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Preview Fri Oct 21 2011
Catchy Norwegian Metal (Yes, Really)
Over the last year, numerous publications have reviewed Kvelertak's debut album. There's been a lot of praise, but not a lot of agreement on what to call it. Some metal sites love it and claim it for the genre. Others say, "This isn't really metal." The latter lump it in with hardcore punk, as if that's a bad thing at all. However it shakes out, the Norwegian band's self-titled record is a tour de force of devastating riffs, pummeling rhythms, a hell of a lot of melody (all things considered) and exuberant screaming. Did you ever listen to the Blood Brothers and think they should have been way heavier even at their most psychotic? Do you like Enslaved but wish half their songs were streamlined? Kvelertak is the band that answers those yearnings. Whether it's thrash or black metal or hardcore or garage rock you want, Kvelertak covers it without harping on any of it too much. For a preview of what you might hear, check out the video for "Mjød." (Note: Unless you work for a morgue, that video is probably NSFW.)
Kvelertak headlines the Empty Bottle on Wednesday, the 26th. Skeletonwitch and Zoroaster play, too. GAZA opens at 9:30pm. The show's 21+ and $12. The Empty Bottle's at 1035 N. Western.