For about a decade, Erlend Hjelvik lent his burly, elemental growl to the great Norwegian metal band Kvelertak. Kvelertak made supremely kickass party-ready death ‘n’ roll, and the fact that Hjelvik sang entirely in Norwegian was never a stumbling block. Two years ago, Hjelvik left Kvelertak, and the band recruited new singer Ivar Nikolaisen. The change didn’t slow Kvelertak down; they released the excellent Splid, their first LP with Nikolaisen, earlier this year. And now Hjelvik has ventured off on his own, and he seems to be kicking a lot of ass, too.

Today, Hjelvik has released his solo debut Welcome To Hel, and it’s the same kind of fearsome good-time metal that the man used to make with Kvelertak. Hjelvik has assembled a band of musicians who have been in bands like Benighted and Skelator, and they’ve made a real crusher of an album.

Interestingly enough, the new Kvelertak and Hjelvik albums both feature songs in English, something neither ever attempted before. Matt Pike, from High On Fire and Sleep, guests on “Glory Of Hel,” and he and Hjelvik sound awesome together. Stream the whole album below.

Welcome To Hel is out now on Nuclear Blast.