Iceland has a reputation for yielding sonic mavericks, and Solstafir is no exception. When vocalist Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (who sings in his native tongue predominantly) cofounded the band in 1995, it unleashed a stripped-down black-metal attack. However, by the release of its second full-length, 2005’s Masterpiece of Bitterness, Solstafir had shifted gears, conjuring post-metal atmospherics that exude all the grim beauty of the famous lava fields dotting its members’ homeland. Subsequent releases have found the band increasingly embracing left-field styles beyond heavy metal. The 2012 release Svartir Sandar unveils what would become Solstafir’s trademark use of galloping rhythms inspired by gothic Americana and spaghetti-western scores; 2017’s Berdreyminn finds the band drawing ambient textures, classical instrumentation, and Pink Floyd-informed ethereality into its expansive compositions.