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Fierce, euphoric, portraying an everflowing energy from the depths of the spirit, of the will. The will to do great music. Music splendid in its conception. Conception touched by inspiration. Inspiration... These and others mindblowing sensations rained on me while I listened to “Jernlov” for the first time. Uh, after that shock the most common thing is to be driven down by the cruel reality, and by the rest of the songs of an album. How many times the starter lifted your expectations to subsequently crash them on the floor, as the next songs kept sounding? Fortunately, this is not the case; Solefald is a different band. “The Linear Scaffold” is one of the best debut albums in the history of music, I´d dare to say. Here you can find plenty of weird details this band usually bestow us with a smile on their notes and souls. The whole Solefald world is different than everything else. From the cover art, to the lyrics, through the music itself. Look at the bizarre songtitles and verses, nothing more to say... Facing the tough work of defining “The Linear Scaffold”, I´d start saying the Solefald style is tightly fastened to black metal but with a great dose of synths, and incorporating elements from other styles -even it´s said they have used punk influence in the guitar strumming-. Vocals are whispers, growls, raspy shrieks and clean lines. The pace is unpredictable, twisting and turning when you less expect (take for example “Countryside Bohemians” and its sudden tempo change). Every now and then, though, the band emphasize the melody-driven trait of their music, solidly nailed to well built patterns. If you´d torture me to confess which reference bands Solefald seemed to have in mind when making the songs, I´d quote Cradle Of Filth or Arcturus; similarities? The vocal shrieks (COF) and the vocal clean lines (Garm as their teacher). The relevance of melody in their music, mainly provided by the keys. Differences: Solefald are FAR more innovative, courageous, bizarre and bold than both of these bands. And the role of synths is still stronger: the keys are wise and witty, appealing the listener with impressive passages as “Floating Magenta”. Other elements as handclaps and mouth harps add the strange atmosphere which the Solefald guys feel so comfortable with. Never black metal was so bright as a whole, brilliant in its execution, Solefald´s music is a beast of two heads, a siamese behemoth of harmony and violence, an outburst of inspiration, a punch in the face of the static bands. Brilliant! Being written these lines in the last throes of the year 2005, the news about a “The Linear Scaffold” re-release (the album is deleted right now) are still resounding on the scene...
| Tracklist |
| 1. Jernlov |
| 2. Philosophical Revolt |
| 3. Red View |
| 4. Floating Magenta |
| 5. The Macho Vehicle |
| 6. Countryside Bohemians |
| 7. Tequila Sunrise |
| 8. When The Moon Is On The Wave |
: 39.36
| Buy other Solefald albums |
