NORTH AMERICAN FANS REJOICE! KVELERTAK GETTING AN OFFICIAL RELEASE WITH BONUS TRACKS!! AND A TOUR!!!

Kvelertak’s self-titled debut was my favorite album of 2010, but it never actually came out in North America. I was lucky enough to get a promo copy from the fine European publicist for the band’s label, Indie Recordings, but other fans from this side of the pond were most likely reduced to illegally downloading the album, or, worse, not getting to hear it at all. Which is a real tragedy, ’cause it KILLS, and ’cause the band deserves your money.

Well, good news: The End is releasing the album in North America on March 15, with SIX bonus tracks to sweeten the deal: live recordings of the songs “Fossegrim,” “Sjøhyenar (Havets Herrer),” “Blodtørst,” and “Mjød” from some BBC Sessions last year, plus demo versions of “Ordsmedar av Rang” and “Utrydd Dei Svake.”

And, hey, guess what? We’ve already got our advance copy of the bonus tracks, and while I haven’t had a chance to check out the demos yet, I’m listening to these BBC recordings even as I type this, and they slay. It’s great to know that when the band comes Stateside for some shows next month (all dates here), those shows will most likely not be disappointing — there’s nothing worse than finding out a band you love on record can’t pull that shit off live, y’know?

So if you don’t already own this album, I’d seriously recommend you hold out ’til March 15, ’cause the new edition of the record is gonna be totally worth it. And if you do already own the album, well, this is the rare circumstance where I’d advise you to seriously consider double-dipping. You won’t feel cheated once you hear the new recording of “Fossegrim,” I promise you.

-AR

Thanks to Brandon Mickman for those tour dates.