The winter this year has brought with it not only rain and cold as well Sólstafir that with the opening acts Esben And The Witch and Obsidian Kingdom, were in the beautiful city of Porto for the last concert of this release tour of Ótta album.
The show started at exactly the appointed time, which meant that some people lost the first band, Obsidian Kingdom, coming from neighbouring lands, more specifically, Barcelona. The Spaniards came to Portuguese lands with the relaunch of their album Mantiis - An Agony In Fourteen Bites, with songs such as Endless Wall and Last of the Light. The contrasts present throughout the concert, where the clean and pure turned into darkness, were what saved this concert because the affluence was so low that only with a lot of maturity the band managed to overcome this barrier. In farewell tone, the howling of And Then It Was left a prolonged feedback in room 2 of Hard Club.
Esben And The Witch took the stage and the room slowly began compose itself, so that no one loses what the British had in store for us. The setlist, composed only by 4 songs of their recent album The New Nature, could not have been more perfect. The soft initial notes of Press Heavenwards! from the beginning led the audience into a trance state where the angelic but raw voice of Rachel Davies took our minds beyond the walls of the venue. Followed Dig Your Fingers In that silenced and completely mesmerized everyone present there, a romantic setting that remained in the theme No Dog. Despite the mystery and "shyness" that the whole band appears, they showed how happy they were to return to Porto, a city that is very dear to their hearts. The concert ended with the expected The Jungle, which featured one of the most beautiful and exciting scenarios witnessed in this place, from where no one wanted to leave.
Without delay, Sólstafir were on stage and they brought all the best that Iceland has to offer, good and heavy post-rock / metal. With a nearly full room, the real ice cowboys gave beginning to show with Köld, followed by the themes of their latest album, Lágnætti, Rismál and Ótta, this last one counting with the melodious touch of Pjúddi banjo, which is so characteristic of this Icelandic band. After a visit to album Svartir Sandar with Þín Orð, Addi tore the pain threshold with anguished screams and wailing guitars of Dagmál. Between jokes and laughs, the vocalist imposed the law for silence, so that only his voice would chant in the room. Náttmál and Svartir Sandar were supposed to be the last themes that the setlist had for us, but the Icelanders still were not ready to leave us. The grand finale took place in collaboration with Rachel Davies in Fjara, where her gruff voice perfectly complemented the perforating and deep voice of Addi and all the surrounding instrumental. Everything was prepared for the end when we were surprised by Goddess of the Ages, the only song which name is pronounceable by the public. It’s amazing how four men dressed in cowboy clothes can carry with them such a heavy burden that results in the most dramatic and beautiful concerts seen in Porto’s soil.
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