Solefald
The Linear Scaffold

THE REVIEW

I know I should be writing a music review now, I'm well aware of it. Forgive me, but I can't do it. That’s why this Norwegian duo is called "Solefald": it’s the Sunset of boundaries. Its emblem is the Beyond: beyond Metal, perhaps even beyond music. And the music of this album is red with black edges: they told us so themselves. The rest is poetry. 

Squeeze all the satanic and/or extremist Black groups you like; wring them out, probe them. You won't find even a drop of the ocean of magic that lies in "The Linear Scaffold", the first pearl of these two geniuses, where genius is madness characterized by success: Lars Nedland and Cornelius Jakhelln. Two artists who cannot be explained, who do not allow themselves to be explained.

The painting chosen as a cover, "The Return Of The Sun" by Odd Nerdrum, might suffice to illustrate what lies before us. The Sun returns, to illuminate a glacial and cruel land like Norway, which Solefald has always loved and to which they pay homage, bringing, along with other heroes (Arcturus, In The Woods...), a triumphant beam of light to tear the pitch and sulfur darkness of traditional Black: the Vanguard.

A complex work, which attempts to frame the polymorphic nature of that ever-defined being that evades every definition: man. The conclusion of "When The Moon Is On The Wave", a poem by Lord Byron, is the essence of the entire story: Cornelius' acidic and ungracious scream blends with the silky and crystalline texture of the piano. The ugly duckling and the royal swan. But also the Dionysian and the Apollonian, malice and benevolence, conflict and love: in these eight tracks and in these last breaths, the empedoclean principles of the entire Universe are condensed. Philosophy, acoustic plains, symphonic peaks, steep Black slopes, even an Italian Jew’s harp: everything is within this small circular object.

And finally, do yourself a favor: if you've found your other half, thus reaching the original unity, let the notes of "Tequila Sunrise" resonate within you, go to her and embrace her, in a grip that never ends. Remember: happiness is not having what you enjoy, but enjoying what you have.

"The Linear Scaffold": emotions, tears, and fantasy. That is, everything that contemporary man is losing. But Solefald knows this well; that’s why they give it to us. Thank you.