Theyve been called a black metal and punk rock but at their hearts Norwegian berserkers Kvelertak are the living, firebreathing incarnation of rock and roll. Since their formation in 2006, theyve built a die-hard fan-base hungry for their utterly ferocious live shows and they havereceived countless critical acclaim with Kerrang! calling them the most exciting new band on the planet. Produced by Converges Kurt Ballou, their second album Meir(which means more in English)is just the ticket for those bored of standard meat and potatoes metal. Bassist Marvin Nygaard translates the universal language of metal for Maniacs.
On the new album Meir
“This one is supposed to have more of a dark theme than the other one, so its like, its the same but not the same. This one, he is stepping away from Nordic mythology. He (vocalist Erlend Hjelvik) is doing something more dark, darker lyrics, more personal and its a different theme. It has nothing to do with Vikings theme. I guess its more his view on how the world is and how his life has been the last couple years. The lyrics are more life yeah, he puts it in a different world, in different words. So its not directly about personal stuff, its more like he puts it in another fantasy.”
On writing in Norwegian instead of English
“People have mentioned it to us that we should do it [write in English]. But no pressure we just want to do what we do. It feels more natural for us. It feels unnatural to sing it in English.”
On the first video from the album Bruane Brenn
“It was supposed to be us as kids. Weve all been playing music since we were kids. We always of course had a dream of just like, not necessarily being a huge band, but just going on the road and having fun. Its more of a party song; its more like a working class song. Its about us being on the road all of the time. We all used to have shitty jobs before this. And every time we had to do a tour or play a show, we almost had to quit our jobs and then get them back when we got home. This song is more about just, burning all of our bridges and doing what we do, being on the road, and never going back to work.”
On the recording process
“The process of making the album was done before we went to the studio, so we all practiced a lot, had most of it written. So going into the studio was just about recording it and getting the right sound.”
On horror movies
“I like scary movies. Human Centipede. Ive only seen the first one. Yeah thats pretty amazing.”
Marbin Nygaard, what makes you a Maniac?
“Im definitely passionate about what Im doing right now. Just playing music. And I have a family. I just had a kid 8 months ago, so Im pretty passionate about him.”
