I remember at the beginning of the 2010’s when Kvelertak made every metal fan from the USA to Norway lose their minds with their black ‘n’ roll excellence. Both their debut self-titled and their follow-up Meir were two of the most exciting and outright fun albums of the last decade. Already spazztic rock ‘n’ roll was pushed to a new level of absurdity with blast beats and tremolo guitar playing ramping up the energy rather than dampening the sound. In 2016, some of the hype seemed to dissipate. Although their third record Nattesferd was a change of pace, it wasn’t as bad as some may think. The change to more 80’s hard rock influences did come with less enthralling melodies and a decrease in energy, but that signature Kvelertak charisma remained with subtly complex arrangements are hype tones. Now we have the fourth record from the heavy Norwegian rockers, and it follows a similar path for better or worst.

Sliding back another decade, the influences on Splid stem from 70’s hard rock this time. This is apparent in the melodies being at their most colorful and catchy harmonies. I would love this idea… if Kvelertak didn’t continue down the path of simplification. Instead of the cutting-edge style we’ve grown to love from the group, we get more of a *in Dee Snider voice* “ROCK ON!” vibe that feels incredibly dated. They still hold their weight with talented musicianship, but the style can become grating especially on the first half of the record. First time it gets this way is on “Crack of Doom” featuring Troy Sanders who for those who know Mastodon also has gone down the same path of over-simplification with his own group (not at all saying it’s his fault). Starting with the very “meh” riffage and straight-edge corniness in the lyrics, the track begins to feel weak. Then the corniness evolves into cringe when paired with the “D-E-S-T-R-O-Y” chants and some even worst lines like “I got judgement day; In my DNA” soured further with the attempt at heavy emoting that just sounds like he’s losing his voice. Luckily the more grating moments are mostly confined to “Crack of Doom” and only spilling over on a track like “Bråtebrann” which once again has an outdated cliché with the “AIR GUITAR C’MON!”.

Outside of the outright obnoxious points, Splid sees Kvelertak attempting to retain their energy. Ivar Nikolaisen still has an outrageous voice that would turn a circle pit into a warzone. The guitars have a crunch to them and work off of each other well. They’re trying so hard to keep the blood pumping, but with riffs that all too often sound directly ripped from the 70’s they feel weak compared to what they could be and what we know Kvelertak being capable of. Another cause for the dulled down sound is the introduction of a new drummer, Håvard Takle Ohr, and the production that accompanies him. Back in their heyday, what made Kvelertak so exciting to listen to, at least for me, was the maximized presence of all the instrumentation going wild and the percussion that assaulted the guitars around them. It made for a listening experience that refused to get old from overplay no matter how many times you listen. With Splid, the percussion is fairly simpler, but the true nail in the coffin is the production that allows the guitars to take over the forefront which is an overdone production choice that makes some songs feel run-of-the-mill.

I know this has been a fairly negative review, but let me make something clear. There is still a great amount of charm remaining on Splid. Hell there are tracks I return to way more than others because of the blackened elements being fused in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the rock fun; specifically tracks near the backend of the record like “Delirium tremens” and “Ved bredden av Nihil”. Although I still cannot get the idea out of my head that Kvelertak sounds like a shadow of their former selves, their charisma as a group continues to pull me back in somehow. That’s a testament to their identity as a group. I’m interested what trve fans think of Splid. Is it my personal taste that leaves the record feeling barely good, or is the change in style truly a questionable?

Favorite Tracks: “Fanden ta dette hull!”; “Delirium tremens”; “Ved bredden av Nihil”

Rating: 6/10

Released: 02/14/2020

Label: Rise Records

Genres: Hard Rock, Hardcore Punk, Lingering Black Metal elements

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RATING SCALE

Perfect Excellent Great Very Good Good Meh Disappointing Bad Horrible Pitiful Bottom of the Barrel