Norwegian new-comers KVELERTAK shamelessly draw inspiration from every corner of anything that fits into their idea of hard-hitting, catchy, extreme rock 'n' roll regardless of genre, always truthful to the basic idea of the band: good songs performed with the tongue-in-cheek attitude of their punk-rock pioneers. Unlike the majority of heavier bands, they sing in their native language, adding yet more character to their already unique sound.
It’s a classic story: A bunch of good friends decide to create a band. It turns out to be a very good band, and from the start of 2007 things have been on fast forward for these young lads from the west coast of Norway. National radio airplay and stunning live performances have taken them to some of the biggest festivals in the country including the infamous Roskilde festival in 2009, where they performed in front of 80,000 crazy fans. Astonishing for a (then) unsigned act with a few demos.
Their self-titled debut album was released June 21, 2010 via Indie Recordings and continues to receive rave reviews from mainstream media and metal websites alike for its unique Turbonegro/black metal/punk/classic rock/blues elements. Produced by Kurt Ballou and mixed by Alan Douches with artwork by John Baizley and guest appearances by Hoest (Taake), Andreas Tylden (JR Ewing and Altaar), Ivar Nikolaisen (Silver), and Ryan McKenney (Trap Them), Kvelertak has been dubbed “the best Norwegian debut album of all time,” and the band “the new Mastodon.” Simon Young of Kerrang! Magazine named KVELERTAK “the best Norwegian band since A-Ha.” They’ve also been reviewed in virtually every European magazine with near perfect rating including: 9/10 Metal Hammer, 8.5/10 Terrorizer, 88/100 Rock Tribune, 85/100 Aardschok, 4/5 Kerrang! and 4/5 Big Cheese. Decibel Magazine picked up that something great was going on in Europe and gave the record a 9/10. Metalsucks.net followed with a 4/5. Three singles from the album were playlisted on Norway’s main broadcaster NRK P3. "Mjød" was "Single Of The Week" two weeks in a row on BBC radio (UK). In addition, the band filmed a video for the same track which was nominated for best Scandinavian video by the Bergen International Film festival.
KVELERTAK was nominated for two Spellemann awards, (the Norwegian equivalent the The Grammys), in the categories of "Best Newcomer" and "Best Rock Album." The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday March 5. In February KVELERTAK won the Statoil grant and 1,000,000 NOK. The Statoil grant is a prize which helps promising Norwegian bands on the verge of international breakthrough to succeed internationally. |
