Reviews

Veislakt – Dræbe

May 6, 2020

For the best and for the worst, Punk Rock played a huge whole in the development of Metal. While its coming in 1977 made the life of Metal bands really difficult, it’s undisputable the influence bands as Agnostic Front, Cro Mags, Terveet Kädet, Rattus, Black Flag, GBH, Misfits and Discharged in the making of Extreme Metal most notably Thrash Metal and then Black Metal, which in the beginnig was some kind of Hardcore with guitar solos and Satanic lyrics, and Death Metal. The exchange among bands was vital to the evolution of the so-called extreme music and both sides gained in the process. I guess Metal bands got the best from it since Punk Rock has been in a downsize for some years. Ok, I know, but I don’t count those pseudopunk bands that were extremely commercially successful in the beginning of the 2000s. I don’t even mention their names.

Alright, here we have Veislakt with “Dræbe” a band that honor Nordic Punk Rock traditions with a cut-to-the-chase music, thrist for blood and anger, much anger. From the beginning “Dræbe” shows what the band is into. First track “Dypt Vann” is a standard track with lots of the sonic violence and warcries that are the pinnacle of the genre. Stay put if you can. In the end a clear message to the unadvised fan “This is f* Punk Rock”. Following track “Sonic Reducer” follows the same path. It’s interesting how the band mixes tracks in their Norwegian dialect Jærsk and in English throught the album. To the surprise of many who advocated the end of guitar solos in Extreme Music, the song presents a violent guitar solo. A proof that the exchange with Metal was very profitable. This is the first Metal feature that Veislakt present in the album and from that on they will be much more present as in “We Don’t Wanna” which its strong taste of Metal that changes a little only in the pure Punk chorus. Guitars, though, are pure Metal. “Karma” begins in the most pure Metal way with a guitar phrase to then burst into a solo. The chorus is anthemic as only Accept knew how. From where I’m standing the best track of all. The energy it passes is just amazing. Veislakt just found the perfect mix. More crossover than this is impossible. “Roa Skallen” follows the same path but in their Norwegian dialect Jærsk. I find amazing this exchange of languages.

While many Metal bands are leaving guitar solos behind, here we have a Punk Rock band – just remember that philosophically there were no solos in Punk Music – which fills their album with guitar solos. Ironic, huh? But I guess Veislakt fits more comfortably into the crossover label. By what I heard here in “Dræbe” I guess Veislakt will please both tribes, if you ask me.

Veislakt “Dræbe” will be released on May 08th via Fucking North Pole Records.

Track Listing: