Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.08.2008, Síða 24

24 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 12—2008
CONCERT REvIEW BY SveInn BIRkIR BJöRnSSon — pHoTo BY HöSkARInnCD REvIEWS
Celebrating the release of their respective albums
and the formation of their own record label, Mo-
lestine Records, two Reykjavík metal bands, Mo-
mentum and Celestine, seized the old Iðnó theatre
by the Reykjavík pond for a night of industrial
strength metal music.
The night commenced with an appearance
by Muck, a young sludge metal band that is fast
building a reputation. Musically, these lads have
taken strides since I last saw them and should be
recognised as one of Reykjavík’s more promising
underground bands. They built a thick, airtight
wall of slow riffs that hit like a bulldozer. But as
tight as they sounded, they left a boatload to be de-
sired in stage presence. Isaac Hayes is more alive
than these guys.
I don’t share some people’s enthusiasm for
Ask the Slave. Franky, I find their progish metal
extremely boring, but I’ll readily admit that they
were a vast improvement in stage performance.
Front-man Ragnar has a sense for showmanship
that could propel this band further.
Celestine’s two albums blew me away, but ev-
ery time I’ve seen them play they have failed to live
up to the expectations of that promise. This was
a different story. The band’s recent European tour
and recent recording sessions have honed their
rough edges and inspired them with confidence.
Their guitars tuned down to the last letter of the
alphabet, the band delivered a mind-numbingly
heavy set with scientifically engineered precision
that turned my insides out and left me vibrating
long after I left the venue. Their delivery of Ghost
Orchid was the night’s highlight.
The show’s final act was Momentum, is a
throwback to the golden years of death metal.
Their performance rekindled memories of my
mother banging on the door, demanding that I
“turn that shit down!” Their sound is built around
technical mastery as the three-piece rhythm sec-
tion, featuring 19 strings, bears witness to. They
pulled of a very respectable set, topped by guest
appearance by Ask the Slave’s Ragnar, whose flair
for the high notes established a nice contrast to vo-
calist Hörður’s guttural barking.
Metal: Industrial Strenght
celestine shAke thinGs up.
WHO
Celestine
Momentum
Muck
Ask the Slave
WHERE
Iðnó
WHEN
Friday, August 8
THE vERDICT
Celestine delivered the
goods, aptly backed up by
Momentum and to a lesser
extent, Muck and Ask the
Slave.
THE vERDICT
Shows great promise but
simple compositions soon
become repetitious.
LISTEN & BuY
www.myspace.com/olafur-
arnalds
THE vERDICT
Despite the isolation on
the cover, new Andrúm al-
bum glows right through.
LISTEN & BuY
http://www.myspace.
com/foxfacemusic
Ólafur Arnalds is a jack of all trades. Variations of Static is his sec-
ond album of compositions for piano and strings, following Eulogy
for Evolution (2007). Before starting his solo career, Ólafur had made
a name for himself as a drummer with hardcore bands Fighting Shit
and Celestine – all this at the tender age of 21. Five songs in all, Varia-
tions of Static comes of like a single compositional piece. The mu-
sic is simplistic, rooted in atmospheric creations rather than great
technical display. It is all very pretty and tender at first but soon the
simplistic compositions start to feel naively so, and as a result the al-
bum becomes repetitive, despite its sombre tone. There are certainly
moods and occasions that will fit this album perfectly, but in general
I think this will best be filed in the ‘expect great things from in the
future’ pile.
For some reason, this debut album by the Glascow three-piece Fox-
face ended up on my desk. It is a rather enjoyable mash of folk influ-
enced pop with a dash of rockabilly. This sounds like it could be a
great bar band. The albums strength lies in the steady baritone voice
singer Michael Angus, who sounds a lot like Jarvis Cocker, and the
interplay with songstress Jenny Bell. The songs Last Waltz and Face
Looks Familiar are highlights, but overall, the album could do with
more songs of that quality. There is nothing distinctively great on
display here; mostly it just rolls through without much effort. Easy to
enjoy, but probably easy to forget as well.
ÓlAFuR ARNAldS
Variations of Static
FOxFAcE
This is What Makes Us
RevIeweD BY SveInn BIRkIR BJöRnSSon
RevIeweD BY SveInn BIRkIR BJöRnSSon
Licensing and
registration of travel-
related services
The Icelandic Tourist Board issues licences to tour operators and travel agents,
as well as issuing registration to booking services and information centres.
Tour operators and travel agents are required to use a special logo approved
by the Icelandic Tourist Board on all their advertisements and on their Internet
website.
Booking services and information centres are entitled to use a Tourist
Board logo on all their material. The logos below are recognised by the
Icelandic Tourist Board.
List of licenced Tour
Operators and Travel
Agencies on:
visiticeland.com