Norway’s Kvelertak are a relatively new band, this being their second release, and first on a major label (Roadrunner Records). Starting in 2007, Kvelertak managed to avoid the trappings of their Scandinavian compatriots. The band decided to pass on the corpse paint, sing in Norwegian and splice balls-to-the-wall rock n roll, dirty hate-fuelled punk rock and chaotic black metal all into a Molotov cocktail of grooving riffs, pounding drums and borderline nihilistic spite courtesy of vocalist Erlend Hjelvik.
Meir, which is Norwegian for ‘more’, is a swaggering statement of intent. Recorded in God City Studios in Salem, Massachusetts by world renowned producer Kurt Ballou (Converge) and is graced by the outstanding artwork of John Baizley (Baroness). Musically, Meir sounds like a bar fight between Entombed, Cancer Bats and Dark Throne in the dankest seediest bar you’ve ever visited, where Motorhead drinks every night and Foo Fighters are the house band – sounds like a good time right? Well, you’d be right in thinking that. Meir is a mammoth; the production is warm and organic without being too polished.
Opening tracks ‘Apenbaring’ and ‘Spring Fra Livet’ hit the listener in the face like a sack of concrete potatoes. Kvelertak certainly don’t hold back on this album, they play by their own rules and wear their influences on their collective sleeves. Tracks like ‘Undertro’ and lead single (and probably one of the best music videos you would have seen in recent times) ‘Bruane Brenn’ (loosely translated to ‘The Bridges are Burning’) are going to be absolute powerhouse additions to their live arsenal, which if stories are true is already a phrenetic experience.
Kvelertak have not reinvented the wheel, nor are they treading water, they have simply created a kick ass rock record that keeps your head nodding. Let’s see what these Norwegian Hellraisers do next.
Roadrunner
8/10
Reviewer: Luke Cowan