Epic Rock N Rollers from Iceland Sólstafir are releasing on November 6th via Season of Mist, their brand new album 'Endless Twilight of Codependent Love' . RockOverdose.gr and George Markogiannakis, had the opportunity to chat with the bassist of the band Svavar Austmann and seek more details of it and many more...
RockOverdose: Hello Svavar, it's George from the Greek webzine Rock Overdose from Athens,Greece! How are things going in Iceland nowadays with the pandemic and number of cases?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): Hi George! Its Svavar here!
Things could be worse when comparing the situation to other countries.
The pandemic is very annoying but i can still live my life and perform core duties and be creative but we all miss touring and other than that we are not complaining.
RockOverdose: I know it's truly hard especially for bands, musicians, road crew etc. that everyone was involved with crowded live shows and big festivals and now with quarantine everything's changed so fast. How's your daily program now with all of this situation? More time for writing new material, hear more music and learn more techniques?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): Yes definitly and specially with the educating part,the worldweb is swarming with materials.
im taking courses in piano-mixing and midi orchestration.
the resources are endless for anyone who wants to dive further in his/her craft.
RockOverdose: You already had recorded many EP's so far since 1996.Do you believe that recording an EP helps the band better to get evolved, to see how's the world gonna embrace one upcoming release with a new refreshed musical direction for the band?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): Yes absolutely it helps the band and also the musicians involved in their craft to look from wide perspective and just evolve and just with anything with evolution,to evolution to occur there has to be a movement of some sort,and be constantly trying new spices in your soup and remember to stir it well.
RockOverdose: So you are about to release a brand new album under the title of 'Endless Twilight of Codependent Love'. What would you say, that are the differences between the upcoming album and 2017's 'Berdreyminn'.
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): 'Endless Twilight of Codependent Love' is without a doubt a mammoth of an album, it is way more driven and heavier when comparing it to Berdreyminn.
RockOverdose: I've been really impressed for how much you changed through the years.I mean looking back in 2002 since your debut album until now... changing from Black/Viking Metal to post metal/rock or Icelandic RnRoll. Wow that was a huge change.Why didn't you started a different project band for keeping the black metal style to Solstafir?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): What if you get bored playing the same style over and over for years? I dont really have a solid answer for that im sorry, i guess our variations has to do with what we all enjoy and want to hear at any given moment in time.
I mean i think we could one day present the world with a pure blackmetal album and make it awesome then the next album an 80 min Ennio Morricone and BladeRunner-ish and HansZimmer goes Post Metal widescreen movie soundtrack and it would be just as pleasing as the blackmetal album.i find it when i have an idea of a song in my head and i sit down to throw that idea into an audible medium,i always end up dissatisfied so i dont react to any starting ideas.
It's best when your head is completly empty and you have no idea what youre gonna do and when you have a raw foundation of a song only then i can start using my creative imagination and explore ideas.creativity works best for me when it gets a free flow.
RockOverdose: Through the years since 1995 watching your line up changes, i can clearly see that you didn't had many alterations and that's really good and healthy for a band! So what's the 'secret', does everybody has to keep the egos behind and start thinking about the overall greater good of the band? Does this one need a lot of effort from each members separately?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): In my case i am aware that this isnt just any buisness venture,its an acumulation of few induviduals and i have to be aware in how i comunicate to them,i cant be an arrogant prick and spit words into their faces when i have a need to communicate,were all friends and we honor and respect that.and if one needs an effort to be friendly and everybody are assholes then i suggest that person to seek proffessional help. if youre in that mindset then do it for yourself SERIOUSLY!
RockOverdose: I am sure you missed the shows, the festivals and the fans out there. What was your favorite live moment so far in your career, with Solstafir?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): Oh my there are so many moments its difficult to remember one.I think the memory from the shows on our South American tour stands up and Turkey they were all so passionate to the point where i wanted to know the story of each and every member of the crowd that showed up.
RockOverdose: Do you believe by choosing on your latest releases Sundlaugin Studio in Iceland, along with Birgir Jon Birgisson as a producer, made you sound more fresh, more modern and gave you a different aspect for how you see and hear the band nowadays?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): It gave us something and BundlauginStudio definitly has put its fingerprint into our SoundDomain and Birgir has somewhat ended up as our BobRock.
i dont know if categorizing the sound has much value but he is responsibly of making it into what it is. and whatever it is,it is good!
RockOverdose: The cover artwork of your upcoming album 'Endless Twilight of Codependent Love', is the well known watercolor painting 'The Lady of the Mountain' (1864), by Johann Baptist Zwecker.So how's that one is related with the new album?
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): That Painting is so rich in symbolism and meaning,reprisenting heathenism and literature and not only that it is also thremendously beautiful,it also symbolises the country where we come from through the whole painting and the feminine is quite dominant in our lyrics as well as in our mellodic arrangements as it is on the painting and it is very apropriate as an album cover for Solstafir's 7th album.
RockOverdose: So here's the final question that turns out to be a message to your Greek fans out there...
Svavar Austmann (Sólstafir): Rock on and take care of each other Greece!! We cant wait to play you some new songs!!!
For Rock Overdose
Interview/ Questions: George Markogiannakis
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