Kvelertak: Meir (Roadrunner, 3/26/13)
The lads from Norway’s Kvelertak like their rock loud and heavy, and the video for their self-titled band anthem seems to confirm what has been suspected for decades now: loud and heavy rock bands just have more fun on tour.
Hot on the heels of the release of sophomore album Meir, Kvelertak offers its take on the classic “tour footage”-style music video, complete with scorching party-rock riffs and copious amounts of alcohol consumption.
Kvelertak: Meir (Roadrunner, 3/26/13)
“Bruanne Brenn”
In 2010, metallic Norwegian sextet Kvelertak introduced its riff-heavy sludge ’n’ roll to a global audience via its self-titled, Kurt Ballou-produced debut, an 11-track monster that sounded equally fit for a house party as it was for the pit. Three years later, the band has refined and honed its sound, and on its Roadrunner Records debut, Meir — which boasts blast beats and Southern rock riffs in equal measure — Kvelertak has evolved into one of the heaviest rock-’n’-roll bands on the planet.
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Doug Stanhope: Before Turning the Gun on Himself… (Roadrunner, 3/6/12)
Few comedians are as inspired by sociologist James Loewen as by abortion jokes. But Doug Stanhope, in case you haven’t noticed, isn’t your everyday comic. Yes, most of a set might be devoted to Japanese nether regions, odorous urine, and ripping on Dr. Drew. Underneath the sophomoric exterior, however, is an educated everyman: someone as taken with the hacktivist group Anonymous as with football-jersey aesthetics.
Following the release of his second album for the Roadrunner Comedy imprint, titled Before Turning the Gun on Himself…, we caught up with Stanhope during a massive UK tour — including a stop in Wolverhampton, ranked fifth on Lonely Planet’s “Cities You Really Hate.”