KVELERTAK Interview with Erlend Hjelvik

XM: Let’s start off by getting our readers up to date on what the band has been up to so far this year.
Erlend: We've just been touring, pretty much. Been playing a lot in Norway and just got back from a short and fun US tour with Weedeater and Zoroaster. Next week we're going on a new European-tour with Comeback Kid.

XM: Can you give those of us who aren’t familiar with Kvelertak a brief history of the band and can you please describe your sound for those who have yet to hear your music.
Erlend: Yeah, we started out in 2006, we were just a bunch of friends with nothing to do, so we started a shitty punk rock-type band. We spent some years becoming a good band both musically and live, and here we are! There's so many different elements from different genres in our music, we just refer to it as hard rock now, hehe.

XM: Your self-titled debut was just released with The End Records in North America. It’s stellar and has been getting amazing reviews all across the board. What was the recording process like for the album?
Erlend: Thanks! The recording process was comfortable, we spent 5 weeks in Kurt Ballou's (Converge) studio, so we didn't have to rush anything. Kurt was really honest and professional and gave us a lot of good input. It was also fun to hang out in Salem, MA for five weeks. I drank a lot of blueberry beer at a local bar and saw a lot of old tombstones.

XM: How did you and The End Records come together? Are you pleased with what they have been doing for you so far?
Erlend: I guess it's too early to tell, but it seems they are doing a good job. We're actually signed to Indie Recordings, so they released the album through The End Records, so we haven't really signed with The End. Last I heard was that our album was doing well in the independent music stores. As long as people are able to get a hold of it, we're pretty much happy.

XM: Interesting cover art for the album, who is responsible for this work? Was it a joint effort? Who came up with the idea and concept?
Erlend: John Baizley from Baroness made the cover. We pretty much gave him total freedom, we just told him that it had to have an owl on the cover and explained to him what the lyrics were about. So he made to cover based on that.

XM: Who is/are the main songwriter(s)? Or does everybody contribute? And for the lyrics?
Erlend: Our guitarist Bjarte makes all the music, but everybody gets to give their input when we hash through the songs in the rehearsal room. I make the lyrics.

XM: With your lineup I see you have three guitarists. Why three guitars instead of one or two? What is your take on the big debate between one guitar verses a band with two or three guitars? Such as the pros and cons?
Erlend: We used to have two guitarists before, but then we found at that three guitars are way more awesome than two. Also, I guess it opens up for a lot of possibilities when it comes to harmonies and things like that. I wouldn't know about the pros and cons, since I'm only the vocalist, but three guitars is working out well for us.

XM: What are your impressions of the metal scenes in your hometown and in Norway as a whole?
Erlend: There's not many bands in our hometown, but there are a few good ones like Purified in Blood, Overthrow, Konsortium, Gehenna, etc. In Norway in general I think there's a lot of interesting bands at the moments, like the ones I mentioned but also bands like Haust, Årabrot, Wolves like us, etc. Check them out!

XM: You have played plenty of shows to date, when you think back on them which were your favorites and why?
Erlend: One of my favorites so far was actually at SXSW in Austin recently. I think it was one of the best shows we have played so far, it was in a place called Prague which was basically like a big jungle-gym with pipes in the ceiling, tables to knock over, etc (and they had cheap gin & tonics). The crowd there was awesome too, so it made for a pretty wild show.

XM: When playing live what are your favorite songs to play and are there any that you don’t like as much?
Erlend: My favorites to play are Ulvetid and Offernatt. I like the energy of the songs and they always gets the crowd going. There's no song I don't like to play in particular really, they are all good to me.

XM: I ask all bands this question: “If you could have been involved in the writing, recording or production of any album which would it be and why?”
Erlend: Our own, haha. But if I'm going to be clever about this question, I'll just say Thriller by Michael Jackson. I'd be filthy rich and would just be chilling out in my own personal Neverneverland!

XM: What are some of the band members involved in when they are not playing music?
Erlend: Vidar just got an exercise bike, so he's doing that a lot now. We all do different stuff, some of us travel, the rest just just chills out, I guess. I usually just relax with my girlfriend and try to save up energy for the next tour!

XM: What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words X-PLOSIVE METAL?
Erlend: Hehe, weird question, I guess I'm thinking about X-PLOSIVE METAL!

XM: Can you briefly tell us what the band has planned for the rest of the year?
Erlend: Like I said, we're going on a European-tour with Comeback Kid next week, after that we're playing shitloads of summer festivals, then we're planning on doing an Australian tour, East coast US-tour in maybe October and probably a European headliner tour after that. So the year is pretty much packed. Check out our Facebook to keep yourself posted.

XM: On behalf of xplosivemetal.com I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions with us. Is there anything else that you would like to let our readers know about Kvelertak?
Erlend: Thanks! I can add that I just recorded a album with my other band Djevel. It's black metal and the album called "Dødssanger" will be out June 13th. Check it out on Facebook, Reverbnation and MySpace!