When Sólstafir released the title track of Hin Helga Kvöl as the album’s lead single, it was met with a collective “Fucking hell!” The scrappy black metal cut looked back at the Icelanders’ extreme roots for the first time since their 2002 debut album, Í Blóði Og Anda. It was an approach that, in the 22-year interim, had become overwhelmed by a windswept post- rock tone, as majestic and massive as the mountainous landscapes that inspired it.
However, any hopes of album number eight being a full metal comeback were swiftly dashed by other, more atmospheric snapshots getting released. The few remaining purists still haranguing Sólstafir to this day were obviously disappointed, as has been their default setting for a long time now. For everyone else, the title track holds a key role in a record that, across nine tracks, examines the four-piece’s past, present and future with beauty and depth.
