Sólstafir was formed by 3 friends, Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, Halldór Einarsson and Guðmundur Óli Pálmason in January 1995. Later that year, the band recorded its first demo tape Í Norðri and at the end of the year recorded their second demo, Til Valhallar. Til Valhallar was never released as a demo, and four of the six songs were released as an EP by View Beyond Records. It was later re-released in 2002 with all six songs.
In 1999, Sólstafir entered the studio to record their debut full-length album. By that time Halldór had left the band, and in 1997 and 1998 Sólstafir released two promos as a two-piece. For the recording of the debut full-length, Sólstafir recruited Svavar Austmann as Halldór’s replacement. Although the recording of Í Blóði og Anda had started in 1999, the album was not released until 2002 due to endless delays and mishaps. The band truly believed they were cursed. In the meantime, Sólstafir started playing live shows in Iceland, and for that had added a second guitar player, Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson. So, for the first time as a four-piece, Sólstafir recorded a new demo in 2002, eventually releasing 3 songs as the EP Black Death.
In 2004 the band began working on the follow up to Í Blóði og Anda on their own with the help of a good friend. Although Sólstafir were becoming a well known name in the European metal underground, the band found themselves without a recording label. Thus, the band decided to release 3 of the songs from the album as a limited edition promo to send around to labels. This, and a gig in Denmark (the band’s first outside of Iceland) ensured the band a deal with Spikefarm Records, a sub-label of Spinefarm Records.
Sólstafir released Masterpiece of Bitterness through Spinefarm in 2005. The album got exceptionally good reviews almost everywhere, and the band kept on making a good name for themselves with powerful live performances.
In December 2007, the band traveled to Göteborg, Sweden to record their third full length, Köld.
Köld was released in early 2009, and like Masterpiece… it not only got exceptionally good reviews, but most critics also had a hard time putting Sólstafir’s music into a specific genre. Descriptions like "Sounds like The Hellacopters if they went to art school and did a lot of Valium", "Imagine if Nachtmystium, Alice in Chains, and Neurosis got hammered while listening to Entombed's DCLXVI: To Ride Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth – it would sound something like this" and "Sigur Rós goes metal!" were becoming really common.
Meanwhile, Sólstafir kept getting equally as good reviews for their live shows all across mainland Europe. They have played on many of Europe’s biggest festivals, including Roskilde Festival, Wacken Open Air, Summer-Breeze Open Air, Party San Open Air, Hole in the Sky Festival etc. Sólstafir have also done two full European tours in 2009 and 2010 as well as a few shorter ones.
Sólstafir's fourth full-length album, entitled Svartir Sandar was released on Season of Mist 14 October 2011 in Europe, and 18 October in the USA. The album got exceptionally good reviews and was voted album of the year in a few esteemed publications such as Finland’s biggest metal magazine, Inferno, Germany’s Metal.de and Iceland’s biggest newspaper Morgunblaðið. It was also voted the best heavy album of the year in Finland’s biggest music magazine, Soundi. For the first time, Sólstafir also entered the charts, and Svartir Sandar topped at no. 7 in Iceland and at no. 11 in Finland. The song "Fjara" also entered the single charts and topped at number 1 in Iceland.
Before the beginning of the second leg of their European tour in January 2015, the band posted a message on Facebook saying that Pálmason would not be joining them due to "personal reasons". Guðmundur replied immediately via the band's Twitter account, explaining that he'd been "stonewalled by ex-bandmates" and "thrown out of his life's work". In the beginning of June 2015, Guðmundur offered an explanation of the events that occurred 5 months prior. In an extensive statement, he revealed the details of his "forced" departure and condemned the actions of the rest of the band, in particular Aðalbjörn Tryggvason.
Köld
Sólstafir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Í skugganum dvel ég, dvel ég nu
Í dögun birtist þu
Ég slekk á deginum
Og hjartað slær svo ört
...Að mig verkjar
Í dögun birtist þu
The lyrics to Sólstafir's song Köld are written primarily in Icelandic, with some words and phrases in English. The song is a powerful exploration of the human condition, focusing on themes of loneliness, pain, and the search for meaning in the face of despair.
At the beginning of the song, the singer describes a burning sensation within his soul, a deep and intense pain that he cannot escape. He stays in the shadows, filled with sadness and despair, until dawn breaks and he is illuminated by the light of day. However, even in the brightness of morning, the pain remains - it is as if the singer cannot escape his own sorrow, no matter how much he tries.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, with the repeated refrain of "Í dögun birtist þu" (You appear at dawn) emphasizing the cyclical nature of the singer's pain. Every day, he is forced to confront his grief anew, unable to find a way to move on or find peace. The final line - "Að mig verkjar" (It hurts me) - is a poignant expression of the singer's ongoing struggle and suggests that he will continue to suffer, day after day.
Line by Line Meaning
Brennur í sál mér, brennur
My soul burns, it's on fire
Í skugganum dvel ég, dvel ég nu
I dwell in the shadows, that's where I am now
Í dögun birtist þu
You appear at dawn
Ég slekk á deginum
I extinguish myself during the day
Og hjartað slær svo ört
And my heart beats so hard
...Að mig verkjar
That it hurts me
Í dögun birtist þu
You appear at dawn
Writer(s): Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, Guðmundur óli Pálmason, Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson, Solstafir, Svavar Austmann
Contributed by Isabelle S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@HellriderHellas
Go Iceland go!
@albsig
Gott að hafa þetta í eyrunum á hlaupabrettinu.
@tyleralberty4993
Finally some intense music that doesn't use anger as a default tone. I think that's why I love Solstafir so much. The only other band that even comes close to being in the same sphere of style that I've found would have to be Baroness. If anyone has some suggestions for stuff like them let me know!
@Ceejay8887
"Intense but not angry" fits some of Skalmold work, although it's very different from Sólstafir. Listen to Hel for instance!
@jurgendebondt7341
A Thousand sufferings
@Mightning
Anything by Swans from the 90s. The Sound for example. It's so intense I can hardly listen to it anymore. Or Neurosis - The Tide, Burn, Stones from the Sky... Also Crowbar's Odd Fellows Rest is pretty intense, yet I wouldn't say angry
@Sombre____
Ragana & king woman. Good stuff.
@YrrmYrrm
Most Doom bands fit your description.
@olofspet
Så otroligt bra!
@kacey4266
Brennur í sál mér, brennur
Í skugganum dvel ég, dvel ég nu
Í dögun birtist þu
Ég slekk á deginum
Og hjartað slær svo ört
...Að mig verkjar
Í dögun birtist þu