Holy Shit! Kvelertak did it. "Splid", the first record with their new singer Ivar Nikolaisen, is a frantic testimony of the sheer mastery the Norwegians have been shedding onto us ever since the release of their debut in 2010 (ten years ago already!). Kvelertak immediately had a loyal following that cherished the "Black Metal meets Turbonegro" style that was really fresh and groundbreaking. While many fans were not sure how the departure of Erlend Hjelvik in 2018 would affect the sound of Kvelertak, the answer could not be clearer. While staying true to their trademarks, the six musicians reinvent themselves and vary their sound in a gripping way.
The opener "Rogaland" has an epic intro and hits you with twin (or even triple) lead guitar and solo galore. Then "Crack of Doom" (featuring Mastodon's Troy Sanders) reminds me a bit of Soilwork (when the clean vocals begin). We get speeding Black Metal heaviness ("Necrosoft") and incredibly tight instrumental interaction ("Discord"). We could have known all will be fine when we first listened to "Bråtebrann" which was published two months ago. What a mix of aggressive parts and an anthemic chorus. "Uglas Hegemoni" then invokes the spirit of The Hellacopters while the intro of "Tevling" seems to pay homage to Rush's "Time Stand Still". With the eight minute long piece "Delirium tremens", Kvelertak prove that unleashing hell is their strength - while at the same time staying on top of things. Just imagine what this will be like at a concert. The mix of shorter songs and longer pieces is just perfect, and the album draws inspiration from the band's former records while at the same time adding new facets to the sound. And that English is now a part of some songs doesn't water down the uniqueness in any way. The return of producer Kurt Ballou (who was responsible for the the bone-crushing sound of the first two albums) definitely adds to the greatness of the record. It's not that I didn't like the more classic-rock oriented sound of the 2016 record "Nattesferd", but I always preferred the blazing ironness of "Kvelertak" and "Meir".
The opener "Rogaland" has an epic intro and hits you with twin (or even triple) lead guitar and solo galore. Then "Crack of Doom" (featuring Mastodon's Troy Sanders) reminds me a bit of Soilwork (when the clean vocals begin). We get speeding Black Metal heaviness ("Necrosoft") and incredibly tight instrumental interaction ("Discord"). We could have known all will be fine when we first listened to "Bråtebrann" which was published two months ago. What a mix of aggressive parts and an anthemic chorus. "Uglas Hegemoni" then invokes the spirit of The Hellacopters while the intro of "Tevling" seems to pay homage to Rush's "Time Stand Still". With the eight minute long piece "Delirium tremens", Kvelertak prove that unleashing hell is their strength - while at the same time staying on top of things. Just imagine what this will be like at a concert. The mix of shorter songs and longer pieces is just perfect, and the album draws inspiration from the band's former records while at the same time adding new facets to the sound. And that English is now a part of some songs doesn't water down the uniqueness in any way. The return of producer Kurt Ballou (who was responsible for the the bone-crushing sound of the first two albums) definitely adds to the greatness of the record. It's not that I didn't like the more classic-rock oriented sound of the 2016 record "Nattesferd", but I always preferred the blazing ironness of "Kvelertak" and "Meir".
"Splid" is Norwegian for discord. But when it comes to the band as such, the record could be called "enhet", unity. The sound like they're at peace with the world and themselves. Even if that saying is a bit odd considering the metres high walls of distortion and raging musical fury. But you may get what I'm saying.
"Splid" by Kvelertak was released on Friday, February 14th, via BMG Rights (Warner). Here you can listen to "Bråtebrann":