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Solefald - World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud review




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Reviewer:
8.0

73 users:
7.55
Band: Solefald
Album: World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud
Release date: February 2015


01. World Music With Black Edges
02. The Germanic Entity
03. Bububu Bad Beuys
04. Future Universal Histories
05. Le Soleil
06. 2011, Or A Knight Of The Fail
07. String The Bow Of Sorrow
08. Oslo Melancholy

World Metal is an open letter to metal conventions. It reads thus: HA!

Admittedly such letters have been written before, with the unabashed intentions of confounding the short-sighted and generically comfortable. Arcturus were well known for their black breaching avant-garde style. Likewise disinherited from their Norwegian black metal forefathers, Solefald's own personality has been upending safe situations for years as well. Whoever advised that the satirical and tongue-in-cheek were unwelcome visitors in metal should take a long hard listen to Kosmopolis Sud. Bemusement ensues.

Their music is folk metal in guise, the kind of compositions that consistently allude to that particular genre in the most avant-garde of fashions with wacky tribal rhythm and electronic enhancement worked around melody aplenty. It possesses the listener with its peculiar personality of Scandinavian spirit and heritage warped beyond clear recognition by abstinence from any given folk tradition. World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud is seriously playful in temperament; a metallic oxymoron that seems self-satirical as much as socially aware in lyrical content. Solefald's approach is unusually approachable for its unusual elements and structures, providing that the listener appreciates novelty. Thankfully said novelty isn't forced but a natural incentive in the song writing.

Yes, electronic elements aren't an alien entity to metal at large, yet their use in the likes of "2011, Or A Knight Of The Fail" proffer an eclecticism enough to make even Mr. Bungle smile in Orphaned Land-esque spoken word to singing alternation projecting it with a surely stranger sentiment. The bygone presence of black metal finds its residual influence throughout the album, such as in "String The Bow Of Sorrow" or the aptly titled and record representative opener "World Music With Black Edges" and even within such examples it's barely tangible or particularly formative in the guitar tones or structure, venturing well beyond the rim of the grim to stand in the sunny terrains of the happy-go-lucky with a contrasting serious stature.

The record is enthused and all-consumed by engaging percussion in tribal-like beats and consistent rhythmic playfulness and tempo change that makes for a thoroughly infectious and generously track distinguishable affair. World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud burgeons with an odd metal made equivalence to world music, with something of an avant-garde metal constructed hint at ethnic fusion within its varied scope. It's trvly trve kvlt konfvsion.

With structural variety and vocal variance in abundance, tracks like the up-tempo "Bububu Bad Beuys" run dangerously close to ridiculous, and would easily be considered self-defeating and self-derisive were it not for the damned infectiousness of it all. Evidently Lars loves the opportunity for controlled ludicrous madness: to put his voice to work in odd repetition of "bubu" pronounced "booboo." How and why this vocal nonsense, of which there is much to be found, manages to be so irresistible is likely something to ponder as it hooks the listener with its comical and care-free creativity.

It's difficult to believe that an album of this character can be catchy beyond belief given the points of absurdity and generic disobedience in an openly outlandish performance that very nearly crosses the line between serious composition and a farce. Yet a farce this is not, as Solefald further extend a discography of idiosyncrasy that pushes enthusiastically beyond the boundaries of black metal, if not metal in general.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 9
Production: 8





Written on 09.02.2015 by R'Vannith enjoys music, he's hoping you do too.


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 213 users
09.02.2015 - 02:34
basquetal

This album is very interesting, its strange but flows so well and I never heard something like this before. Nice review, I think that with some more time that rating can rise a little bit. I could be wrong but...

P.S and the title of the first song discribes this album almost perfectly.
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09.02.2015 - 11:05
Rating: 6
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
When I "searched" for this album I saw it accompanied with a "post-black" tag. True? If so, I will give it a shot...if not...I will still give it a shot Great review R', and thanks.
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rekt
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09.02.2015 - 13:14
Rating: 9
boo-boo

Great review, thank you for this.
After the release of Norrøn Livskunst, many people around me started to moan about Solefald becoming too electronic or whatever. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees the enhancement in their style shifts over the years.
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World won't end today - it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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09.02.2015 - 16:09
Skøllgrim
Northern
You know you get crazy shit when you listen to things Cornelius participate in, and you know you'll get some juicy vocals when Lazare is on board. I think this album smells of the craziness they were doing in their earlier days, basically they started out on their first releases wanting to push the boundaries of what was possible while still keeping it slightly in the realms of Black metal.

Obviously the first track sets the tone and concept of the album, changing their own proclaimed "Red music, with black edges" style to "World music with black edges"

All in all, this is a really cool release for those who are into this sort of music.
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10.02.2015 - 17:13
Rating: 7
Stalker
Lone wanderer
Being a huge fan of the band, I must say that IMO this is their weakest release so far. I see that you guys like it and I am really glad because of that, it just did not hit me somehow. It is kinda devoid of musical content compared to previous albums, especially the first four ones. Although Kosmopolis Nord is actually a lot less experimental and inventive (or even not experimental at all) than Kosmopolis Sud, I like it better. However, one thing is sure - Ill give it a few more listens.
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11.02.2015 - 04:39
Rating: 8
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Written by Stalker on 10.02.2015 at 17:13

Being a huge fan of the band, I must say that IMO this is their weakest release so far. I see that you guys like it and I am really glad because of that, it just did not hit me somehow. It is kinda devoid of musical content compared to previous albums, especially the first four ones. Although Kosmopolis Nord is actually a lot less experimental and inventive (or even not experimental at all) than Kosmopolis Sud, I like it better. However, one thing is sure - Ill give it a few more listens.


Your impression of Kosmopolis Nord is an interesting one, as I had the opposite impression in that I much prefer Kosmopolis Sud. The Nord ep had me worried for this release, as it's based in electronics rather than metal and felt like a collection of "bits-and-pieces", thankfully though this record is primarily metal before electronic elements, and more substantial to my ears.

I'm glad to hear that you'll try it again, as I find that it has a certain staying power once it gets a hold of you (if it gets a hold of you ).
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11.02.2015 - 17:25
Rating: 8
Monolithic
♠♠♠
"World Music With Black Edges" has to be one of their greatest compositions in my opinion.
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11.02.2015 - 17:32
Rating: 7
Stalker
Lone wanderer
Written by R'Vannith on 11.02.2015 at 04:39

Written by Stalker on 10.02.2015 at 17:13

Being a huge fan of the band, I must say that IMO this is their weakest release so far. I see that you guys like it and I am really glad because of that, it just did not hit me somehow. It is kinda devoid of musical content compared to previous albums, especially the first four ones. Although Kosmopolis Nord is actually a lot less experimental and inventive (or even not experimental at all) than Kosmopolis Sud, I like it better. However, one thing is sure - Ill give it a few more listens.


Your impression of Kosmopolis Nord is an interesting one, as I had the opposite impression in that I much prefer Kosmopolis Sud. The Nord ep had me worried for this release, as it's based in electronics rather than metal and felt like a collection of "bits-and-pieces", thankfully though this record is primarily metal before electronic elements, and more substantial to my ears.

I'm glad to hear that you'll try it again, as I find that it has a certain staying power once it gets a hold of you (if it gets a hold of you ).


Listening it right now. I can say that I actually really like "World Music with Black Edges". Knight of the Fails is not bad, and Bububu Bad Beuys also has its charm, although I kinda did not expect it on the album (because I saw the video with Cornelius imitating a chicken, made before the album release, and that part actually made it to the album, which I definitely did not expect ). However, I still have the impression that Solefald kind of got "too comfortable" in the whole avantgarde thing (and they have every right to be comfortable), that it became hard for them to find a real challenge in that territory. Again, only my 2 cents. Nevertheless, I would like at least another album like In Harmonia Universali or Neonism...
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