Kvelertak (NOR)
From Odin to blood thirst... and everything in between
From the land of fjords and baby-faced Eurovision Song Contest winners a booming noise is heard, made by a band that is like Late Night with Conan O'Brien's If They Mated section set up in the music scene. Kvelertak (which means, sympathetically enough, 'a chokehold') from Norway is a prime example of just such bizarre coupling of musical styles. Imagine Misfits in bed with both Satyricon and Turbonegro. The result of is an unheard-of mixture made up of hardcore, punk, black metal and hard rock, and it sounds exhilaratingly dangerous, energetic, flabbergasting and catchy. Do you still remember how it felt like when you first heard Entombed's classic album To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth? If the answer is yes, you will love Kvelertak.
The combo was founded in Stavanger in 2007, and in 2010 they released their critically acclaimed debut album that opened the lid of the Pandora's box called fame and success for the band. Even at this early stage of their career, Kvelertak had friends in high places: the debut was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, and guitarist/vocalist John Baizley from Baroness had applied his artistic touch to the album's cover. On their massive, 33-show European tour on the summer following the album release, Kvelertak was kept company by Kylesa and the aforementioned Converge. This, in spite of a language barrier and all: Kvelertak sings in Norwegian, and supposedly finds themes for their songs from the ancient Norwegian mythology and Viking stories. Wall of sound built from the noise of three guitars makes a sturdy foundation for vocalist Erlend Hjelvik's otherworldly grunt. Booking Kvelertak for Ilosaarirock Festival will probably save the festival organisers the trouble of taking down the gigantic YleX stage after the show – the Norwegian sextet will most likely have blown it to pieces anyway. Metal and rock'n'roll with intensity hardly seen over the last few years, that's Kvelertak!
