Kvelertak – Kvelertak

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Every year needs its essential party metal album, and since Skeletonwitch and 3 Inches of Blood both took 2010 off from recording, Norwegian miscreants Kvelertak have gladly filled in with their self-titled debut. While it’s true that Kvelertak’s sound incorporates elements of D-beat and black metal, two of the bleakest, world-weariest genres in existence, it serves them up in a punk metal framework that absolutely teems with energy and excitement. All of the lyrics are in Norwegian, but it hardly matters when the choruses are so easy to shout along to and the riffs are so infectious. This band might be consigned to the “hipster metal” distinction by some genre elite thanks to their John Dyer Baizley cover artwork and obsession with beards and the major key, but with their fusion of Disfear and Baroness with just a drop of black metal for good measure, they’ve forged a totally new sound, and one that they’re able to execute flawlessly. It’s no hyperbole to say that Kvelertak is one of the most important albums of the year; it just happens that it’s also one of the most fun.

Written by Brad Sanders
More: 2010, Albums, Post Rock/Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Kvelertak