Icelandic E-Journal of Nordic and Mediterranean Studies
emphasis on the lyrical side of music among black metal bands. In most cases, the main focus of a black metal record is on music, while lyrics are dedicated to a more or less inconsistent worship of the forces of evil. Solefald maintained a musical link with black metal, but only to transcend its limits; they also coined a new term to define their music: „red music with black edges‟. „Within these running minutes, time has been subdued by our passion, our desires — an expression thoroughly worked out by human mind and flesh. In terms of intensity and cruelty, the musical barbarity remains the same. It has, however, obtained a new and more sophisticated vehicle: The Linear Scaffold — The circular Drain. Sunset — Coucher du soleil — Sonnenuntergang — Solefald‟.[1] The band elaborated such claims in both music and lyrics: most of the songs, in fact, are poems by Cornelius Jakhelln put into music by Solefald. „Tequila Sunrise‟, for instance, is a long erotic poem, sung against a background of charming and melancholic piano music. „Philosophical revolt‟ is a journey into philosophic dichotomies, evoking Confucius and Lao Tse, Socrates and Plato, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, Sartre and Beauvoir. The concluding song features Lord Byron‟s poem „When the Moon is on the Wave‟ as lyrics, which also give the title to the song.
As soon as their debut album was released, Solefald chose an appropriation of
literary, poetic and philosophical material which had little to do with the musical
genre they belonged to and, whether consciously or not, they contributed to changing
it. Yet, they went even further in their second album, Neonism, released in 1999[2].
As the band recalls on its site, the album was „a hotchpotch of styles and feelings‟,
„incorporating black metal, pop, classical music, punk, progressive metal, and trip
hop.‟[3] The album features repeated patterns of Hammond organ, clean vocals and
jazzy rhythms, which were completely unconventional practices for black metal at
that time. Such a variety of styles and atmospheres was also reflected in the lyrics,
which, in Solefald‟s own words, „were extremely unconventional for metal in general
and black metal especially (since traditional black metal lyrics are more relevant to
the 13th century than the 20th), dealing with socio-political issues and pop culture
criticism‟.[4] Solefald seemed to describe another journey, not confined to the
temporal space between sunrise and sunset, but one that widened the traveller‟s
space from the past centuries to today. In fact, the cycle of being was once again a key
concept, appearing in the cover artwork (2007 reissue).[5]
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