Kvelertak () is a Norwegian heavy metal band from

Stavanger Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the administrative center of Rogaland county. T ...

, formed in 2007. The group comprises vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen, guitarists Vidar Landa, Bjarte Lund Rolland and Maciek Ofstad, bassist Marvin Nygaard and drummer Håvard Takle Ohr. Founding member and lead singer Erlend Hjelvik left the group in 2018, being replaced by Ivar Nikolaisen. Most of Kvelertak's songs have Norwegian lyrics, and their main influences are

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw ( lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

and punk rock. The band's self-titled debut album was released in 2010 and sold more than 15,000 copies in Norway. The second album, '' Meir'', was released in 2013, followed by '' Nattesferd'' in 2016 and '' Splid'' in 2020. ''Splid'' was the band's first album with Ivar Nikolaisen on lead vocals.

History

Formation and debut album (2007–2011)

Kvelertak - Erlend Hjelvik - Vocals - Singer

Kvelertak were formed in

, Norway, in 2007. A demo, ''Westcoast Holocaust'', was self-released that year. The band released their debut album, '' Kvelertak'', on 21 June 2010 via the Norwegian record label Indie Recordings, and on 15 March via

The End Records The End Records is a record label in Manhattan that specializes in rock, heavy metal, indie, and electronic music. Early years (1998–2005) The End Records was founded by Andreas Katsambas in Pasadena, California, with the goal of helping ...

in North America. The album was certified gold by

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

in Norway for selling over 15,000 copies. In March 2011, Kvelertak were presented with two Spellemannprisen Awards, a prestigious Norwegian music award similar to the American

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

—for Best Newcomer and Best Rock Band. The Kvelertak song "Mjød" was used as the end music for the film The Troll Hunter.

''Meir'' and ''Nattesferd'' (2012–2017)

The second album, '' Meir'', was released on 25 March 2013 (26 March in the US) via Sony Music Scandinavia in Scandinavia,

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in ...

in the rest of the world, and by Indie Recordings on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

. Kvelertak has also attracted a following from renowned artists such as

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

front man

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...

who, along with the Norwegian

Crown Prince Haakon Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway (; Haakon Magnus; born 20 July 1973) is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He is the only son of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Haakon represents the fourth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal fami ...

, watched the band perform in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. Hetfield also posted a video on his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account of him watching the band and describing the front man Hjelvik as a "savage" frontman. Marvin Nygaard was voted sexiest man in Norway in 2013 The band's third studio album, titled '' Nattesferd'', was released on 13 May 2016. They opened for

on their

WorldWired Tour The WorldWired Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their tenth studio album '' Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', which was released on November 18, 2016. It is also their first worldwide tour after the Wo ...

between September 2017 and May 2018 in Europe, and was also the opening act for

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to r ...

on their Popestar Tour in 2017.

Lineup change and ''Splid'' (2018–present)

In July 2018, Erlend Hjelvik announced that he had left the band. His replacement, Ivar Nikolaisen (of Silver and The Good, The Bad and The Zugly), was announced on 20 July at their show in Fjellparkfestivalen, Flekkefjord – he had previously featured as a guest vocalist on 'Blodtørst'. Kvelertak released their fourth studio album, '' Splid'', on 14 February 2020. Hjelvik released his solo album, ''Welcome to Hel'', on 20 November 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

*''Gojira/Kvelertak Live'' (2013, split with Gojira)

Singles

*"Mjød" (2010) *"Blodtørst" (2010) *" Bruane brenn" (2013) *"Kvelertak" (2013) *"1985" (2016) *"Berserkr" (2016) *"Bråtebrann" (2019) *"Crack of Doom" (feat.

Troy Sanders Troy Jayson Sanders (born September 8, 1973) is an American musician, best known as a member of heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he plays bass and sings alongside guitarist Brent Hinds and drummer Brann Dailor. He is also active in Kille ...

) (2020)

Demos

*''Westcoast Holocaust'' (2007)

Awards

*2010: Two times Spellemannprisen in the categories best Rock band and this years Newcomer, for the self-titled album ''Kvelertak''

Band members

;Current members *Vidar Landa – guitar (2007–present) *Bjarte Lund Rolland – guitar, backing vocals (2007–present) *Marvin Nygaard – bass (2007–present) *Maciek Ofstad – guitar, backing vocals (2009–present) *Ivar Nikolaisen – lead vocals (2018–present) *Håvard Takle Ohr – drums (2019–present) ;Past members *Erlend Hjelvik – lead vocals (2007–2018) *Anders Mosness – guitar (2007–2009), drums (2007–2008) *Kjetil Gjermundrød – drums (2008–2019) ;Others *Steve Moore – drums (session) (2019)

Timeline

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Spellemannprisen winners Norwegian hard rock musical groups Norwegian hardcore punk groups Norwegian black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups from Stavanger Norwegian heavy metal musical groups Roadrunner Records artists