Kvelertak's new album Splid was one that contained a few firsts. It was the band's first album with vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen, and also the band's first to feature songs in English. The two songs – "Crack of Doom" featuring Mastodon bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders and "Discord" featuring Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom) – were essentially a test to see how English would sound in Kvelertak's music.
Though Nikolaisen tells Revolver he's not really planning on doing much more outside Norwegian.
"We have a lot of different types of songs on this album." Case in point: single "Crack of Doom," which not only features guest vocals from Mastodon's Troy Sanders, but is one of the band's first songs with English lyrics. "We did it to get on the radio in the States," Landa says with a laugh. "But we also thought it would be easier than getting Troy to sing in Norwegian."
"We also wanted to test how it was going to sound," [bassist Marvin Nygaard] chimes in. "And it felt like we had an opportunity to do that because we have a new singer who's written lyrics in English before."
"But the thing is, I only knew enough words to make two songs in English," says Nikolaisen, sending everyone at the table into fits of laughter. "So if people like the Norwegian stuff, they don't have to worry because that's all the words I know."
Read the full interview here.
