Pär Hulkoff, (born in 25. August 1980 in Karungi) known by his stage name Hulkoff, is a Swedish musician. His first releases were as the lead singer and guitarist for

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

band Raubtier in 2009, and then country-rock group Bourbon Boys. Since 2017 he has been active as a solo artist, making

Nordic folk Nordic folk music includes a number of traditions of Nordic countries, especially Scandinavian. The Nordic countries are Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The many regions of the Nordic countries share certain traditions, many of w ...

influenced

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

under the name Hulkoff. Hulkoff's solo sound has been compared to that of fellow power metal band

Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armor that covers the foot. History Fourteenth and fifteenth century sabatons typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following fashionable shoe shapes o ...

. In fact he featured their lead singer, Joakim Brodén, on his 2017 album ''Kven''. He started his interest in music around age nine, and he can sing fluently in both his native Swedish and English. In his life outside of music, Hulkoff is a keen hunter and outdoors man.

Works and style

Hulkoff's original band was Raubtier. They released their first album, ''Det finns bara krig,'' in 2009. He released his first country-rock album with Bourbon Boys, ''Shotguns, Trucks & Cattle'', in 2013. The album was praised for its 'fast and catchy' tunes with ' whisky-soaked vocals'. Hulkoff's first solo record ''Kven'' was released in 2017. It received more mixed reviews, with some critics praising its 'formidable force' as 'true warrior metal'. However, others noted the fairly conventional song structure and 'genre-typical melodies' in some parts. That same year, Hulkoff also contributed a country-rock song, entitled ''These Guns,'' to the soundtrack of the

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

'' Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China.'' In early 2020 he released a new solo single, ''Ingvar'', which he revealed was from an upcoming album entitled ''Pansarfolk.'' The album will be released in two editions, one with the lyrics sung in English and the other in Swedish. ''Pansarfolk'' was released on the 25th of September and sold out of all physical copies on pre-order alone. It hit number one on the Swedish heavy metal album charts during the first week of release. Anders Johannsson, former drummer with

HammerFall HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. History Early days (1993–1996) HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremonial ...

and now

ManOWar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...

, features on most tracks on the album. It also includes more traditional Nordic instrumentation than previous Hulkoff albums, including the

Talharpa The talharpa, also known as a tagelharpa (tail-hair harp) or the stråkharpa (bowed harp), is a four-stringed bowed lyre from northern Europe. It was formerly widespread in Scandinavia, but is today played mainly in Estonia, particularly among t ...

and the Nyckelharpa. Early reviewers called ''Pansarfolk'' "fighting folk metal, full of fervour and a primal passion that comes from the woods of northern Sweden" and "like ''

The Devil Went Down to Georgia "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and performed by the Charlie Daniels, Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album ''Million Mile Reflections''. The song is written in the key of D minor. Vassar Clements originally wr ...

'' on power metal steroids"

References

{{Authority control Power metal musical groups Living people 21st-century Swedish male musicians Swedish heavy metal guitarists Year of birth missing (living people)