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Kvelertak: Kvelertak

09/11/11 || revenant

So by now I expect most readers will have already heard of Kvelertak, being the next big thing and all that. Seems that every man and their dog who can string legible sentences together is out there filling the retardnet with glowing reviews of this band. Well I guess it’s time GD gave this a once over, wouldn’t you agree?

So first, let’s look at what these fuckers play. It’s a style that isn’t easy to explain in a short succinct manner. Metal Archives have taken the easy way out, calling it simply “black metal/punk”, which in reality only scratches the surface. Most songs pack around four to five different styles in them each. Predominantly you get punk, but also classic rock, hardcore, classic metal and even folk inspired moments, all the while giving the vibe of a party record. One minute you’ll be reminded of Hendrix or Led Zeppelin, only to find seconds later a black metal passage kicks in before again they switch over to resemble The Donnas. Just reading the description you’ll probably think this album would be a schizophrenic shitstorm, but therein lies the talent of this band. It all just comes together and fucken works.

One of the questions I asked myself over and over when listening to this and pondering this review is how, and why, does this fucken work so well? In listening to this album, I draw my own conclusions which are: 1) the band has incredible attention to detail in their songwriting. Everything in the music seems carefully planned and the music is filled with so many small touches that amplify and never feel out of place. Two examples that stand out in my mind are the claps in “Mjød” or the piano in “Blodtørst”, both small touches that are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but this attention to every little aspect is what makes the songs so great.

The second reason is that the music is just some damn infectious. It’s the rhythms, the party atmosphere, the sheer spirit of a band performing music they love that really drives this music. It’s just so damn catchy. All the lyrics are in Norwegian, but even as a non-Norwegian speaker you just want to jump in and sing along. Sure you’ll sound like a fucktard to a Norwegian speaker by completely fucking the words up “ken lee” style, but it’s all in the fun of it.

Right now you’re probably thinking how can this record contain elements of black metal yet be infectious party fun. Admittedly there isn’t a lot of metal in this record. Sure, it’s a heavy record, but it’s more punk and rock driven. The black metal elements consist of a few rapidly picked tremolo sections, plus the distinctive raspy vocals which are a little like those of Tomas Lindberg. This alone won’t be enough for the trve, grvm kvlt black metallers out there, who’ll no doubt consider this a record for hipsters (who will probably be drawn to this record, but I digress), but in all honesty, they are not the intended audience anyway.

I hate joining mainstream opinion and jumping on the bandwagon of the next big thing, but in the instance of Kvelertak I’ll make an exception. Their self titled debut is a fantastic record, one that has me cursing I didn’t find it earlier. Consider my top 5 of 2010 now revised – Forbidden is out and Kvelertak now occupy fifth place. This is a top notch record. If you haven’t gotten around to checking this band out yet, then I suggest do so now. You need this more than a sexual predator needs a passed out drunk girl at a party.

8,5

Information
Released: 2010
Label: Indie Recordings
Website: Kvelertak MySpace
Band
Erlend Hjelvik: vocals
Maciek Ofstad: guitars
Vidar Landa: guitars
Bjarte Lund Rolland: guitars
Marvin Nygaard: bass
Kjetil Gjermundrød: drums

Tracklist
01. Ulvetid
02. Mjød
03. Fossegrim
04. Blodtørst
05. Offernatt
06. Sjøhyenar (Havets Herrer)
07. Sultans of Satan
08. Nekroskop
09. Liktorn
10. Ordsmedar av Rang
11. Utrydd dei Svake

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