Sólstafir is an Icelandic
post-metal
Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal music, heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis (band), Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture (music), te ...
band formed in 1995 and currently signed to
Century Media
A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A ...
. Originally a
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band, they transitioned to a post-metal-influenced style with slight traces of their earlier black metal.
History
Sólstafir was formed in 1995 by guitarist/singer Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, bassist Halldór Einarsson, and drummer Guðmundur Óli Pálmason.
The band's name is the Icelandic word for sun beams (
crepuscular rays
Crepuscular rays, sometimes colloquially referred to as god rays, are sunbeams that originate when the Sun appears to be just above or below a layer of clouds, during the twilight period. Crepuscular rays are noticeable when the contrast betwee ...
). They soon recorded the demos ''Í Norðri'' and ''Til Valhallar''.
Halldór then left the band, and Aðalbjörn and Guðmundur recorded a promo tape as a duo in 1997.
During this period, Svavar Austmann joined as the new bassist and the band began recording their debut full-length album, ''
Í Blóði og Anda''. The album was not released until 2002 due to various recording delays and label disputes.
Shortly after that album was completed, second guitarist Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson joined the band and made his debut on the 2002 demo ''Black Death''.
After shopping around a three-track demo of new songs, Sólstafir signed with
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is an international record label. Founded in Finland in 1990, Spinefarm was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2002.
History
Spinefarm Records began as a mailorder distribution company, founded by Riku Pääkkönen. The c ...
in 2005. Their second album ''
Masterpiece of Bitterness'' was released by Spinefarm later that year. The album received positive reviews, with ''
Metal Storm
Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia, that specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary rights to the electronic ballistics technology ...
'' stating "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."
Their third album ''
Köld'' was recorded in Sweden and released in 2009. Reviewers compared the band's sound to
Enslaved and
Neurosis
Neurosis (: neuroses) is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related con ...
, among others, while noting their unique post-black metal sound. The album was also noted for its addition of atmospheric passages.
Sólstafir began to tour Europe regularly in 2010 and made their first of many open-air appearances at the
Roskilde Festival
The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...
that year.
Sólstafir's fourth full-length album, ''
Svartir Sandar'', was released by
Season of Mist
Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pa ...
in 2011. The song "Fjara" remained in the 2013 list of Iceland's top 100 songs of 20 years. This album signaled Sólstafir's retreat from black metal and move toward experimental atmospherics of the type practiced by fellow Icelanders
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...
.
Their fifth album ''
Ótta'' was released by Season of Mist in 2014, and was noted for its additional experimental elements like strings and piano. Three official music videos were released and the band performed Iceland's national television channel,
RÚV
Ríkisútvarpið (, ; abbr. RÚV ) is Iceland's national public broadcasting, public-service broadcasting organization.
Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the count ...
's ''Stúdio Á''.
In January 2015, the band announced that longtime drummer Guðmundur Óli Pálmason had left the band for "personal reasons". Guðmundur replied immediately via the band's Twitter account, explaining that he had been "stonewalled by ex-bandmates" and forced out of the band by Aðalbjörn Tryggvason. Guðmundur was replaced by Hallgrímur Jón Hallgrímsson.
After his departure from the band Guðmundur formed post metal band Katla.
Sólstafir released their sixth full-length album, ''
Berdreyminn'', in May 2017 on Season of Mist. Upon its release ''Berdreyminn'' entered international charts, mostly top 50, across Europe.
On 6 November 2020, Sólstafir released their seventh studio album, ''
Endless Twilight of Codependent Love
''Endless Twilight of Codependent Love'' is the seventh studio album by Icelandic post-metal band Sólstafir. It was released on November 6, 2020 through the record label Season of Mist, and streamed two days early on YouTube. The album cover i ...
''.
Members
Current members
* Aðalbjörn "Addi" Tryggvason – guitar, vocals
* Svavar "Svabbi" Austmann – bass
* Sæþór Maríus "Pjúddi" Sæþórsson – guitar
* Hallgrímur Jón "Grimsi" Hallgrímsson – drums , backing vocals
Former members
* Halldór Einarsson – bass
* Guðmundur Óli Pálmason – drums
Former touring members
* Ari "Sneakers/Strigaskór" Steinarsson – drums
* Kristján Einar Guðmundsson – drums
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Í Blóði og Anda'', 2002 (Ars Metalli)
* ''Masterpiece of Bitterness'', 2005 (
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is an international record label. Founded in Finland in 1990, Spinefarm was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2002.
History
Spinefarm Records began as a mailorder distribution company, founded by Riku Pääkkönen. The c ...
)
* ''
Köld'', 2009 (Spinefarm Records)
* ''
Svartir Sandar'', 2011 (
Season of Mist
Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pa ...
)
* ''
Ótta'', 2014 (Season of Mist)
* ''
Berdreyminn'', 2017 (Season of Mist)
* ''
Endless Twilight of Codependent Love
''Endless Twilight of Codependent Love'' is the seventh studio album by Icelandic post-metal band Sólstafir. It was released on November 6, 2020 through the record label Season of Mist, and streamed two days early on YouTube. The album cover i ...
'', 2020 (Season of Mist)
* ''Hin Helga Kvöl'', 2024 (
Century Media
A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A ...
)
EPs
* ''Til Valhallar'' (EP), 1996
* ''Black Death'' (EP), 2002
* ''Ótta (Radio Edit) + Til Valhallar'' (EP), 2014
* ''Ótta Sampler EP / Bonus: Live at Hellfest 2014'' (EP), 2014
* ''Tilberi'' (EP), 2016
* ''Silfur-Refur'' (EP), 2017
Demos
* ''Í Norðri'' (demo), 1995
* ''Promo Tape September 1997'' (demo), 1997
* ''Black Death'' (demo), 2001
* ''Promo 2004'' (demo), 2004
Singles
* 2011: "Fjara"
* 2012: "Æra"
* 2013: "Þín orð"
* 2014: "Ótta"
* 2024: "Hin Helga Kvöl"
* 2024: "Hún andar"
Splits/compilations
* "Fire & Ice - An Icelandic Metal Compilation" (Compilation), 1997
* "Fjara/Runaway Train" (Split with Legend), 2014
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solstafir
Icelandic black metal musical groups
Icelandic post-rock groups
Musical groups established in 1994
Icelandic musical quartets
Viking metal musical groups
Post-metal musical groups
Season of Mist artists