Artist: SOLEFALD
Album: NORRON LIVSKUNST (DIGI)

Year: 2010
Media type: CD

With "Norron livskunst", SOLEFALD looks to the early 1900-century Norway, when a young nation zealously engaged in exploring its cultural roots. Writers, painters and composers rediscovered Norse mythology, the Edda and the sagas. Houses and buildings were designed in the Norse "dragon style" and decorated with medieval motifs. Sports clubs were named after Norse deities, and Snorri Sturluson's "Heimskringla" had a natural place in every home. Explorers went out to conquer the most inhospitable regions of the world. Some of that same madness is underlying in black metal: When others hunt for fame and fast money, leave it to the Norwegians to colonise frozen continents and old cemeteries. As Cornelius Jakhelln's saga novel "The Fall Of The Gods" states: "They called it evil. They called it True Norwegian Black Metal.

The album marked some minor changes in vocal styles from both members. Cornelius employed the aggressive style he developed on the An Icelandic Odyssey albums and with his side project Sturmgeist. He also introduced a deep, nearly spoken word vocal approach not before heard with Solefald. Lazare's vocal arrangements are some of the most dense and sophisticated he's ever performed. The musical style covers a broad range, as is expected by now from Solefald. Aggressive extreme metal, heavily electronic passages and complex multilayered vocals. The album also features guest contributions in the forms of vocals, saxophone and guitar. The majority of the original lyrics with the exception of "Waves Over Valhalla" and a portion of "Stridsljod/Blackabilly" which are in English, are written in a 1917 variant of Norwegian called hшgnorsk (high Norwegian).

All songs written and composed by Cornelius Jakhelln and Lars Are Nedland. All lyrics by Cornelius Jakhelln, except where noted.

TRACKLIST:

No. Title Length
1. "Song til stormen (Song to the storm)" (lyrics by Olav H. Hauge from Glor i oska (1946)) 4:56
2. "Hugferdi (The Journey of the Mind)" 4:16
3. "Tittentattenteksti" 4:14
4. "Stridsljod / Blackabilly (Battle sound / Blackabilly)" 5:49
5. "Eukalypstustreet (The Eucalyptus Tree)" 9:24
6. "Raudedauden (The Red Death)" 3:11
7. "Vitets vidd i verdi (The Reach of Awareness in the World)" 5:35
8. "Norron livskunst (Norse Art of Life)" 5:52
9. "Waves over Valhalla (An Icelandic Odyssey Part 3)" 6:27
10. "Til heimen yver havet (To the Home Over the Ocean)" 4:15

LINE-UP:

Lazare - Vocals, synth, electronic beats, drums and percussion
Cornelius - Vocals, guitars and bass

Guests
Agnete Kjolsrud (ex-Animal Alpha, Djerv) - vocals (on tracks 3 & 7)
Benedicte Maurseth - vocals (on tracks 1, 8 & 10) and Hardanger fiddle (on track 1)
Kjetil Selvik - Saxophone (on tracks 4, 5 & 7)
Vangelis Labrakis - guitar (on track 6)