Solefald has often been categorized as "avant-garde black metal",
and to these ears that's a fine description of this adventurous
Norwegian duo, with the possible exception being they are gradually
moving away from "real" black metal.
With each successive album they reach just a bit further, branching
out just a bit more, such that one album doesn't sound a lot like the
next yet they all sound uniquely like Solefald.
Though both guys are credited with vocals, it's Lars Nedland's
clean, strong voice that truly stands out, so much so that other bands
featuring him
(Age Of Silence
is a good example) invariably end up described as "sounds like Solefald".
Most recently they released the two-CD epic
An Icelandic Odyssey, and true to form they continue to forge a
diverse sound uniquely their own.
To these ears, the best album is 2001's
Pills Agains The Ageless Ills, but there's no dud in the bunch.
Kudos to these guys for expanding the boundaries of extreme music.
