For the first in our Mixtape Mayhem series, we sat down with Kvelertak frontman Erland Hjelvik to talk about the songs that he loves.
Pentagram – Relentless
“This is one of my favourites and it’s one of the heaviest Pentagram songs. When we were making the cover of our first album we wanted a new logo, so we sent over a bunch of logos that we liked and I guess we wound up just telling him ‘something like the Pentagram one’ and now our’s is pretty similar ha ha. It looks great though so we were justified in going for it.”
Danzig – Am I Demon?
“He’s one of my favourite vocalists so I have to have a song by him in here. I wish I could sing like Danzig but I can’t. His lyrics are definitely something that influences me, and the way he acts on stage.”
Slayer – South Of Heaven
“It’s my favourite song from my favourite album. I’ve liked Slayer ever since I was a teenager and they’re the best thrash band around. I saw them last year in Greece when we played a show with them. I was sceptical because they only had half of the original members but it was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. It was amazing.”
Black Sabbath – Wheels Of Confusion
“I love this band, I always listen to them when I can’t think of anything else. This song is from my second favourite album. I wouldn’t say I’m tired of Iron Man or Paranoid but I’ve heard them so much that I’ve started listening to the other stuff you hear less often. Although when I listen to Sabbath I listen to albums instead of songs because you can’t stop once you press play.”
Mercyful Fate – Curse Of The Pharaohs
“It doesn’t get much more evil than this. The vocals are outrageous and that’s what I fell for first. I’m a much bigger fan of Mercyful Fate than the King Diamond stuff, I feel KD can be a bit too theatrical for my taste. So Mercyful Fate are the perfect mix.”
Motörhead – One Track Mind
“My drummer introduced me to this album and it’s one my favourite albums now. I’ve always liked them. We did a cover of Metropolis on Norwegian TV the other week, so if anyone wants to see us play Motörhead you can YouTube it after it’s been broadcast.”
Thin Lizzy – Massacre
“If we had to choose one favourite band for all the band members it would probably be Thin Lizzy. A few of the guys aren’t as into metal so we kind of meet in the middle ha ha.”
Roky Erickson – White Faces
“It’s from what I think is their best album – The Evil One. Every song on the album is super catchy and he’s very insane.”
Blue Öyster Cult – Nosferatu
“I’ve been listening to the Spectres album a lot over the past year. I only started listening to Blue Öyster Cult about three years ago and this is from their best album. I like the atmosphere throughout and the vocal harmonies, they’re a super talented band. I’d have loved to have seen them back in the day.”
Uriah Heep – Rainbow Demon
“This is a bit of a tour bus favourite. I don’t know that much about Uriah Heep but it’s always playing on the bus so I have to get more into them. But I love this song, it’s fucking amazing. They have such a big discography it’s hard not to like them.”
Kvelertak play Desertfest in London this Saturday. Find out more info here.
