Combine a truck load of punk attitude with black metal vocals and the mentality of an axe murderer, then season the sauce with with generous handful of killer riffs and the result is either a total disaster or a perfect example of ingenuity and original style. Kvelertak belongs in the latter category.
Their debut album carved (with bloody knives) a permanent place in yours truly’s heart, and here in Ilosaarirock the Norwegians were as excellent as you could hope for. After two songs, photography was the last thing in my mind and the mosh pit beckoned even an old trooper like me. Fortunately, there was plenty of water to be had! Things were rowdy in and out of the mosh pit as the vocalist Elrend Hjelviks incited the crowd to even more extreme headbanging. Kvelertak is surely not for the old and the faint-hearted! Finally I had to admit defeat and leave the mosh pit for the younger.
Kvelertak was an excellent addition to this year’s cavalcade of performers, and a living proof that Ilosaarirock goes for diversity when choosing bands. Admittedly, Kvelertak is a popular band in its genre, but perhaps not really something you’d expect to run into at Ilosaarirock.
Text: Mika Martikainen
Translation: Jari Rytkönen
Photo: Mika Martikainen
