Solbrud - Vemod

By Karen A. Mann. Solbrud is not a band to be hurried. On their latest release, Vemod, the Copenhagen quartet builds solemnly elegant atmospheric black metal slowly and precisely, layering sounds that are furious and dramatic with those that are softer and reflective.

By Karen A. Mann.


Solbrud is not a band to be hurried. On their latest release, Vemod, the Copenhagen quartet builds solemnly elegant atmospheric black metal slowly and precisely, layering sounds that are furious and dramatic with those that are softer and reflective. There are only four songs on the album, but they are long (the shortest is almost nine minutes), and each takes the listener on a beautifully gloomy journey through a variety of soundscapes.

The opening track, “Det Sidste Lys” (The Last Light) opens slowly with a full 10 seconds of atmospheric noise before the first tentative notes are played. With the sound of a thunderstorm in the background, the sparse melody evokes a sense of withering loneliness. More than two minutes go by before the song explodes in a burst of tremolo picking. Singer Ole Łuk’s gnawing screech comes in at around the five-minute mark. The ambient thunderstorm sound appears again under a short passage where the instruments drop out except for the bass, which repeats the central melody of the first half of the song. “Det Sidste Lys” finishes with a return to metallic fury.

Photos by Morten Jensen.

The band is at its best on the middle two songs. “Forfald” (Decay) blasts full-throttle for more than seven punishing minutes, before twisting into a slow, beautiful passage, and finally ending with a pastoral organ melody. “Menneskeværk” (The Work of Man) floats in with ambient guitar and bass tones, then sharp, dramatic bursts of sound that evolve into pummeling black metal.

Solbrud swerves into blackgaze territory with the final song, “Besat af Mørke” (Obsessed with Darkness), which offers a myriad of soundscapes in which listeners can lose themselves. A surprisingly traditional guitar solo brings Vemod to a soaring, mournful, unhurried end.

Solbrud is currently on tour through Europe supporting like-minded South African group Wildernessking. Aficionados of nature-worshiping atmospheric black metal should definitely check out this tour.

Solbrud - Solbrud

Solbrud is a Danish melodic black metal band. Their self-titled debut full-length contains four long sprawling songs filled with repetitive melodic tremolo picking. The key to making this kind of black metal work is the melodies

Solbrud is a Danish melodic black metal band. Their self-titled debut full-length contains four long sprawling songs filled with repetitive melodic tremolo picking. The key to making this kind of black metal work is the melodies; this obviously isn't catchy music, but spend some time with the album and you'll find parts of it become entrenched in your brain.

Musically the most successful track is the epic "Skyggeriget", with it's almost Pink Floydian intro, the tremendously effective riff at 3:40, and the way the guitarists interplay little atmospheric leads against the constant riffing. Lyrically there is a lot of doomy imagery, but where Solbrud excels is in the "longing for a distant shore" style of lyrics, like this part from Bortgang

When the world comes to an end
And it drowns in an ocean of fire
I will stand at the bow of the longship
Being caressed by the swell's tounge of fire
This my home - I know
It is the land where forests have eyes
Where the ground is burning, yet covered in snow
And eternal darkness rules the sky

It works even better in Danish; the lyrics to Øde Lagt, which centers on the same theme, is quite poetic. The production of the album is a little warmer and fuller than usually for this type of music; while not missing any of the requisite rawness of black metal. While not being particularly original Solbrud have created an effective and memorable album, you should check it out.