HJELVIK - Welcome to Hel [CD]

Nuclear Blast

£14.38

Format: CD
Barcode: 0727361563325
Release Date: 20th November 2020
Genre: Rock

CD Special Packaging/Limited Edition/ Limited Qty/ Packaging Type: Jewel Case CD

CD Track Listing: 1.Father War/2.Thor’s Hammer/3.Helgrinda/4.The Power Ballad Of Freyr/5.Glory Of Hel/6.12th Spell/7.Ironwood/8.Kveldulv/9.North Tsar/10.Necromance

Sales/Marketing/Promo Points
Radio: Radio 1 Rock Show, Kerrang! Radio, Total Rock Radio, Primordial Radio, HRH Radio & regional Rock Shows.

Press: Metal Hammer, ZT, Classic Rock, Kerrang! on-line, Power Play,Prog, HRH Mag, Total Guitar & Record Collector.

Online: Facebook ads, Youtube pre-roll ads, Twitter ads, Instagram ads and banner ads on key Metal sites. 150K label database mailing.

Advertising: Metal Hammer, ZT.

Overview
A storm is brewing. A rebirth is on its way. Prepare for the triumphant arrival of HJELVIK.

Formerly known as frontman, lyricist, and co-founder of the Norwegian party-rockers Kvelertak, Erlend Hjelvik parted ways with his bandmates in 2018 and has spent the last two years biding his time and plotting a return to action. Today, he is a rejuvenated and newly inspired metal warrior, primed and ready to launch his own solo band, HJELVIK, and their thunderous and life-affirming debut album, Welcome to Hel.

Steeped in the classic sounds of metal, both underground and mainstream, and enshrouded in a mystical fog of Norse mythology, HJELVIK’s first immaculate collection of monstrous anthems is the sound of a modern god of heaviness embracing the spirit of the old school and injecting it with his own, unique, genre-blurring charisma. Recorded at The Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon in collaboration with studio guru Justin Phelps, Welcome To Hel is a vivid and vital testament to Erlend Hjelvik’s instinctive metal mastery and a celebration of the music that first inspired the Norwegian to start screaming many years ago.

From the opening seconds of explosive kick-off Father War onwards, Welcome To Hel could hardly be a more bombastic or furious first foray for HJELVIK. Pounding, mid-paced clarion cries like Thor’s Hammer and The Power Ballad Of Freyr point to a profound understanding of heavy metal’s fundamental power, but there is plenty of frostbitten spite and otherworldly menace lurking amid these songs, too. From the menacing but instantly memorable Glory Of Hel to the wild melodrama and skewed dissonance of closer Necromance, HJELVIK are gleefully stirring up a strange, idiosyncratic sonic blend that provides their leader and frontman with the perfect, scorched-earth backdrop for his twisted tales of ancient chaos.

Despite the calamities and challenges that 2020 has thrown at us all, the birth of HJELVIK and the release of Welcome To Hel are guaranteed to give metalheads of every stripe a new reason to be cheerful. The current pandemic may be forcing everyone to postpone tours and scrap plans, but a project with the energy, momentum and ferocity of HJELVIK simply cannot be stopped. As a result, once Welcome To Hel has been unleashed into the world, Erlend and his band mates will be working tirelessly to create the most explosive and dynamic live show possible. As soon as the world is ready, so will they be…

“The stage show has to be great, obviously, so we’re working on all of that right now,” Erlend confirms. “I’d like to have lots of pyro and things like that. Oh, and I have a cape now, too! [Laughs] That’s a new thing. I’m drawing a little on old Mercyful Fate there, for inspiration. You can’t sing about Norse mythology and just be wearing normal, everyday clothing.”

Meanwhile, the grand finishing touches on HJELVIK’s glorious arrival have been delivered by legendary artist Joe Petagno, whose stunning, epic artwork adorns the cover of Welcome To Hel, setting the scene for the record and this rabid new musical force’s conceptual world.

In times of trouble, heavy metal is always there to light the way forward. Tapping into the genre’s ageless spirit and letting rip with pure Viking fervour, HJELVIK are here to provide the perfect antidote to these fucked-up times. As their fearless leader proudly proclaims,

“I’m really looking forward to getting out there again. It’s been nice to have a break, but I’m ready to start touring again and get on stage. That’s what I love doing. I’m really proud of the album, the band is really great and I’m ready for anything. It’s great to be back!”

Tour Dates:

Autumn 2021
Label & Artist Social Reach:
Hjelvik
• Facebook: 800 - https://www.facebook.com/HJELVIKmet
• Twitter: 72K - https://twitter.com/HJELVIKofficial
• Youtube:
• Instagram: 651 - https://www.instagram.com/hjelvikmetal/
Nuclear Blast.
• Facebook: 680K https://www.facebook.com/nuclearblast.uk/
• Twitter: 151K - https://twitter.com/nuclearblasteu
• YouTube: 2.48m subscribers • 2,481,512,793 views - https://www.youtube.com/user/NuclearBlastEurope
• Instagram: 304K - https://www.instagram.com/nuclearblasteurope/

Key tracks: ‘North Tsar’, ‘Helgrinda’