One of the upsides to the pandemic of 2020 and 2021 was that some prolific artists used their downtime to write and record some great music. Case in point is Norwegian guitarist / composer Steinar Karlsen. Steinar released his pre-pandemic 2020 album Destination Venus to great acclaim with some writers comparing it to Pink Floyd and even Jimi Hendrix. Although Destination Venus was written in 2018 and recorded in 2019, it did feature Steinar recording with several other musicians. Now in 2022, Steinar has released his newly recorded instrumental album, strangely entitled Eld.

If Destination Venus was a pre-pandemic album, full of sci-fi surf sounds and completed and released before the shutdowns went global, then Eld is truly an album written and recorded during the Winter of 2021-2022. Steinar’s flair for writing deep and pensive instrumental guitar music rises to the surface on Eld and the remarkable thing is that he recorded and played all of the instruments on the album by himself. Instruments played by Steinar on Eld include: electric and acoustic guitars, baritone guitar, bass, banjo, accordion, harmonica, piano, synth and percussion. Returning from the Destination Venus album, though not playing, is Bård Ingebrigtsen who mixed Eld.

Musically, the 10-track, 32 minute Eld is pretty dark sounding; the darkness no doubt influenced by the despairing winter of 2021-2022. While lacking the humor and group interplay, for example, of Destination Venus and even his 2013 album, Hanens Død (Death of the Rooster), Eld rises to the occasion with a series of mostly solo electric guitar pieces that blends exquisite Norwegian-flavored melodies and inventive arrangements.

Speaking about the album title, Steinar says, “The album tittle is a bit hard to translate, but Eld means Flame/Fire. Explained: The album started as a creative project to manage the Covid period. The title, Eld, is as a kind of a driving force to keep on with creativity and writing music during lockdown and canceled concerts.”

Highlights are numerous and in fact, each track on Eld has something to offer. The lead off track “Bluss” (Flare in English) sets the scene with its stark layout. “Skimmer” (Shimmer) is angelic and quite melodic despite its low-key nature; Steinar’s guitar, accompanied by his keyboard backdrop, is quite effective. “Streif” (“Sunbeam”) glistens with progressive rock drama and the apprehension is palpable; Steinar’s guitar equalized by his otherworldly organ / keyboard coloration and occasional banjo jingling. Steinar Karlsen leads guitar fans out of the darkness and into the light with the softly glowing sounds of Eld.