SOLBRUD is a Black Metal quartet based out of Denmark, and formed in 2009. Their latest album here, titled “III,” has two CD discs, each of them with a running length of over 45 minutes. Taken together, it’s a double album with nearly an hour and a half worth of music. The album has eleven songs. The beastly opening song, titled “Hville,” is over 17 minutes in length. The opening tones are clean and somber, followed by a stretch of grey that seems to last for days. There is also some melody mixed in with the tortured vocals, which brings it to life. The melodies are developed slowly, almost like a well-seasoned stew, and they are monumental at times. “Tåge” is a bit more dark, and mysterious. The sound ranges from devastatingly sad to downright angry, and the two styles are locked in mortal combat. The song is divided into four movements. First, a short introduction. The second is a lengthy song, introducing elements of fire and ice into the music. Fire comes from the energy of the riffs, and ice comes from the lamenting vocals and clean passages.

The third movement is a tortured mix of heavily emotional sounds that run from positive at times, to totally downtrodden at others, and the band is very good at this mix of competing elements. The final movement is another short instrumental with more of a somber feeling. “Ædelråd” is another long song where the torture sinks in slowly, as it is designed to do. First, they grab you with the stark sound, next, they elongate it, mix in some hope, and then all is dashed at the end where they drive the feeling of hopelessness home. “Sjæleskrig” is totally unlike a Black Metal song, cueing in the band’s diversity. The clean tones drip with tension, but as the drums provide a steady pace, the melody really shines through, as does an ominous feeling, like it is the end of the world.

“En Ild Som Tusind Sole” transitions from clean tones in the opening to absolute filth, expanding with a scream, and then back again. As a listener, you can feel your emotions being played with, and that is the mark of a good album. “Aske” begins with clean tones that transition like a coming storm. At first, all is calm, next, the winds pick up and the skies grey, and then comes thunder, lightning, and rain. “Postlude” wraps things up, embodying many of the mysterious elements of the album, and I appreciate the fact that they band isn’t unwrapping all of these elements, because it makes the listener explore them more closely. This isn’t your usual Black Metal release. The band works melody into each composition, as well as a range of emotions. Even for its lengthy running time, it never gets boring. They explore as much territory as I have heard a Black Metal band explore and leave no stone unturned. This is an album for all fans of the genre.