Whilst we in this country might have invented heavy metal, its stewardship has long since drifted north to the frozen plains of Scandinavia. Our Nordic cousins are now the dominant force in moving our beloved genre forward. The Nordic descent tour provides a perfect snapshot of the distinctly interesting and intriguing things our Scandinavian counterparts are doing with metal. Its very much a case of the anthemic (Hamferð), the insular (Sólstafir) and the downright outrageous (Oranssi Panzuzu).

Hamferð hail from the far-off climbs of the Faroe Islands. This is the first time that they have brought their highly atmospheric doom to these fair shores and whilst the turnout is not immense (Kreator and Anthrax are holding court down the road which has indeed enticed away some potential attendees) there is still a cohort of the curious upfront interested to find out what all the hype is about.  Hamferð dwell in a world of contrasts. There is an ethereal haunting quality to their music, full of fragile interludes and delicate intricacies. But alongside it, there is also a brutal and corrosive component. When they want to be heavy, they are truly crushingly heavy.

Jón Aldará vocals also oscillates. There are points where his singing is beautiful and speaks to the intrinsic wonderfulness of the world. But there are others when it is demonic and bloodcurdlingly malevolent. The juxtaposition at the heart of their performance works well. It keeps the audience on edge, and we are never quite sure which version or iteration of the band is about to hurtle forth. They rightly concentrate almost exclusively on the recently released “Men Guðs hond er sterk” and we only get one visit to the frankly quite astonishing “Támsins Likam”. ’Hon Syndrast’ is incredible, a kaleidoscopic freefall into layers of sonic reverberation. Doom’s requisite mournful guitars are present and correct but everything is given a turbo boost. It is utterly divine and by a long long shot the standout moment of their set. Whilst not a household name there are quite a few of us who have waited patiently for eons to see them and boy did they not disappoint.

Oranssi Pazuzu are utterly indescribable, which sort of makes this review surplus to requirements. An hour in the company feels like a descent into hell soundtracked by an increasingly anxiety-driven electro combo. When the lights come on at the end of their set there is a collective sigh of relief, not because it is over but because we have been relieved of an increasingly nightmarish visitation. Before this comes across as derogatory it is important to note that Oranssi Pazuzu are utterly extraordinary this evening and certainly one of the greatest things ROCKFLESH has had its opportunities to cover. What needs to be applied to is why it is so extraordinary and individualistic. It is metal really only because of its disposition to be noisy and to use grinding guitars. But there is so much to its texture that transcends far beyond our common understanding of metal.

Ville Leppilahti's keys, samples and bleeps are not just a pleasant add-on, they are an essential and integral part of their sound. They set the tone, either turning ‘Kuulen ääniä maan alta’ it into a hedonistic euphoric dance track that feels ripped straight from a 1990s Mega Dog or morphing ‘Hautatuuli’ into a claustrophobic introverted hellscape. It is distinctly avant-garde and off-kilter, there are notes but they are bent beyond their characteristic shape and distorted beyond recognition. It exists in a firmly non-linear fashion and nothing seems to willingly flow into anything else. But, but it creates an astonishing and intoxicating atmosphere. Watching them intricately create this level of nonsensical noise is utterly fascinating and completely absorbing. The sounds that Toni Hietamäki and Niko Lehdontie usher forth from their instruments give the impression that they are torturing them and the guitars are whimpering in pain.

The whole set feels like a catastrophic and ultimately doomed journey. The tracks are perfectly curated that the sounds get darker and more impenetrable the further we descend into their hour onstage. ‘Vasemman käden hierarkia’ closes the performance and by this point it stops feeling like communal garden songs and instead has taken on the incarnation of some depraved ritual, as the last vestige of what could be perceived of melody are sacrificed in front of us. Guitars are held aloft and squealing feedback is squeezed out of them. It is frankly unlike anything else and firmly entrenches Oranssi Pazuzu as purveyors of something that is beyond any form of familiarity. They were unlistenable, utterly impenetrable but in the end just just stunning.

Sólstafir frontman Aðalbjörn “Addi” Tryggvason is well aware that the very act of us being here means we have chosen his leather-clad cohorts over the electrifying charisma of Scott Ian and Miland Petrozza. We may not be afforded the glitz and glamour that is unleashed at the Apollo, but Sólstafir still ensure that they put on a show. They are an electrifying proposition and from the off they hold the audience firmly within their grasp. The facade is that tour is in support of the recently released (and really rather wonderful) “Hin Helga Kvöl” but actually they choose to use their 100 minutes on stage to, in the main, showcase material released before the landmark “Otto”. There is nothing from 2020’s “Endless Twilight of Codependent Love” and 2017’s “Berdreyminn” is only slightly touched upon with the ethereal ‘Silfur-Refur’, wheeled out second.

The beauty of Sólstafir is that they are playing southern rock but through the prism of icy Nordic black metal. Opening instrumental ‘78 Days in the Desert’ has the feel of Lynyrd Skynyrd if the south inexplicably froze over. It is widescreen Americana, but reinterpreted by a metal band. There is no photo pit this evening, which means that Addi is free to cavort with the front rows as much as he pleases. He does this on almost every song, thrusting his guitar into the heaving abyss and spitting out his lyrics into the faces of the front row. Sólstafir have experimented with singing in English but with their latest release they have returned to their native Icelandic. To be honest, their windswept and harrowingly introspective numbers work much better topped off with indecipherable Icelandic drawl. It adds to the mystery and the mystical feeling of the material.

Addi is less verbose than usual and more focused on giving us as much music as possible. There is something essentially larger than life about Sólstafir. This level of Swagger and self-assurance is only achieved when you know that your goods are of the utmost quality. They feel like fictional characters pulled out of an 80s cowboy comic. The four of them absolutely command the stage and Addi uses his as arms as much as his voice to articulate the narrative of the songs. For all the bravado there is also a fragile and tragic side to their demeanour. ‘Fjara’ is slight and heartfelt. There is a palpable sense of hurt and desperation emitting from it. They may well have that last gang in town bravado but there is also a vulnerability and it is that stark vulnerability that makes them so unique.

Once we have got the contractual visits to the new album done and dusted, the final furlong is an absolute masterclass in sprawling emotive songwriting. ‘Ritual of Fire’ from their almost 20 year old sophomore release, is muscular but also deeply personal and passionate. We may not exactly understand the pain and suffering that Addi is describing but the emotion at the heart of his performance is universal. ‘Otto’ follows, and whilst it is sadly the only visit to their magnum opus, is still an astonishing final act. The majesty and utter skyscraping glory of this track is hard to capture on paper. This is a stomping anthem but in a minimal and restrained way. The guitars sore but then contract back into the core meaning that everything has a circular trajectory. Once again Addi is upfront thrusting into his adoring crowd. This is a selective audience, and this allows him to emotionally connect with everybody spread out in front of him.

They play scant regard to the pantomime of the encore and make minimal effort to create an illusion that they are leaving only to come back again. Addi expresses his joy to be back in our city, especially in the middle of a weather front that is making overtures towards climates that they are more familiar with. The soulful confessional strains of ‘Goodness of the Ages’ close the show, and Addi precariously balances on the barrier, trustingly holding the hands of his audience as he tight ropes walk across it. The confetti and fire being thrown out half a kilometre away from us pales into insignificance. This is how you connect with an audience; this is how you entertain. His allure and charisma is astonishing and his daredevilry just add to the intensity of the final number. 

Sólstafir are a modern miracle. A metal band that has evolved far beyond playing metal. They channel into the emotive power of our music and use that to sculpt towering mountains of fragile soul-bearing. They are just wondrous and once again they prove both the audacity and the utter escapist magic of four people playing instruments on stage. As ever extraordinary.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Sólstafir + Oranssi Pazuzu + Hamferð