With several songs clocking in at over ten minutes, distinct shoegazing, long – really long – instrumental passages and total disregard for traditional song structure ‘Köld’ by Sólstafir is not exactly easily accessible. It is, however, at times stunningly brilliant.

The Icelandic quartet started out as a viking metal act in 1994 but have over the years apparently become more and more A) depressed and B) ambitious. The result sounds like Sigur Rós gone metal, the soundtrack to an Ingmar Bergman movie played in double tempo, The Hellacopters if they went to art school and did a lot of Valium – and certainly not something you hear everyday unless you are already a fan of Sólstafir. Then you probably hear the band several times every day. Because even after hearing ‘Köld’ ten times you still don’t quite understand it and you keep hearing things that you didn’t notice before.

Sólstafir can’t be accused of sucking up to their audience (the track ‘Goddess of the Ages’ is 12:42 minutes long and doesn’t really get started until six minutes into the song for crying out loud!) so the album will surely divide listeners into two groups: The first – that would be the ignorant ones – will be left totally cold by ‘Köld’. The other half – that would be the rest of us – will be mesmerized, intrigued, puzzled and certainly coming back for more of this weird, dark piece of art.

Genre: Experimental Metal
Who: Sólstafir
Album: Köld
Label: Spikefarm Records
Year: 2009
Country: Iceland
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
She Destroys Again – Necrologue – Goddess of the Ages