Band:	Sólstafir
Album:	Masterpiece Of Bitterness
Style:	Post-rock, Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	2005
A review by:	Undercraft

01. I Myself The Visionary Head
02. Nature Strutter
03. Bloodsoaked Velvet
04. Ljósfari
05. Ghosts Of Light
06. Devil Mask [2013 re-release bonus]
07. Ritual Of Fire
08. Náttfari

A masterpiece indeed

If my memory is right, I remember that Sólstafir was a Black Metal combo from Iceland, but as I hear this album I'm pretty sure we can't call this Black Metal. That's good because the grim, nekro, kvlt market is so saturated nowadays that when I receive any release I just pray to find something new and original within the disc.

Lately, I think someone has been listening to me up there because now my prayers were answered! I got a amazing Cd with remarkable music that definitively deserves a listen.
Sólstafir can't be considered a Black Metal combo anymore, their music lies within a wide range of styles, including of course, Black Metal, Post-Rock, Hardcore/Punk and Psychodelia. The result is a melting pot so powerful that you won't be able stop drinking from the crucible.

The album starts with self-confidence, a 20 minute track is not your common opener. Here and throughout the album drums guide the music and, needless to say, drumming is quite competent in here; tempo changes and non-traditional drum patterns are backed up by powerful distorted guitars, creating the "wall of sound" effect on the back.
Singing is another powerful asset of the band, the vocals can be a shriek-like scream or a deep potent voice that reminded me of Irish metallers Primordial.

The damn great thing about Sólstafir is that the music is non linear, you have a great deal of aggressive sections, but you have a lot of calm, atmospheric sections in each song (bearing in mind that songs are quite lengthy).

This Icelandic combo has created a album which resembles nothing I've heard before: the perfect mix of non-Metal elements with metal ones makes it a necessary album for any Metalhead looking for something that breaks the mold of pre-established genres. Sólstafir took the chance to do something different, and they greatly succeeded in doing it so. My hat is off.