Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week the top spot goes to Kvelertak’s “Krøterveg Te Helvete.”
The wait always feels so long between Kvelertak albums, but we can’t fault the Norwegian thrashers for taking their time. The results rarely disappoint, and if lead single “Krøterveg Te Helvete” is any indication, their fifth studio album Endling will be another rousing slab of infectious extreme metal.
Here, Kvelertak tap into their tried-and-true combination of breakneck hardcore a la The Shape of Punk to Come-era Refused and the black metal of the band’s homeland, as channeled through howls and rasps of vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen. It’s a marvelous pairing — often lovingly tagged “black ’n roll” — that Kvelertak have come to master over the years.
Honorable Mentions:
Dødheimsgard – “Det Tomme Kalde Mørke”
Norwegian sonic explorers Dødheimsgard may have started as a relatively by-the-book third-wave black metal band, but they’ve long since embraced a more varied musical palette including elements of industrial, electronic, and prog. New material from the ensemble is few and far between, due in part to the complexity and maximalism of its art. The uncompromising avant psychedelia of DHG’s latest single “Det Tomme Kalde Mørke” is equally fascinating and uncomfortable, ensnaring the attention of the adventurous listener with its beguiling flow of boundary-leaping ideas.
Frozen Soul – “Glacial Domination (feat. Matt Heafy)”
Frozen Soul enlisted Trivium’s Matt Heafy to produce their sophomore album Glacial Domination, giving the Texas band’s deep-and-gurgly death metal a boost in both fidelity and sonic depth. Heafy joins the band on the LP’s title track, adding his virtuosic touch to the backing guitar tracks and ripping a couple shred solos along the way.
Pissed Jeans – “No Convenient Apocalypse”
After a six-year hiatus, post-hardcore noise rockers Pissed Jeans signaled their return this week with the comeback single “No Convenient Apocalypse.” The band’s absurdist take on the genre — spearheaded by the boisterous blunt-force vocals of Matt Korvette — comes off as particularly relevant in these undeniably absurd times. Think early Jesus Lizard refracted through the past six years of political hoopla, plague, war, and bad news in general.