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

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...

band

Raubtier Raubtier (German language, German for "predator") is a Swedish language, Swedish industrial metal band from Haparanda. They released their debut album, ''Det finns bara krig'' ("There is only war" in English language, English), in 2009.< ...

in 2009, and then

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

group Bourbon Boys. Since 2017, he has been active as a solo artist, making Nordic folk influenced

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

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 armour, body armor that covers the foot. History Sabatons from the 14th and 15th centuries typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following poulaines, f ...

. In fact he featured their lead singer, Joakim Brodén, on his 2017 album ''Kven''.

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 Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. 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 A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

'' 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 25 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. They have released thirteen studio albums. History Early days (1993–1996) HammerFall was formed when g ...

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 n ...

, 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), hiiu kannel (originally hiiurootsi (which meant Vormsi island located on the halfway to Hiiumaa) kannel) or stråkharpa (bowed harp), is a two to four stringed bowed lyre from northern ...

and the

Nyckelharpa ''Nyckelharpa'' (, roughly "keyed fiddle" in Swedish language, Swedish, , plural: ) is a "keyed" Bowed string instrument, bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across med ...

. 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 recorded by American music group Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album '' Million Mile Reflections''. The song is written in the key of D minor. Although uncredited, Vassar ...

'' on power metal steroids"

Personal life

Hulkoff 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 outdoorsman.

References

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