So, what’s the deal with the bands and the music obsession?

Music is - along with history - a very important aspect for the founders of Norwegian Rat. Music is an integral part of our working environment, as we listen to it all the time while working. It makes tedious work much less tedious, and the creativity flows better when accompanied by music. The world would certainly be a dull place to live and work in if it had not been for the music.

The musical part of Norwegian Rat is our (con)tribute to good music! This is our way of giving something back to the artists that are providing us with great soundtracks for both work and pleasure.

How does this work then, you might ask? Well, in general we just make band editions of our own gear. This includes denim jackets, tees, hoodies and even jeans (if this should be desirable). The bands themselves have no cost whatsoever in these projects. All they have to do is to provide us with the logos, prints etc and tell us how they want it to look. If we decide we want a new print, we will even pay for that too.

50% of the profit from the sale in our store goes to the artist(s). Our collaborators are of course entitled to get their respective gear out from the store at any time if they want to bring the NR-merch with them on tours etc.

If this should be the preferred choice, they will get the items almost at cost price. We have chosen this modus operandi because this way we are freeing up space and cash flow, and we don't have to spend time on packaging and sending. Plus the fact that we are fully aware of that bands pushing our brand of course have a great marketing value. Just as much as the bands value that we are making stuff for them, we value the work they do in spreading the word of Norwegian Rat.

“No cost? Sounds too good to be true!” Well, is it? It’s not easy making money as an artist. Most of them work their asses off for the sake of passion, and in many cases they’re lucky if they break even after a tour. If we can support artists we like, even if just in a small way, we’re happy to do so!

We started Norwegian Rat because of our passion for history and our desire to make long lasting clothes with Norwegian history attached to it, just as musicians have their passion for music. If we can do this without losing money, in addition to getting the chance to get to know and work with excellent artists and musicians, we’re pretty happy with how this company turned out!

// The Rats

“Play it fuckin' loud!” - Bob Dylan -

So..where to start...

I guess I can start with when I (recently) discovered this band. It's always very, very annoying finding out you've been missing out on very, very talanted bands with a rather characteristic sound you really, really like. Making it even worse is when you find out they've been around for almost two decades or so. Just great... But ok, I guess that's just the result of the transformation in life when shifting gear from a rather carefree state where everything pretty much evolves around music, chicks and festivals, to taking care of mortgage, kids, cats and dayjob etc.

Oh well...enough about that. How to best describe Year Of The Goat? First of all it's not a very easy task, as I would say they have managed to tweak their boogie around the machineheads like no one else. YOTG is a heavyrock-band from Sweden with psychedelic bluesprog tendencies. Their occult thematic combined with immensely catchy tunes makes it very easy to get dragged into their universe, where the "forces of repeat" are very much present! My personal opinion regarding the riff in the song Avaritia is that it has to be one of the most bad-ass riffs in rock history!

As an anecdote regarding my discovery of this band, I felt that there was something I was missing. Sure I could relate to the sound of the more classical bands such as Hawkwind, Blue Cheer and Sabbath etc, but there was something I quite couldn't pinpoint that was bugging the hell out of me. Suddenly, when listening to the "Superbia" track on the Novis Orbis Terrarum Ordinis album, I had an epiphany! "THIS IS DEAR MUTANT!!" And a quick google revealed it all. YOTG are (of course) from Sweden, and Thomas Erickssen also played in Dear Mutant in the early 2000. My hearts always jumps a little when strolling through my collection at my parents house and this release shows up. "Black Rainbow" and "Wonder Why"....oh my...soundtrack of our youth. No wonder YOTG had me within seconds.... - Norwegian Rat -

Finally! After years of asking and nagging these guys about permission to add them to our music page they have finally responded and granted us permission. For those of you who have roamed our music page it's no secret that we are pretty fond of garage rock'n'roll, so we're once again beyond thrilled about the listing of the mighty Sewergrooves to our music page!

Musically the Sewergrooves has got a swingin' pop approach to their garage rock. They've got a refined, tender and sexy sound, but with an edge and boldness few others hold. Their tunes possess plenty of feel-good-aura that makes your dancin' shoes itch while your drink disappears fast! This is THE band that officially turned me into a vinyl addict. Back in the late 90ies / early 2000 I discovered that these guys was one of "the annoying ones" that released their best tracks on (probably a billion) seven inches, and "the leftovers" on CD's. So when I tell you the cd's are absolutely fantastic, you can add two and two yourself. I actually had to invest in two vintage record players with repeat function thanks to these guys...

It's only a hunch i got, but to me it seems like the Sewergrooves kind of like it in the darkness of the sewer. I'm pretty sure if these guys had decided to make a run for it, they could have become huge! They're still - after over 25 years in the scene - this hidden gem you're always on the hunt for if you're into music and discovering new bands. The Sewergrooves have always been serious about what they do, but the "corner profile" they've kept have made them into this band you got the opinion of that everybody really should know about, but don't. That said we all like to keep our treasures to ourselves. Their introvert approach to the scene, seemingly wishing to keeping it all to the club level, combined with the monster riffs and bad-ass boogie garage rock'n'roll sound, makes the Sewergrooves one big bundle of joy listening to! So in other words: Keep quiet and dont tell anyone, buy all their shit to support them, and go crazy with your turntable! (and who knows..if we're crossing some fingers and other crossable body parts, they might grant us permission to make a few denim jackets down the road too. I will die a happy man if so!) - Norwegian Rat -

Golden Core, a stoner doom duo that plays their stuff so freakin' loud and hard that you actually might just end up feeling a tad nauseous. It's the only band I have ever seen where the guitarist occasionally needed to stroll over to his rack and pull the head to the center to avoid it falling down. 'nuff said... - Norwegian Rat -

Ulver is a Norwegian band founded in 1993 by Kristoffer Rygg. With their debut album "Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler" they wrote themselves into the encyclopedia of classic black metal albums, having a more folklore'ish approach to the sound. They have later evolved into a more complex experimental band blending all sorts of genres such as rock, electronica, noise, ambient and other wide-ranging musical styles.

Adding Ulver to our music page is pretty much a milestone in the history of Norwegian Rat! We have always wanted to do a collaboration with these guys, as they have been of tremendous importance when it comes to broadening the musical mind for the founders in NR. Driven by a creative force few others are in possession of, you never know what you get with this band, other than it most likely is a new musical master-piece!

To make a long description short: This band is a musical adventure! - Norwegian Rat -

You can read more on their facebook page here.

After some years of absence from the black metal scene, guitarist Rune Eriksen (Aura Noir, Earth Electric, ex-Mayhem), decides to venture back into the aural landscapes he’s widely known for. Having played with one of Norway’s leading extreme metal bands for years, Eriksen seeks to coalesce classic, cold Scandinavian riffing with an air of darkness and the signature force of death metal.

Combining strengths, Eriksen brings in veterans of the extreme, David Vincent of legendary death metal formation Morbid Angel, as well as acclaimed drummer Flo Mounier from Cryptopsy. The three-piece have completed the work on their debut album, which is slated for release early 2019 via Season of Mist. The new death metal powerhouse will be known under the moniker of VLTIMAS.

The foundation for VLTIMAS was laid when Rune, after collecting a handful of riffs, presented drummer Flo Mounier with the idea of forming a band together. For the two musicians, having composed and recorded numerous songs together in the past, the musical chemistry was already tried and tested. However, one thing was still missing. This extraordinary musical project needed an extraordinary voice and Eriksen got in touch with David Vincent, with whom he had been in contact for years, to finalize the line-up. Vincent had just exited Morbid Angel and was ready for a new chapter in his long spanning career. Everything fell into place, and VLTIMAS came into being.

You can read more here.

The Nomads! The Swedish garage rock legends! They've been around for nearly 40 years now, which is quite a run very few bands live to see. This, in addition to that almost every release they've done is a master piece, makes The Nomads stand out like no one else. Being active for as long as they have, they sure have done their part to contribute to the Scandinavian rock scene, influencing and inspiring bands like The Hellacopters, The Flaming Sideburns, Baby Wooodrose, The Hives, The Robots, The Peepshows, Gluecifer and many many more.

What is quite unique with the The Nomands is that they're in possession of some serious skills where they manage to make every album sound a little bit different, but there's still never any doubt that it is the Nomands you're listening to. It still sounds like garage rock, and it still sounds like the Nomads, but it simply never gets boring! They always sound fresh and sharp with their insanely good riffs, melodies and texts. Basically; If you haven't heard this magnificent gem of a rock'n'roll band, you definitely should check them out now!

It’s with pleasure we’re adding The Good The Bad & The Zugly to our band page! The band with the amusing band name is probably the loudest, dirtiest and foulest band in the whole of Scandinavia!

As self proclaimed saviours of scandirock, these middle-aged, loud and snotty individuals have managed to capture pretty much the essence of each and every legendary punkrock band. They sound like a fierce punk’n’roll monster that ate The Dead Boys, Anal Babes, The Dwarves, Gluecifer, Turbonegro, Electric Frankenstein and Zeke for breakfast. In other words it's a true delight listening to! It’s also worth mentioning that these guys put on one hellowa show on stage, so you know what to do if you're around next time they are playing!

Well this certainly is a milestone! Adding Gluecifer to our band site is something we have always wanted to do, as it happens that this magnificent beast of rock’n’roll machine is one of the favourite bands for 66.6% of the persons in this company. It goes without saying that we're feeling extremely privileged to be adding these guys to our site!

Gluecifer is without doubt one of Norway’s biggest international rock bands, along with Kvelertak and Turbonegro. FOUR already sold out shows at Sentrum Scene in Oslo in Oct\Nov 2018 pretty much confirms this! They played a huge part of the scandirock scene back in mid-nineties with other bands such as The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, The Peepshows and of course their fellow countrymen in Turbonegro. In addition to several albums, they have released shitloads of 7 inches as well. They have also been nominated to «Spellemannsprisen» (Norway's «Grammy») on several occasions.

"(...)I still remember it like it was yesterday, I received 5 copies of a 7" called God's Chosen Dealer, the debut single by this band called Gluecifer from Oslo. I listened to it once at normal volume, then I cranked it up to full blast and gave it another 20 spins. My girlfriend at the time literally had to scrape me off the ceiling with a spatula. I was simply extatic! Who the hell were these guys?" - Egon Holstad, Tromsø, Kill City

You can read the rest of Egons review of Gluecifer on their facebook site here. (Under the about section)

It's a huge pleasure to announce that we're adding The Strollers to our music page! Countless times their music was played at the parties (and of course the after parties) we had back in the days! Needless to say we're super-happy to see they've picked up their instruments again, and we are really looking forward to future releases!

Formed in 1992 the Strollers quickly made a reputation of being one of the wildest & hardest garage rock acts in Scandinavia. They started playing small clubs in Örebro (Sweden) and soon they went to do festivals and toured most parts of Europe. But the wild living and internal fights took its toll and in 2001 the story was over. Or so everyone thought…

The Strollers had a brief reunion in 2006. Now, many years later, the original lineup crawls back up from the grave. After a much appreciated appearance at garage rock legend Jens Lindberg’s (The Maharajas) 50th birthday party the band has now decided to reform. People who witnessed the show will tell you they sounded better than ever!

The Strollers released two nowadays hard to get 45s and two full length albums; “Falling Right Down” (1999, Low Impact Recordings) and “Captain Of My Ship” (2000, Low Impact Recordings). And who knows - maybe there is more to come??

Oslo-baserte The Nika Riots spilte inn EP’en “Set Fire”, lagde to musikkvideoer og signerte platekontrakt allerede før deres første konsert. Medlemmene har fartstid fra band som Man the Machetes, ieatheartattacks og Torch, og holder til i den harde enden av rocken. Metall med en hardcore-holdning og en klype punk. Røff screamo, vokalharmonier og groovy trommer skal få rockefoten og nakken til å bevege seg, gi frysninger langs hele ryggraden og smelte hjertet hos de fleste.

It so happens, every second leap year or so, that you get smacked in the face by a musical awesomeness that is beyond comprehension. We all have experienced those "What the phu*k just happened..?!"-moments, right? Well, this is exactly what happens when you listen to Bokassa for the first time! Despite it being a pure pleasure, it is kind of annoying as well, as all deviations from your tidy genre library screws up your indexing process. But oh well, we can always live with that when we know there is something new and fresh on the table, which is a rarity these days.

So, where to index this beast of a band, then? Well, for one this is not an easy task. I guess you could add a touch of doom and hardcore to the pool of their self proclaimed "stonerpunk"-sound, and you are pretty much halfway there. But to be honest; Instead of trying to write all kinds of superlatives about this band, you really should just turn the volume knob to a good eleven and have a listen for yourself. I guarantee Bokassa will run you over like a freakin' freight train from Fresno!

"This orchestra must have sold their souls to Fanden himself, because it’s certainly not normal coming up with so many kick-ass royal riffs!" - Norwegian Rat -

Gåte was founded by the Sundli siblings in 1999. Their very own combination of traditional folk music and explosive and progressive rock took them from the rehearsal room basement to the big stages in a very short period of time. Between 2001 – 2006 their spectacular live shows, two studio albums, two EP´s and a live album brought them massive success. They sold more than 100 000 albums, went straight to #1 on the national Top 40 album chart in Norway, and they won the Norwegian Grammy for Best New Artist in 2002. In 2017 the critically acclaimed band returns after a 12 year long break.

Read the rest: here!

BardSpec is the Ambient project/band from Enslaved composer/guitarist Ivar Bjørnson. In June 2017 BY NORSE released the debut album “Hydrogen”. Having launched at Roadburn in 2015, BardSpec has since evolved into a fully fledged band, with Steve Austin (Today is the Day) on guitars/effects, David Hall presenting the live visual aspect of the project, with the layout created by Josh Graham (Soundgarden, Neurosis, IIVII, etc.)

BardSpec music combines stirring, hallucinatory synth-sounds with mercurial guitar effects and hypnotic rhythms that navigate illusory landscapes. Field recordings, and other found-sounds also drift and evaporate into the ether. Working intuitively with these elements and with sharpened senses, attuned to inner impulses, this is immersive music, that can exist anywhere, and anytime within the minds of the listener.

You can read more about BardSpec here: bynorse.com/by-norse-music/artists

By Norse isn't exactly a band, but we will add these guys in this section none the less, as it's very much music related. What is quite remarkable about the label is that they wish to use By Norse as a platform to push Norwegian Art, Music, literature, film and culture. By Norse was founded by Einar Selvik, Ivar Bjørnson and Simon Füllemann.

"This idea came to live sometime in late spring 2015 when we decided to release the Skuggsja project on CD and therefore do a release show. We wanted to do this release show a little bit different than usual. That s where it all started and took shape. We added other bands, then we realized that its also Enslaved 25 years to celebrate, so we thought, hey it is absolutely perfect to celebrate it all together in batch. And so we did." - By Norse -

Read the rest of what they have to say here: bynorse.com/about/

Aura Noir formed in Oslo in 1993 as a result of Aggressor and Apollyons’ frustration with the metal underground’s trends and fads – the increasing overuse of keyboards and polished production. Black metal bands were turning into symphonic trite and thrash metal as such had been left for death in the late eighties.

They saw a gap that needed to be filled with something real, something metal. They intended to create a band that combined influences of 80s luminaries such as Sodom, Celtic Frost, Venom, Voivod, Dark Angel etc. Thus, black thrash metal was born.

"These guys are really damn good, and I am looking forward to hearing the rest of their stuff!" - corviderrant -

Read the whole review: here!

Rising from the west coast of Norway comes Jagged Vision. Embracing the rawness of 90s hardcore and combining it with the heavy riffing of stoner rock, Jagged Vision has set out to destroy. Since their start in 2010, there has been no genre limitations, no rules, and no boundaries. Jagged Vision is a product of raw heavy emotion which is what they try to communicate through their songs and live performances. Their debut album Harvest Earth was recorded at The Jam Room Recording Studio in Columbia, S.C. and was produced by Kylesa’s Phillip Cope. Sharing stage with bands like Kvelertak, Purified in Blood, Orange Goblin and many more, Jagged Vision was named “a band to watch” by Metal hammer Norway, and “band of the week on one of Norway’s bigger radio stations, NRK P3.

"(..)The result is an ugly and uncompromising bastard of a record that feels like it’s about to reach out and stick a broken bottle in your face. I Am Death somehow manages to recall Venom, Hatebreed, Trap Them and Darkthrone in less than four minutes, Feeble Souls rides along like High On Fire in the snow and there is even a touch of acoustic guitar on An Emperor Of Foul Intent to mix things up." - Stephen Hill -

Read the whole review: here!

Based in Stavanger, Norway, Sassy Kraimspri take their influences from some of the best worldwide traditions in punk and rock. High-energy, catchy, riffy, groovey and melodic are all words used to describe their sound. Their new music is heavily inspired by The Cramps, Pixies, Refused, Fugazi and early PJ Harvey.

"Bringing the band’s trilogy of Cock Fight EPs in one riotous slab of essential rock ‘n’ roll, multinational rockers Sassy Kraimspri have unleashed a must have punk ‘n’ rock album of 2015 for all those yet to lay their destined to be lustful paws on the band’s previous releases. Consisting of musicians hailing from Norway, America, and Australia, the Stavanger hailing quartet have a sound to turn a party into a riot and a riot into unbridled debauchery, as evidenced in full explosive might by Cock Fight." - RingMaster -

Read the whole review: here!

Very few bands have been a greater inspirational source for Norwegian Rat than Hades (Almighty). For some reason I always tend to return to the mastepiece "Again Shall Be.." when making clothes, studying history or whatever. There's just something with what Hades are in possession of that really gets to me. Getting you all transfixed with their mighty sound and riffs, accompanied by a dystopian and mesmerizing feeling, makes you want to put the whole record on repeat and just continue whatever you're doing. Needless to say I got very exited when the "Pyre Era, Black!" EP came in 2015, as it had much of the same eeriness and rough - and somewhat slow-mo - and doomish sound I so much appreciate with Hades.

dismember_marcin pretty much sums it all up in a review from Metal Archives:

"(...) I love the opening, instrumental track, which is so damn epic and monumental, so atmospheric at the same time… It is obviously strongly influenced by the great and only Bathory, but at the same time it is unique, as Hades is a unique band. When I listen to “Pagan Triumph” I also realize how awesome is the production of the whole album… killer, raw guitar tone, drums, which sound like thunder... I really can’t think of ANY other Norwegian or whatever band, which would have a sound like “…Again Shall Be”. And that says a lot about how excellent and exceptional this LP is. But going further, we have amazing anthem called “Hecate (Queen of Hades)”, which is just… again, damn monumental and majestic, but also dark and angry. (..) I’ve been knowing this album since probably 1996, when I got it on cassette and damn, I still can’t get enough of it, I still think that every song on it is just perfect. It never gets boring, it excites me every time I listen to it!" - dismember_marcin -

Kati Ran makes absolutely stunning music in the folk genre, and it's with pure pleasure we're adding her to our music page. She uses many historical instruments such as the Swedish nyckelharpa, hammered dulcimer, kraviklyra, overtone flutes and much more. When mixing folkmelodies, old instruments and poetry the way Kati does, the result is quite mesmerizing, and it really gets to you!

"From the start it has been my intention to make music that carries the power to reconnect people to history and to each other, while sounding fresh and pure as Nature itself." - Kati Ran -

Truckfighters formed in 2001 in Örebro, Sweden. In 2005 they wrote themselves into the encyclopedia of rock with the album "Gravity X". Their sound is best described as desert / cactus rock, and many will line them up with bands such as Unida, Fu Manchu, Kyuss and even their fellow countrymen in Dozer. If you haven't already heard of these Swedish fuzzomaniacs, you defintitely should, because their catalog is quite a listen! In addition to having groovy tunes, they also know their boogie around the amps, as they are well known for pretty electric live shows where they basically goes nutters!

We can sum it up quoting the legend himself: ”The best band that’s ever existed” - Josh Homme, Kyuss & Queens Of The Stone Age -

Black Pyramid play doom with the rumbling down-tuned tones of stoner metal gods like Sleep, Electric Wizard, and High On Fire, but with the epic arrangements of old school metal and doom acts such as Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and The Obsessed. Add to the sonic brew perfectly executed forays into vintage psych and progressive rock, along with the apocalyptic lyrical ravings about war, the occult, and general alienation, and you've got an accurate picture of what the band is all about.

"It is nothing less than triumphant to consider that 39 years after Paranoid hit the shelves these 3 humble men crafted an album that not only encapsulates the sonic legacy that Black Sabbath has had during all these years but still has its own story to tell and never forgets the importance of song writing." - Wizard_Of_Doom -

Read the whole review: here!

Electric Frankenstein is a legendary American high-octane punk rock'n'roll band, formed by Sal Canzonieri in 1989. Since 1992 they have released over 100 records throughout the world. Even though they are being labeled as a punk rock band, they have got a quite distinct sound with elements from other genres such as heavy metal and hard rock. Throw Motörhead, Stooges, Dead Boys and The Damned into a blender, and you pretty much end up with Electric Frankenstein. EF is concidered being a huge inspiration for the rock revolution that started back in the nineties, influencing huge bands such as The Hellacopters and Gluecifer, among others. In addition to having one of the best band names in history, they are particularely known for their poster and cover art, with their iconic Frankenstein imagery. They are most likely one of very few, if not the only one, punk bands to release books with their art.

Rob Coffinshaker / The Coffinshakers is both sides of the same coin. It's not easy labelling Rob's music. Vampire Country, Horror Country, Dracula Country etc would all be suitable names. It's one of those "you just need to listen to it"-bands. JT Lindrood manages to sum it up quite ok. Here's a little of what he says. (Read the whole review here!)

What if Johnny Cash had been more interested in vampires, werewolves, and the German expressionistic cinema than in walking the line? Meet The Coffinshakers The Coffinshakers not only have the subject matter of Roky Erickson, they also have the conviction of Johnny Cash. The merger of classic country & western tradition with the offbeat subject matter, yet minus the usual ironic wink, is delivered effortlessly. The band is flawless within its limited range, and singer Rob Coffinshaker delivers the vocals with a gusto worthy of Christopher Lee. The clear production, which adds a few dark and stormy night effects amid the background wails of Rebecca, is simply classic and improves on the more rambunctious early releases by the band. Song titles like "Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" reference the revered Hammer horror films, and "Last Night Down by the Grave" could have been dragged screaming out of the late period Johnny Cash songbook.

STONEWALL NOISE ORCHESTRA or S.N.O. for short, formed 2004, is rooted in the industrial city of Borlänge, Sweden. They play classic heavy rock influenced by anything from the haunting nerve of the delta blues to heavy metal. Whatever feels right at the moment is what ends up on their recordings, as long as it moves you in one way or another. S.N.O. has toured with and supported bands like Warrior Soul, Blindside, Entombed and Brant Bjork.

They released their fifth album; “The Machine, The Devil & The Dope” in 2016, and here's what the founder and guitarist had to say about it:

"I have to admit that our new record is based on a – let's call it healthy – dose of egotism; we composed the songs exclusively under the aspect of what we ourselves enjoy most live on stage. We wanted to make a straightforward heavy rock album and that's what it is. Sometimes that's exactly what you need to stay sane in a world that's getting crazier by the day. It's forty minutes of rock therapy." - Snicken -

Well said!

ALFAHANNE are a Swedish band that, although they've been going for little over five years, have cemented themselves within the Black Metal scene. All of the members have strong links to the original Scandinavian Black Metal scene, and to an equal extent, their unique approach to Black Metal music.

The music is great on all fronts, and I can honestly say that, although I've heard Black Metal and Hard Rock being combined before, this is unique. Normally the Black Metal influences of a band are dominant in the song writing, not vice versa. It's a solid record, with lots of cool ideas and experimentation that works extremely well. I'd highly recommend checking this out if you want to hear some genuinely different, idiosyncratic Extreme Metal. - Danny Sanderson -

Read the whole review: here!

GAAHLS WYRD is the new band of Gaahl, Lust Kilman, SIR, Baard Kolstad and Eld. The members have kept their fans waiting but when Gaahls WYRD gave their first ever live appearance at Blekkmetal Festival November 2015 in Bergen, it showed a strength of the authentic identity of what Gaahls WYRD is and will be. With Gaahls musical archive of Trelldom, Gorgoroth, God Seed etc, Gaahls WYRD will give you legendary performance.

SAHG have since their beginnings in 2004 delivered grade-A hard rock of the fist bumping and heavy-leaded sort. When elements hoisted from the depths of doom converge with the realm of progressive rock, one can draw parallels to greats such as Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Mastodon.

Sahg procure a unique blend of the aforementioned while resting firmly on a heavy metal base. The crisp sound on their fifth and latest effort ‘Memento Mori’ defies the idea of simple genre categorisation in favour of delivering a damn good heavy metal album. - Miranda Yardley / Terrorizer -

Memento Mori: "Insanely good album that confirms their position as one of the pillars of Norwegian hard rock/metal." (9/10) - Metal Hammer Norway -

Ikkje før me hadde fått karra oss opp att på beina etter at Ese og orkesteret hans Slegest hadde råka oss hardare og meir brutalt enn Vøringsfossen hadde vore i stand til på sitt argaste, kjem Bergtatt ut frå skauen som troll frå svunnen tid med instrument frå dei fjernaste fjordbygder og valsar likeins over oss på nytt.

Fossegrimen kan ta seg eit fenalår, for lydbilete til dette ensemblet med framifrå musikalske eigenskapar klarer nemleg kunststykket å sanke saman absolutt alt det særnorske ein kjem i hug frå si eiga barndomstid og fram til dag. Bergtatt gir deg frå fyrste nykelharpeslag tjukke skogar og svikfulle tjern med transparente bilete av alt frå bunadar og budeier til Asbjørnsen & Moe, og ikkje minst utyska som rår over Noregs fauna som Kittelsen satte andlet på.

Bergtatt er Vamp på syre og lagar uforskamma flott musikk med gammalnorsk tematikk! I våre auger (og øyrer) kan det faktisk ikkje bli betre! - Norwegian Rat -

Det finnes i hovedsak to typer god metal: den éne sorten utfordrer med intrikate melodilinjer, strukturer og arrangementer, mens den andre får blodet til å koke og håret på knokene til å vokse. Sognebandet Slegest er så definitivt i siste kategori

Ese har så mange ess i ermet i form av oppsiktsvekkende gode riff at "Løyndom" karer seg ut av sjangerklisteret. Arrangementene er svært økonomiske, noe som gjør at deler av "Løyndom" balanserer helt på grensen til det monotone og forutsigbare, men små variasjoner i dynamikk og stemning gjør at bandet redder seg inn.

"(...) primus motor Ese, tidligere gitarist i Vreid, drar nevene etter seg der han dundrer av gårde mellom bakkar og berg av gromme bluesriff." - Petter Lønningen -

"(..) somehow Ese has managed to add more melodies and solos inside this groovy and head-banging Black Metal odors, it's incredible." - Azmo Lozmodial / Metal Temple -

Einherjer is a viking metal band from Haugesund, Norway, founded in 1993. Some of their albums are heavily folk influenced, while other albums feature a more traditional black metal sound. Their lyrics retell Norse legends, and each of their albums has its own theme. The band's name is taken from Norse mythology, where the term Einherjar describes the slain warriors that have gone on to Valhalla and joined Odin's table.

"(..)Einherjer escape the trap of conjuring a caricature of Viking culture or battle metal, instead offering a genuine attempt to interpret traditional Norse narratives set to a score that honours their cultural history. They’ve also produced an album that’s bound to get your blood flowing." - Natalie Zed -

(Read the whole review here!)

"(..)Einherjer have taken on the identity of a black-Viking monster, so aggressive it stands up there with the likes of other aggressive folk metal bands such as Mithoytn and Manegarm." - WIndrider / Metal Arcives -

One of the cultist bands that have ever arrived from Norway Kampfar has just issued their brand new full length offering entailed ”Djevelmakt”. Kampfar are already well known around for being fateful to their very roots once arrived from original Norwegian Black Viking Metal (perhaps alongside with Enslaved and Helheim they could be named as founders of this particular subgenre).

Their music has the rawness and the atmosphere of Norwegian BM sound but also they have some catchy riffing and melodious parts as well thus their music could be labeled as a sort of true and pure like mixture between Norwegian traditional BM with true Viking influences.

(Read the whole review here!)

"The fans of traditional Norwegian BM will surly adore ”Djevelmakt” since music wise it stands as a second part from their story which they have started long time ago. Recommended!" - Marko Miranovic / Metal Sound -

In my eyes, King Giant is one of the most formidable doom crews around. Not just because of the music they make (which I’ve told you in multiple reviews is awesome), but because of their spirit to carry on the work and dream of their former vocalist Bob Dotolo.

Dismal Hollow is about as fine as a piece of southern-fried doom as you’re likely to hear this year; heavy, packed with tough riffs, and mindful of emotional melodies and lyrics. As my reviews have stated, the music on the band’s last 2 LPs will conjure up images of feet kicking up dust in serene towns rustling with the ghosts of Civil War soldiers. - Jay Snyder -

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"(...) a southern doom/rock lover’s pleasure coated bed sheets; the crème de la crème of wet riff dreams. These guys have effectively taken their songwriting tactics to the next level and delivered an album that’s striking from track to track." - Jay Snyder / Hellride Music -

Sweden has done it again! Numbah Ten enters the throne and believe me this is one of the best stoner acts ever! This dynamic trio hailing from Linköping, Sweden have no limits and it is only a matter of time before they reach the highest peak of the sacred mountain.

These Swedish titans mix instrumental and psychedelic parts with some good old desert rock in a way that affects every nerve in your body. If you're into bands like Kyuss, My Sleeping Karma, The Great Escape and Catapult The Smoke you will adore the work of Numbah Ten. It can't get much better than this!

(Read the whole review here!)

"(..) a show-off that makes the god's juggling with their balls in delight... and that's exactly what I am doing right now!... It can't get much better than this!"- Tobias Beament -