SOLEFALD

At the centre of the new album concept lies the idea of the Kosmopolis, or the World City. In Antiquity, Athens and then Rome were seen as the capitals of the world; in modern times, cities such as Paris, London and Berlin have all competed to be the Kosmopolis. 

 Over the last decade, Solefald have developed an epic, Norse-oriented expression. While writing World Metal, fellow composer goats Lars Are Nedland and Cornelius von Jackhelln took a good, long look in the mirror, and discovered that in their narrow focus on the Northern hemisphere, they had forgotten about much of the world. Thus, World Metal attempts at filling that rather considerable gap.

 Lars Are Nedland comments: «Solefald has always been an adventurous band. With the band turning 20 in 2015, we found it was time to let our music travel and explore the world. And boy, did it travel; To the icy north for the cold metal that we hold so dear. To the hot, colourful continent of Africa for the intense rhythms that form the fundament that all rock music stands on. To India for the electronic beats that accompany the hallucinogenic trips of fat European tourists in batik sarongs, and to some obscure places that we really still have no clue about for just a touch of madness. Our music has travelled, our music has come home, and World Metal. Kosmopolis Sudis the result.»

 Cornelius von Jackhelln comments: «World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud is an ecstatic album exploring widely different sounds, styles and languages, yet attaining oneness through Solefald’s Mysterious Song writing Ways. The guitar sound has been beefed up and stomped on, with twin Rat and Metal Zone distortion and Wah putting the axe back in power. In a tense world situation, World Metal has Solefald rediscover their initial playfulness and experimentation. We want to make our listeners laugh and cry, to make them attain ecstasy through music.»

 Lars has gone out of his way to enrich the band’s layered sound with programming and techno beats, two other components that hark back to Neonism. As with the album’s precursor Norrønasongen. Kosmopolis Nord, the mercenary crew at work totals ten, with the rhythm section expanded by drummer Baard Kolstad (Borknagar, ICS Vortex), bassist Alexander Bøe (In Vain) and guitarist Petter Hallaråker (Rendezvous Point). 

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