Kvelertak shamelessly draw inspiration from every corner of something that could fit into their idea of good hard-hitting and catchy rock'n'roll. Regardless of genre, but always truthful to the basic idea of the band; good songs performed with the tongue-in-cheek attitude of their punk-rock pioneers. Unlike the majority of heavier bands they sing in their native language - adding even more character to their already unique sound.

Releasing their much anticipated debut album, Kvelertak are already well known in Norway for their furious live energy and catchy, melodic, metal-inspired punk rock. Outside Norway they are fairly unknown... yet.

It is a classic story; A bunch of good friends decide to create a band. It turns out to be a very good band, and from the start in 2007 things have been going very fast for these young lads from the west coast of Norway. National radio airplay and stunning live performances have taken them to some of the biggest festivals in the country and also to the infamous Roskilde festival in 2009, where they performed in front of 3000 crazy fans. Quite astonishing for a (then) unsigned act with a few demos.

A classic performance at the Eurosonic Festival in Holland spawned this review in the festival paper:
"Norway and black metal are hand in glove. A bloody serious matter at that, with emphasis on bloody and serious. High time for a more light-hearted look at the case, preferably by a compatriot. Enter Kvelertak, a delicious motley crew from Stavanger that uses the Turbonegro method for its black metal approach: an orgy of thickly sliced punk rock and good old rock & roll in IMAX 3D format. In other words: completely over the top, these six rocking rascals with a three-man guitar front, going for all sacred cows in the aforementioned genres with undisguised fun and catchy melodies. Whether the listener will like it? Let's put it this way: once gripped by Kvelertak you never want anything else."

Late 2009 Kvelertak inked a deal with Indie Recordings and the search for a producer started. On top of the list was the name of Kurt Ballou of Converge, and it is no surprise the band went ballistic when he agreed to produce the album in his God City studio in Salem, MA.

Guitarist Bjarte Lund Rolland comments:
"Kurt was on top of our dream-list of producers. His records always sound amazing; they have that driving energy and the punchy drums we were looking for. To have him say yes to our humble request was the best thing that could have happened to this record. Kurt had a plan from the beginning, and was able to produce exactly the sound we were hoping for."

The story actually repeated itself when it came to finding the right artwork. All time favorite of the band, John Baizley of Baroness, heard a demo while on tour and felt he absolutely had to do the art, which Kvelertak absolutely agreed on.

From the very first demos Kvelertak had a tradition of bringing in people whose work they admired to guest on their songs. Early demos include classic performances of amongst others Nattefrost (Carpathian Forest). The debut album keeps the tradition alive and sees great performances by Hoest (Taake), Andreas Tylden (JR Ewing and Altaar), Ivar Nikolaisen (Silver), and Ryan McKenney (Trap Them). All of which add their unique touch to their respectively tracks.

This summer Kvelertak heads out on a massive European tour with Converge and Kylesa, marking the first European tour for the band.
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Source: http://www.myspace.com/kvelertak