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SOLSTAFIR
Hin Helga Kvol
2024, Century Media

SOLSTAFIR will forever be the band that I, for reasons unknown to me, always get confused with SOLEFALD. The two are nothing alike - so that's on me. With that being said, I find it lamentable that this is my first foray, seriously, into what SOLSTAFIR is all about. Often aware of their existence peripherally, for whatever the reason, I haven't actually sat with any of their output in any meaningful way. I was probably listening to SOLEFALD instead...

I am a sucker for a cool looking cover, and Hin Helga Kvol has that, and then some. The delicate yet strong brushstrokes of artist Rowan E Cassidy have, for lack of a better term, drawn me in even before hitting play.

Listening to a band that does not perform in your native tongue forces the listener to absolutely give themselves to every part of the album, where vocals become an instrument just as much as bass, guitar, and drums. The preceding is not to say that that is not true of English speaking acts (or whatever language you speak), but the experience of music hits differently when you have no idea what is being sung. I strongly encourage anyone entering into Hin Helga Kvol read the blurb on Bandcamp first, just to get a feel for the proceedings.

Translated into English, I understand from The Metal Archives that SOLSTAFIR means "radiating sunbeams". Oh boy, does SOLSTAFIR ever radiate - now in their 30th year of existence, the band absolutely shines. In an era where everything needs a genre tag or definition in order to be taken seriously, SOLSTAFIR defy easy categorization. Not adhering to any rulebook whatsoever, the band deftly amalgamates black metal, folk music, some sort of gazing, the almighty riff, and introspection into a great melting pot of sound and feeling. Fragile at times and steely at others, Hin Helga Kvol is not an easy listen. The album requires multiple listens. It is not abrasive but is definitely complex, demanding undivided attention.

I have been sitting with this album for too long, I admit. I keep returning to it as one of the strongest releases of 2024 and am at a loss for words to accurately describe it. SOLSTAFIR have crafted an opus, of that there is no doubt. Is it metal? Strictly speaking I suppose it would be post metal. Is it essential listening? Well, let the sun shine in.

4.0 Out Of 5.0