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Sólstafir - Berdreyminn review



Reviewer:
8.9

212 users:
8
Band: Sólstafir
Album: Berdreyminn
Release date: May 2017


01. Silfur-Refur
02. Ísafold
03. Hula
04. Nárós
05. Hvít Sæng
06. Dýrafjörður
07. Ambátt
08. Bláfjall
09. Svart Blóð [deluxe edition bonus]
10. Samband I Berlin [deluxe edition bonus]

I remember a lesser group that was able to offer the sad, tranquil silence of nature in the form of metal music. After releasing four albums and a few EPs, Sólstafir grew up with Ótta, a great album that should be highlighted for the post-metal and progressive elements it features.

But after Ótta is the group's sixth album, Berdreyminn, an album that recognizes it is the type of music that needs to be heard more than once. Due to its conventional post-rock style, the sounds are ultimately played and used for nonmetal purposes; the sounds are used more for the creation of textures and space, not for riffs and solos. This time, though, the focus is slightly different, with a more progressive metal structure and more complexity. The use of original and progressive elements in Berdreyminn, adapted from classic rock of the '70s, reminds me of great bands like King Crimson; this is one of the strong points of the album. In addition to the type of music I have described, Berdreyminn is a very artistic and deep-seated album, and I think it's the most artistic album of Sólstafir to date.

However, it was a real surprise when Sólstafir was talking about using rock'n'roll elements in its work; in fact, the band was promising to implement a new genre called atmospheric rock'n'roll. "Silfur-Refur" was fortunate for the band; the stunning sounds of the bass definitely make the first move away from the template, because it might serve as an unconscious reminder of Lemmy!

The band has not turned its back on its traditional music. The cinematic synthesizer sounds like a very large inferno, starting with the second track and running on with a solo that would be very familiar to an old hard rocker's ears, and the rhythm of guitar-playing continues to prove this claim. The deeply depressed, sad mood of the soloists creates a minimalist and emotional atmosphere for the album, like we've had in the past, and the overall sound of the album is an unclean one. As I have said before, the album cover can be the basis for the presentation and interpretation of the art within.

The vocals are full of subtleties on the third track, and here is the place where time slows its passage, and maybe stops altogether. It is a very depressing track, with minimal violin and the rise and fall of a very beautiful sound and singing with a stuttering frequency. The lyrics being written in Icelandic literally doubles the literary burden, but even through this, with Trygvasson's accent turning his 's' into 'sh,' there is no doubt about the depression and recollection of the pristine nature of Iceland, which at every moment passes on the enthusiasm of hearing the next sentence to the listener.

Berdreyminn also features minor use of keyboards in the lower layers of the album, with a dazed drama that is far from the usual, restless and inspired only by the thought of making deep, precise, and different music.

Experiencing a short tune-up within a very large space should always be the domain of the bass guitar, a very dynamic instrument if used properly, but one that bands often use too weakly. The fourth song is definitely a rock'n'roll track with its heavy, distorted bass; the guitar riffs are played with a more technical and amplified sound than the previous work we've heard from the band, which creates music sometimes as violent as a storm and sometimes mild, like a breeze: the nature of Iceland with its damp atmosphere.

The album's atmosphere continues to this end, and in the sequence of heavenly and magical interactions entered into the story of the album, creates a fundamental transformation in the rhythms of the album and will not spare the listener for a moment. Finally, I want to say that Berdreyminn is a very valuable and powerful album from an Icelandic band that knows the principles of building deep, complex music and has grown to maturity.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 9

Written by R.Baldur | 22.09.2017




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.



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