Solarsteinn Interview

SOLARSTEINN - interview -

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
I'm also the lead singer / guitarist of Rising Moon, and after 15 years of swedish death metal for me it was time to try something different. I am passionate about classical music that I tried to mix it with  metal. I also love the Nordic culture and then the equation is simple: classical music, metal, Nordic culture = Viking metal. This is the beginning of the Solarsteinn project.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
I think it is the right mix of metal and classical music. I tried to write a little soundtrack. A song that had a
beginning, a middle and an ending well defined. Looking for the right mix between metal and classical music.

3.The lyrics on the ep where based on the Norse ballads of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this author and Norse Paganism?
I hate writing lyrics, I prefer to focus on the music and a day on the internet I discovered "The Musician's Tale" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from "Tales of a Wayside Inn". "The challenge of Thor" is the first song of the poem. I immediately liked the text, it was perfect for the song.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Solarsteinn'?
Solarsteinn is the Iceland term for "sunstone". It 's a mineral used to locate the sun in a completely overcast sky and then allows surfers to navigate even in extreme conditions. To me it has a big metaphorical meaning, such as the ability and strength to move in life, even in moments of great difficulty.

5.Currently there is only 1 member in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain solo?
I think Solarsteinn remain a one man band, but do not rule out future involvement of other people in the
recordings. I want to have control of the project to 100% and write everything I want without discussions with other people.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I am looking for a label willing to publish the Ep or a future job. I hope to find one interested in the project. Those who contacted me were more interested in my money to my music. I'll wait a little longer, then I'll print in limited edition.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of the viking, pagan and folk metal genres?
There are various reviews and are all good, I'm very happy. I did not expect, to have good results is stimulating to continue to get better and better. Many people write me to have a copy of the CD and all I have to answer that is not available. Then label around the world do your thing, and print the Ep, ahhaha !!!

8.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?

As Rising Moon's  singer/guitarist, a swedish death metal band, a mix of At The Gates and Hypocrisy style. We made five albums. But when the band stops and I can concentrate better on Solarsteinn. !!

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
These days I started writing full. I have to reorder many ideas I had and rearrange it. This time I would like to make a song more than 30 minutes and divide them into chapters. We'll see. As for my future in music I can tell you that I will play until I live. My days are filled with music, work in my recording studio "Alien Recording Studio", I write music, I collaborate with other bands. My life is music 100%.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I started listening  metal with Iron Maiden, they made me love music. Then I discovered so many other bands. I like the swedish death of At The Gates, but I also listen the brutal of Suffocation and the black of Dissection. For some years I am also interested in viking and folk, and I follow  Moonsorrow, Finntroll, Falkenbach and many others.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I like all the arts, I like drawing in charcoal, read books, watch movies, are passionate about food and cooking for friends. Somehow I keep myself busy.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for this nice interview and for the space on your webzine, for those interested in the band you can follow me and contact me on the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/solarsteinn
Thank You.  Greetings from Italy.

Solarsteinn/The Challenge Of Thor/2014 EP Review

  Solarsteinn  are  a  1  man  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking,  pagan,  melodic  black  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2014  ep  "The  Challenge  Of  Thor".

  Thunder  sounds  and  viking  warships  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  dark  sounding  synths  which  leads  up  to  acoustic  guitars  and  flutes  that  add  in  a  medieval  folk  music  feeling  to  the  18  minute  track  which  can  also  be  very  epic  at  times  and  after  awhile  heavy  and  melodic  guitars  are  added  into  the  song  taking  the  recording  into  a  pagan  metal  direction.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  growls  and  screams  that  are  more  in  tune  with  both  black  and  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  in  the  track  and  in  certain  sections  of  the  track  you  can  also  hear  melodic  viking  chants  and the  synths  also  make  their  return  at  times  giving  the  music  a  symphonic  feeling  and  closer  to  the  end  the  song  speeds  up  a  bit  and  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Solarsteinn  creates  an  18  minute  track  that  brings  in  a  melodic  black/death  metal  sound  and  mixes  it  in  with  pagan,  viking  and  folk  metal  to  create  an  epic  song,  the  production  has  a  very  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  based  on  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow's  Norse  ballads.

  In  my  opinion  Solarsteinn  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking,  pagan,  melodic  black  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  8  out  of  10.

https://solarsteinn.bandcamp.com