This outstanding performance was exclusively recorded at and for the station on location in Seattle during the eclectic Icelandic rockers recent US tour in December 2014.

The radio station enthusiastically comments: "When SÓLSTAFIR plays for KEXP, the gods take notice. Two years ago, during KEXP’s broadcast at Iceland Airwaves, hurricane-level gales swept across Reykjavik as the hard rocking band brewed up their own storm inside Kex Hostel. Last month, on their first tour of the West Coast, heavy winds followed them to the KEXP studio to perform songs from their latest LP of epic grandeur, Ótta. Call it what you will – 'viking post-metal', 'alt-doom', 'death-prog' – but SÓLSTAFIR channel power of mythic proportions in this live set."

On further news, SÓLSTAFIR have announced the first sold out shows for the second leg of their European tour, which will kick off at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, The Netherlands on the 15th of January 2015.

There are no further tickets available for the concerts at Paris' Nouveau Casino in France on the 27th of January and in Nantes a day later. Capacity is running low in other places as well and an early ticket purchase is strongly recommended. 

All confirmed dates can be viewed below.

15 Jan 15 Groningen (NL) Vera (Eurosonic Festival)
22 Jan 15 Milton Keynes (UK) The Craufurd Arms
23 Jan 15 Bristol (UK) The Exchange
24 Jan 15 Manchester (UK) Deaf Institute
25 Jan 15 Sheffield (UK) Corporation
26 Jan 15 Brighton (UK) The Haunt
27 Jan 15 Paris (FR) Nouveau Casino (Sold out!)
28 Jan 15 Nantes (FR) Le Ferrailleur (Sold out!)
29 Jan 15 Toulouse (FR) Dynamo
30 Jan 15 Lyon (FR) CCO Villeurbanne
31 Jan 15 Aarau (CH) Kiff
01 Feb 15 Weinheim (DE) Cafe Central
02 Feb 15 Bochum (DE) Zeche
03 Feb 15 Hamburg (DE) Uebel & Gefährlich
04 Feb 15 København (DK) Pumpehuset
05 Feb 15 Göteborg (SE) Sticky Fingers
06 Feb 15 Oslo (NO) Rockefeller (+Black Debbath)
07 Feb 15 Stockholm (SE) Debaser Medis
09 Feb 15 Jyväskylä (FI) Lutakko
10 Feb 15 Tampere (FI) Klubi
11 Feb 15 Tallinn (EE) Tapper
12 Feb 15 Riga (LT) Melna Piektdiena
13 Feb 15 Vilnius (LV) New York
14 Feb 15 Minsk (RU) Republic
15 Feb 15 Moscow (RU) Volta
16 Feb 15 St. Petersburg (RU) Zal Ozhidaniya
17 Feb 15 Athens (GR) Kyttaro
18 Feb 15 Thessaloniki (GR) Eightball Club
19 Feb 15 Sofia (BG) RockIT

SÓLSTAFIR are touring in support of their highly anticipated follow-up to 2011’s heavily praised double album 'Svartir Sandar'. Their fifth full-length 'Ótta' was released on August 29th this year and is available from the Season of Mist shop and you can check out our review here

Source: Season of Mist

Solstafir - Ótta (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/8/2014

Label: Season of Mist

‘Ótta’ CD/DD/LP track listing:

1. Lágnætti (08:44)
2. Ótta (09:34)
3. Rismál (04:24)
4. Dagmál (05:39)
5. Miðdegi (04:18)
6. Nón (07:47)
7. Miðaftann (05:39)
8. Náttmál (11:15)

Bio:

SÓLSTAFIR are different. Their unique blend of metal with beautiful melodies, psychedelic moments and a strong undercurrent of classic / hard rock comes as varied and at times appealingly bizarre as the landscapes of their native Iceland. Their fifth full-length "Ótta" is the logical continuation of the musical course this four-piece adopted on the highly acclaimed forerunner "Svartir Sandar" (2011). Expect the unexpected, such as seduction by subtle strings or a hypnotic banjo. None of this was apparent when SÓLSTAFIR released their album debut "Í Blóði og Anda", which translates as 'In Blood and Spirit' in 2002. Instead of today's Icelandic gravel throated siren chants, frontman Aðalbjörn Tryggvason spit forth vitriolic crust-like vocals and the ripping guitars were clearly black metal inspired. Yet the band was as clearly identifiable back then as now and along their way with the next albums "Masterpiece of Bitterness" (2005) and "Köld" (2009) introducing new elements in a continuous evolution. SÓLSTAFIR's music is as much the product of Arctic blizzards as of red hot volcanic magma, erupting geysers, lush green pastures, and salty waves. With "Ótta" the Icelanders touch something ancient and timeless, while defying easy categorisation. This album needs to be heard again and again, to peel back layers of details, each different and yet always revealing the same: great songs – all of them. The song titles of "Ótta" form a concept based on an old Icelandic system of time keeping similar to the monastic hours called "Eykt" ("eight"). The 24 hour day was divided into 8 parts of 3 hours each. The album starts at midnight, the beginning of "Lágnætti" ("low night"), continues through each Eyktir of the day and ends with "Náttmál" ("night time") from 21:00 to 0:00. This form of time keeping is more open than the relentless ticking of modern times, where each second is made to count, which turns humanity into cocks of the corporate clockwork. Now SÓLSTAFIR give you the antidote. Just lean back, close your eyes, take your time and lose yourself in this masterpiece called "Ótta"!

The Band:

Aðalbjörn Tryggvason | Guitar, vocals
Guðmundur Óli Pálmason | Drums
Svavar Austmann | Bass
Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson | Guitar

Review:

Forming in Iceland in 1995, Solstafir are ostensibly a black metal band and having travelled so far musically, the first decade feels more like a gestation period than genuine expression. Their latest album, ‘Ótta’ released this month through Season of Mist, is their fifth full length and follows releases such as the incredible ‘Masterpiece of Bitterness’ (2005) and the unsurpassable ‘Köld’ (2009).

Solstafir are going from strength to strength, commercially if not necessarily artistically and are set to play the venerable Damnation and Roadburn festivals. On this, their latest release Solstafir are developing on the blueprint solidified on their previous album ‘Svartir Sandar’ (2011), a fearless double LP that saw Solstafir exploring more ambient focused territories.

While the band always defined themselves through their emotiveness and chilled atmosphere, on previous releases this was always channelled through a muscular abrasiveness fitting of their black metal roots. On 'Ótta', however, most traces of that heaviness have been replaced with a bed of tranquillity and introspection. This is a shame, because it was always the raging passion with which the band played, that took them to the heights that 'Köld' saw them reach.

Ótta sees guitar leads hum where before they screamed, buried drums whisper instead of pound, and piano takes the place of what would have been plaintive guitars. Even the track ‘Til Valhallar’, the only track that attempts to sound metal, is lacklustre and suggests this is a band that not only no longer want to write such songs, but perhaps now can’t.  Vocals are a highlight of any of Solstafir’s more recent recordings, with Aðalbjörn "Addi" Tryggvason’ being one of the most understated yet perfectly fitting vocalists in metal today, his voice fitting the music like some sort of post-black metal glove. The singing is raw and masculine yet with an audible vulnerability, and even his harsh vocals have a shamelessly human quality to them that most extreme metal tries to hide.

Taken as a whole, to others this may sound like a band maturing, yet to me sounds more like a band getting old. Along with this year’s release from The Atlas Moth, 'Ótta' is an album that did not match my high expectations for a band with such obvious talent. Much like ‘War of the Roses’ was to Ulver, ‘Ótta’ sounds like a Solstafir without teeth.  Conversely, I would never want nor expect a band like Solstafir to make Köld Part Two.

They are clearly taking their unique brand of metal in a direction where their passions now lie, indeed their decision to write entirely in Icelandic (which, incidentally, sounds beautiful), being evidence of their sincerity and love of their art. The album is far from being without its merits too, and delicately rewards multiple listens.

Listen to Ótta, it will be the most subtly distinctive album you hear this month, if not necessarily the best.

Words by: Jake Mazlum

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:

www.solstafir.net

www.facebook.com/solstafirice

http://solstafir.bandcamp.com/

https://twitter.com/solstafir