KVELLING ABOUT KVELERTAK

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 3:00pm by

Of all the cool shit I’ve heard so far this year, not much of it has been of the reasonably-straight-forward rock variety. But Norway’s Kvelertak just changed all that. The band – whose debut album features John Baizley art, in case you couldn’t tell – is streaming a new song, “Offernatt,” on their MySpace page, and it rocks n’ rolls like Fred Flintstone’s car.

Musically, I’m not even sure if it’s fair to call this metal – it’s very much along the lines of harder-edged Baroness. But the vocals are definitely metal. So maybe think about what it might be like if Tomas Lindberg fronted Baroness. And it’s insanely catchy – this might be that good weather music I was looking for. (So, of course, it’s fucking freezing out today.)

As a bonus, the song also comes with guest vocals from Trap Them’s Ryan McKenney. I’m not a big Trap Them fan, but I know a lot of you folks are, and if his presence gets more of you to check this band out, I’m all for it.

Seriously, give this song a listen – it’s pretty cool. Kvelertak’s debut album (which I’m assuming is self-titled, since I can’t find the name listed anywhere and there’s no mention of it in the press release) comes out in Europe on June 21 on Indie Recordings, and… I guess the rest of us will just have to go fuck ourselves. No, I kid. I’m sure it will, ahem, somehow find its ways to our shores sooner rather than later. The band is also touring Europe with Converge and Kylesa, which makes perfect sense.

-AR

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dre-Toledo/628955415 Dre Toledo

    They sound really great!

  • matty2fatty

    Why are owls all the rage now?

  • Lard

    Looks like the art was done by the same guy who did the cover for the Blue record, the band is good tho’

    • Alex_P

      It is done by the same dude. John Baizley, of Baroness.

    • stu1

      Sweet baby jesus

      • Lard

        No need to cut my face off with a chainsaw, it was an honest uninformed mistake

        • boob

          The world doesn’t hate you. Cheer up.

  • Loves2Spooge

    @Lard – Out of the mouths of babes

  • DK0

    That song was great, looking forward to hearing the whole thing.

    But how exactly are you “not sure if it’s even fair to call this metal”? Are we going to start calling Sabbath “not metal” cause there was no blast beats? ohh wait you only had to make it to song 2 out of 3 on their page to hear a blast beat so i guess its not that..

    Seriously what is not metal about this bands sound?

    Anyone else think that new songs reminds them of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster minus the sucky parts?

    • Nostradumbass

      Agreed. Sounds like metal to me. It’s funny how us metal folk are so picky about what makes something metal or not. Anyone who isn’t into metal would totally consider this metal.

      As for the Sabbath question I remember reading someone’s comments on here saying Sabbath and Maiden aren’t metal by todays standards. So are Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis not rock when compared to the Rolling Stones or The Who?. Is a Commodore 64 not a computer because it is slow and can’t do as much as todays computers. Is a… get my point?

    • Kuranes

      1

    • Aaron

      Agreed. I knew this was Axl posting before I even saw the author.

  • Alex_P

    Yeah, this is certainly metal. It just successfully rocks, like Swansong-era Carcass. You aren’t used to that.

    Thank you so much for this suggestion. This is hands down the best recommendation your site has made this year.

  • Miltbrann

    Kvelertak rules. They are awesome live, i saw them with Nattefrost last summer.

  • Miltbrann

    They have two songs from their demos for download, available here: http://www.nrk.no/urort/Artist/Kvelertak/default.aspx . Just click “Last Ned”

    • Kuranes

      The song “Ordsmedar av Rang” is FUCKING KILLER.

  • soy el niño más bonito

    balls out metal. i dig it.

  • regularluke

    Hahahaha I was scrolling down, and the cover came up, and I said to myself, “oh, that HAS to be a John Baizley.” Sure enough…

    Can’t wait to check this out. I saw Baroness the other night with God and God (2) and VT, and they had the best performance of the night. Just slayed.

  • Matthew Grant Anson

    If I like Baroness, Kylesa, Mastodon, Intronaut, etc., is this worth my time? The art definitely is, but the music?

    • Alex_P

      If you like rock ‘n roll, it’s worth your fucking time. It isn’t really sludge, even if they hang with a sludge crowd.

  • Fufkin

    The music, the apparent owl fixation… no downsides here.

  • Kuranes

    That was excellent. I knew I came here for some reason.

  • CtrlZ

    fucking solid, MS sucks a little less today. ;)

  • shreddies

    i love this shit.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Quentin-Wilkins/100001046551530 Quentin Wilkins

    Definitely metal and well worth 5 minutes of my time.

  • KMFCM

    yeah, no

    • stu1

      Go listen to something brootal and mosh, hessian.

  • Kevin

    Best thing I have heard in a while…

  • eric

    The song is so rocking, instant love

  • jj

    I love how that owl stares at you. He’s all “Yeah, I got bitches wi’ me. Whassup?”
    Awesome song too

  • Insomnivore

    So what’s the deal with John Baizley and twins? All of his cover artwork has twins. Anybody ever asked him in an interview? I’m sort of intrigued.

    • Alex_P

      Probably a fantasy of his.

  • DidgeryDo

    Cool. I’m looking forward to June 21st.

  • alex_z

    for me art is similar to pig destroyer’s phantom limb

    • Alex_P

      Same dude, I think.

  • Ross

    If anyone is wondering why the owls it’s because their name means owl penis in Norwegian.

    • Alex_P

      Best. Bandname. Ever.

    • Nils Johanson

      Thanks for spreading misinformation. The band names means stranglehold.

      • Hunga

        No, I’m pretty sure it means owl penis

        • horekuk

          yeah, it’s ambiguous, definitely means owl penis

      • Dayv

        I was happier before the correction.

    • Dysenteric

      That Kvelertak meaning “owl penis” thing was a joke that some people were daft enough to believe.

      Nils is correct.

  • alex_z

    cool 1st song, and others too! & also sound is great! it’s somethin between metal & rock (southern for example), i love it & i’d loke to get such kind of sound for myself

  • grotto

    Their myspace blog sez worldwide release of the album in September.

  • aparatmati

    great band. they take Turbonegro worship to a new level. i think it’s more hardcore punk to me with metal influences.

    i like the fact that they sing in their native language. awesome band since Los Crudos.

    they have became my favorite band.