Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Kvelertak, Rise Records 2020.
Kvelertak is a Norwegian heavy rock/metal band that specialise in blending melodic metal with prog rock and a smattering of death metal.
I’ve commented before about the predilection for the Scandinavians, particularly the Norwegians, to excel in this particular genre of rock and Kvelertak is one of the best.
Splid is their fourth studio album and the band travelled to that well-known den of witchcraft, Salem Massachusetts, to record it with producer Kurt Ballou, who has worked with Converge, Code Orange and Zeal & Ardor among many other heavy outfits.
The album’s title, Splid, means ‘discord’ in English and the band state that the album is: “a deep dive into western gluttony, our own stupidity, and the abyss of the earth.”
I’m not sure whether the comment about stupidity is exclusively directed at the band itself or all of humanity.
The latest single from the album is Fanden Ta Dette Hull and the story behind the song is quite interesting.
“In Stavanger City museum there used to be an exhibition in the basement called “Crooked animals and smiling skeletons. The story behind the name is pretty simple. Most of the skeletons are as old as the museum and they had, after so many years, become crooked and it looked like they were smiling.”
One of the skeletons was that of a man who grew up in the local neighbourhood of the band members some time in the 19th century who was finally given a burial in 2019, and the song is that man’s imagined story.
These guys are good at what they do. The playing is crisp and above all melodic which means that non-metalheads can still find the album enjoyable.
Unlike many other heavy metal bands Kvelertak don’t just rely on massive riffs and volume to bombard the listener into submission instead their songs contain some subtly and enough layering to provide interest.
Metalheads will love this album but even someone who tends toward the more sedate can find aspects to enjoy.
