Solstafir releasing 'Otta' (stream new song, "Dagmal")

by Ian Chainey

Ótta cover art
otta

Icelandic cowboys Sólstafir premiered new track “Dagmál” over on Invisible Oranges today. The song is from their forthcoming effort Ótta which will be released by Season of Mist on September 2 (preorder). And, like most of their work, it’s a cool little number. If you’re burning up in the summer sun, it’s a welcome respite. Here’s a bit of what we said about it on IO:

[“Dagmál”] uses guitars like a cool breeze; almost more of a Windy & Carl soundscape than a rock song. (“Here Come the Cold Jets” is another thought.) Yet “Dagmál” does rock, driving with a tempo befitting freeway travel. Drummer Guðmundur Óli Pálmason maintains cruise control while tapping the gas with Keith Moon fills. He’s never obtrusive, though. None of the players are, right down to the simple melody that runs repeatedly through the track’s five minutes. This leaves singer Aðalbjörn Tryggvason to do the heavy lifting, to be the listener’s surrogate. He’s up to the task, reprising his role as one of metal’s most charismatic vocalists. But Sólstafir work as a whole. You don’t admire them for the brush strokes. It’s about stepping back, seeing the bigger picture, and feeling the wave of emotion wash over you.

You can give “Dagmál” a listen below.

Sólstafir will be hitting various European locales this fall after creating quite a stir stateside at this year’s Maryland Deathfest. Speaking of, early bird tickets for the 2015 edition of MDF went on sale last Saturday (7/19) and the batch of 300 sold out within a matter of minutes. And for good reason. We ran down the 30-plus confirmed bands for MDF XIII at IO last week. It’s another intriguing mix of the big names with the up-and-comers. Of course, if May 21, 2015 is a little too far in the future and you need your MDF fix now, Brooklyn venue Acheron is screening the Welcome to Deathfest documentary on August 9 along with sets from Argentinum Astrum and Belus (tickets).

All of Sólstafir’s Euro dates are listed, with the “Dagmál” stream, below…

Sólstafir European tour dates
8/07 Schlotheim, DE @ Party.San Open Air
8/09 Leeuwarden, NL @ Into the Grave
10/28 Cork, IE @ Cyprus Avenue
10/29 Dublin, IE @ Voodoo Lounge
10/30 Glasgow, UK @ Audio
10/31 London, UK @ The Dome
11/1 Leeds, UK @ Damnation Festival
11/4 Colmar, FR @ Grillen
11/5 Lucerne, CH @ Schuur
11/6 Munich, DE @ Strom
11/7 Stuttgart, DE @ 1210
11/8 Frankfurt, DE @ Nachtleben
11/9 Cologne, DE @ Werkstatt
11/10 Antwerp, BE @ Trix
11/11 Rotterdam, NL @ Baroeg
11/12 Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
11/13 Bielefeld, DE @ Forum
11/14 Berlin, DE @ K17
11/15 Ostsee, DE @ Metal Hammer Paradise
11/17 Warsaw, PL @ Hydrozagadka
11/18 Vienna, AT @ Viper Room
11/19 Budapest, HU @ Durer Kert
11/21 Graz, AT @ Explosiv
11/22 Innsbruck, AT @ Weekender Club

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