Sól án varma – Sól án varma (Ván Records)
Monday, 17th April 2023
Supergroups aren’t always so super. It’s indeed rare to find an instance that blossoms as an organic and inspired collaboration, instead of being forced and tepid. The famed Roadburn Festival has found the magic formula, with many incredible works cultivating due to the efforts of said festival’s organizers (namely Walter Hoeijmakers) and artists who are open to coming together to conceive something special. Look no further than last year’s Final Light (one of my top albums of 2022); a work from darksynth master Perturbator and Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson that bred from a Roadburn 2019 collaboration, ultimately leading to recording the project as an album that was an engulfing cloud of sonic mayhem. This all brings us to the Sól án varma project, which has even deeper seeded roots.
Sól án varma (Icelandic for Sun without radiance) formed from Roadburn 2018 five years back, as a coming together of many influential and talented artists within the Icelandic black metal scene. This gargantuan project was started be T.Í. and D.G. of Misþyrming, Naðra, Carpe Noctem fame, and while bringing on five other notable musicians (including the other two members of Misþyrming in G.E. and M.S.) who come from groundbreaking acts such as Svartidauði, Guðveiki, Wormlust, 0 (aka Núll), Árstíðir Lífsins, amongst others. In short, a collection of seven supremely talented Icelandic musicians from a multitude of styles joining forces to create a project of significance. Significance doesn’t even begin to describe what Sól án varma have realized with this self-titled album.
Broken up into tracks titled “Afbrigði I” – “Afbrigði XII” (translates to variation in English) and nearly 70 minutes of music, this album feels like one large singular narrative broken into 12 connecting chapters. The listener must focus on the whole to receive the most impact from this piece of music. From the first thick, slow droning riff, the music provides a sensation of being blanketed in a thick fog where each step forward plummets you further into unknown dread. Sól án varma take their time, with the tempo through many sections representative of doom inspired trepidation, all wrapped in a constant blackened sharpness. Onerous sustained guitar rhythms are allowed the time to breathe and envelope, layered with cavernous bellows from the various vocal efforts with synchronized combined howls and groans.
Within the brooding, there are also moments of melancholy and melody adding to the densely packed soundscapes. Also intertwined are ominous minimalistic ambient pieces that propagate an apocalyptic mood, aiding in painting even more textures into what was already an immensely diverse effort. When these elements collide, the listener is given true sonic catharsis, with moments in “Afbrigði II” and “Afbrigði VIII” coming to mind as exemplary moments. The drum work is a piece not to be forgotten, adding weight when required, but also dictating numerous tempo changes that add further dynamism. The production is also key – both expansive and balanced – allowing all of the instrumentation and vocal arrangements to be clearly defined, yet merging together to form a cohesive and colossal sound befitting the composition quality.
Black metal aficionados have had a great year, and there’s still a long way to go. Sól án varma is at the top echelon of the ever growing field of bands and projects, cultivating many esteemed creators to ultimately conjure something artistic and fresh, treading new avenues and not being afraid to stretch boundaries. Yet, there’s a comforting familiarity in the sense of each artist adding their own influences that can be heard in the wide array of other projects they’re involved in. Not for the faint of heart, Sól án varma’s debut runs the gamut of emotions, creating vibrant music that embraces darkness, while also dances in a hopeful light, forming a genre defining release that is unmissable.
