For many years, the great Norwegian destroyers Kvelertak have combined seething underground metal ferocity with fists-up classic rock hooks. Kvelertak are a huge deal in their homeland, and they’ve got a sterling reputation among sick-riff appreciators the world over. A few years ago years ago, Kvelertak pulled off something very difficult. The band’s longtime singer Erlend Hjelvik had left the band. Kvelertak replaced him with a new singer, Ivar Nikolaisen, and they didn’t miss a beat. Splid, the band’s first album with Nikolaisen, was awesome. (Hjelvik also released a very good solo album in 2020.) Now, Kvelertak are doing it again.

This September, Kvelertak will release their new album Endling — Norwegian for Ending. It’ll be their second LP with Ivar Nikolaisen as lead singer. This time around, the band is playing around with some new toys, like synths and pianos. Here’s how guitarist Vidar Landa describes the record: “On Endling, we tell the stories of the extinct and dying men and women of Norway. Old and new myths, culture, and rituals come to life — the folklore that doesn’t fit a TV series concept. Vikings and trolls are for television. This is the real deal.” Sounds like a party!

Today, Kvelertak have shared “Krøterveg Te Helvete,” the new album’s first single. (Google tells me that the title translates to “Krøterveg Tea Hell,” which is awfully mysterious.) The song starts out as a big, mean, loud garage rocker — a bit like the Armed, if the Armed decided to become a Hives tribute band. Midway though, though, there’s a breakdown with a brief but tremendous mosh part and then a whole lot of triumphant Thin Lizzy-style soloing. This is just an utterly badass rock song all around. The video is mostly just the band playing in a black-and-white void, at least until the owl shows up on the breakdown. Below, check out the “Krøterveg Te Helvete” video and the Endling tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Krøterveg Te Helvete”
02 “Fedrekult”
03 “Likvoke”
04 “Motsols”
05 “Døgeniktens Kvad”
06 “Endling”
07 “Skoggangr”
08 “Paranoia 297”
09 “Svart September”
10 “Morild”

Endling is out 9/8 on Petroleum/Rise.