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.
Love Is the Devil
Sólstafir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sorrow was here name
My tears were for her life
But not her death
So now I sleep for ages
In obsessive dreams
My deeds were all but
I overcome dimensions
Through horizons way beyond
I dismember
Dreams in December
Love is the Devil - and I am in Love
I think I'm gonna be sad
Infinite moonlight now awakes me
Love is the Devil - and I am in Love
I think I'm gonna be sad
Infinite moonlight now awakes me
The lyrics to Sòlstafir's song "Love is the Devil" capture the painful experience of falling in love with someone who brings both joy and sorrow into one's life. The singer describes their only source of joy as tied to someone whose name is sorrow, suggesting that this love is fraught with pain and perhaps even an unhealthy attachment. The singer's tears are not for the object of their affection's death, but for their life, hinting at the idea that their love may be one-sided or unrequited.
In the second stanza, the singer reflects on their own state of being, describing how they sleep for ages in obsessive dreams. This suggests that their love has taken over their life, and they are unable to escape its hold even in their dreams. The singer's deeds are described as laments of their wrath, perhaps indicating that their love is a source of anger or frustration for them.
The final lines of the song convey a sense of conflicted emotions. The singer acknowledges that "Love is the Devil," suggesting that their feelings for this person may be causing them harm. However, they also claim that they are in love, indicating that despite the pain and turmoil, they cannot help but feel drawn to the object of their affection. The reference to "infinite moonlight" awakening the singer suggests that their love is all-encompassing and has a profound effect on them.
Line by Line Meaning
The only joy that I knew
The singer's life was filled with sorrow and the only source of happiness was a person they loved.
Sorrow was here name
The person the singer loved was constantly consumed with grief and despair.
My tears were for her life
The singer cried for the hardships and struggles the person they loved had to go through in life.
But not her death
The artist didn't mourn the person's death as much as the difficulties they had to face while alive.
So now I sleep for ages
The artist often feels like they're in a dream state and can't remember how much time has passed.
In obsessive dreams
The singer's dreams are filled with images of the person they loved and they become fixated on these dreams.
My deeds were all but
The singer's actions were all driven by the pain and sadness they felt over the person they loved.
Laments of my wrath
The artist's actions were fueled by anger and a desire for revenge against the world that had caused so much pain and suffering.
I overcome dimensions
The artist feels like they're able to transcend the physical world and escape the pain and sadness they feel.
Through horizons way beyond
The artist feels like they're able to enter into new and unexplored places, beyond what they've ever experienced before.
I dismember
The singer feels like they're tearing apart and breaking down their own emotions and feelings.
Dreams in December
The artist's dreams are so vivid and intense that they feel like they could be happening in the chill of winter.
Love is the Devil - and I am in Love
The singer feels like their love for this person is a curse, something that's causing them endless pain and suffering.
I think I'm gonna be sad
The singer is filled with a sense of despair and hopelessness, knowing that they'll never be able to fully escape the pain and sadness they feel.
Infinite moonlight now awakes me
The singer feels like they're being woken up to a new reality, filled with endless darkness and despair.
Writer(s): Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, Guðmundur óli Pálmason, Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson, Svavar Austmann
Contributed by Thomas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ivasabic5226
The only joy that I knew
Sorrow was here name
My tears were for her life
But not her death
So now I sleep for ages
In obsessive dreams
My deeds were all but
Laments of my wrath
I overcome dimensions
Through horizons way beyond
I dismember
Dreams in December
Love is the Devil - and I am in Love
I think I'm gonna be sad
Infinite moonlight now awakes me
Love is the Devil - and I am in Love
I think I'm gonna be sad
Infinite moonlight now awakes me
@boneheded2819
Love is the Devil. Sometimes the thing you love is the very thing killing you.
The whole video is symbolic.
@sinzzer
LOVE IS the débil en castellano
@h.p.dominocus
Very true.
@testes1157
love - devel! Understand?
@Snarl616
When you are in love and you feel all the strain of being not loved as you want, this song and some beer will amplify your mood. Probably your scars will hurt more and you could end up breaking up and crying, but still you'll want more of this feeling and more of this song. How can you not love a band that recreates such situation?
@lucylavelle41
I can't help but pour myself a large whisky and settle down for the entire evening listening to Solstafir sometimes.....
@tyrone2601
Your sound is amazing, COME TO BRAZIL SÓLSTAFIR.
@carolinebogo
SIIM
@cloudfynal
Demorou uns 3 anos, mas seu pedido foi atendido. Chega logo Overload Fest!
@The4Quiabos
:'( triste é não ter grana pra ir, hue