Taya Llewellyn
March 5, 2025| Harry Shiels |LIVE REVIEW
Live Review: Kvelertak, URNE and Desert Storm | KK’s Steelmill, Wolverhampton | 20/02/25
Finally returning for their first UK shows in six years, Norwegian black ’n’ roll, heavy metal heroes Kvelertak lay waste on a short four date run, dragging London based progressive metal trio URNE and Oxford stoner fiends Desert Storm along for the ride.
Desert Storm
Part sludge, part stoner, part melodic, pure filth, Oxford’s riff lords Desert Storm fit tonight’s opening slot like a glove. Joining the tour for tonight and London, the four piece waste little time in channelling destructive sledgehammer to the chest riffs. With just shy of twenty years as a band, the set is slick as all hell; a cacophony of concrete crumbling riffs and neck breaking grooves for those in attendance early. Tonight isn’t a sold out show by any means and although the space is only a sparsely populated when they start, it doesn’t phase the veterans one bit. The band kick things off hot, a medley of ‘Melatone’ and ‘Sway of The Tides’, which has been used as a strong opening statement from the band for a short while now. Swift transitions into stompy headbanger territory, ‘Vengeful Gods’ from 2020s Omens sends low end distorted rumbles through the chests of the audience.
Reminiscent of Bossk’s sludgier moments whilst routed in firmer stoner territory, there are similarities with the post-metal wall of sound tones and jaw shattering heft. Vocals swing from guttural roars to stressed cleans, bordering on breaking into roars that give the energy of early DOWN. Unreleased single ‘Cut Your Teeth’ sounds massive and promises something wicked coming from the Desert Storm camp this year, and seamlessly glides into the post-metal inspired intro of Death Rattle single ‘Bad Trip’. Closing their vicious thirty-minute opening set with the hypnotic neck breaking grooves of ‘Black Bile’; Desert Storm goes down a delectable, sludgy treat for those down early to catch their set.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
Desert Storm
URNE
Let’s get this out of the way first and foremost: URNE fucking rule. Combining aspects of sludge, thrash, post-metal and Gojira-esque tech-death with soaring melodies stuffed to the brim with poignant emotionality. Fortunately, Wolverhampton seems to agree as more folk have come and populated the old factory space to witness their first show in the Black Country. Taking to the stage in a whirl of discordant noise and wasting no time, bassist and frontman Joe Nally encourages the audience to come forward and get closer to the stage, breaking straight into A Feast On Sorrow’s opener ‘The Flood Came Rushing In’. It’s a strong first impression and bettered further when followed by the double-kick windmilling shred and anthemic chorus chants of ‘Becoming the Ocean’.
They break into the massive intro melody ‘Serpent & Spirit’ next, the fist pumping intensity building before breaking into the unrestrained hooks. The melodic portions soaring against the oppressive extremity of the more crushing outbursts of metal riffs. They sound colossal in the warehouse space without losing an ounce of their intense side. Joe is charismatic, holding a humble energy when having a little natter between tracks but flips to an earnest passion when performing. It’s a little more shocking a transition when moving into the frenetic hardcore swagger of ‘The Palace Of Devils & Wolves’, inspiring more pockets of steady headbanging.
It’s been a ripper of a set already, but even rounding the final corner has a double dose of technical riff battery. ‘The Burden’ brings a choppy snarl and deep sunken hooks, furiously oppressive rhythms sucking the air from the room. Bringing the set to a close with the anthemic post-metal, tech-death odyssey that is ‘Desolate Heart’. A breathtaking reminder that URNE are repeated lightning in a bottle. Admittedly it is a shame not to get the vitriolic blackened sludge duo Mantar like mainland Europe, however URNE have zero problems stepping up to fill the main support slot. Dialled in from the past few years of touring, they are a furious live presence; their technicality on superb form as per usual, exuding an aura of effortlessness and performative catharsis. All three are locked in tighter than the gates of Fort Knox and put on a damn near show stealing performance through their forty-minute set. If you somehow haven’t seen URNE for yourself, then fix it as soon as possible.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
Kvelertak
It’s been six long tumultuous years since Norwegian black ’n’ roll, heavy metal punks Kvelertak last set foot on these shores. Through no fault of their own, the band were set to go on a breakout run after their underground domination with their new singer, Ivar Nikolaisen. After a lengthy 2019 tour with Mastodon and a huge set at that year’s Download Festival, 2020 was primed. The band released their anticipated fourth album Splid in February, partway through their extensive Euro wide tour, then derailed by a global pandemic. Having spent the past few years relentlessly rebuilding their momentum across mainland Europe and climbing festival bills since the world reopened, the band have been on a multi-year headliner establishing run off the back of their 2023 release Endling, finally finding themselves back into the UK for a short run.
The lights drop and the audience prematurely erupts, a soft acoustic intro track slowly builds as the lights stir to life, very hopeful and dramatic as it swells to a more powerful anthem, selling the headliner vibes well. Exploding onto the large stage and hammering through a trifecta of bangers gets the show off to a hot start: Endling lead single ‘Krøterveg Te Helvete’ is followed near immediately with legendary debut album anthem ‘Blodtørst‘ and rounded out with massive Splid single ‘Crack Of Doom’. They have honed their showmanship skills significantly since last storming these shores 6 years ago. While still fresh with the band, Nikolaisen was a live wire, bringing unquenchable hardcore punk energy to the shows and has grown that persona even more so. He is a man possessed, storming around the stage howling his blackened vocal lines and attempting to make eye contact with everyone in the crowd. Playing to the photographers whenever he can, wielding the mic stand as a weapon and embodying his unhinged frontman roll to a tee. Customised weathered leather jacket, bandana, always with a drink in hand and wearing an obscure black metal tee (Isengard for the kvlt gatekeepers), clearly convinced he’s a rock star and sells it effortlessly.
The set is heavy with tracks pulled from Endling, but still making sure to pay homage to their whole back catalogue. It’s a strong arrangement of new and classic tracks to deliver the best time possible for their crowd. The classic rock and punk influenced ‘Motsols’ keeps the flame burning hot, kicking into the anthemic melodies of Splid opener ‘Rogaland’ and returning to newer pastures for a pair of back to back tracks; the vicious rush and jarring country twang opening ‘Døgeniktens Kvad’ blends seamlessly into the old school, fist-pumping blackened heavy metal fury in ‘Likvoke’. Marking the only stop on their oft forgotten third album, Nattesferd, the near ten minute ‘Heksebrann’ is presented in its full glory. The band taking their time letting the grandiose intro build as Nikolaisen disappears for five minutes, whether to smoke or grab another drink, it doesn’t matter, he reemerges with renewed vigour and keeps the set rolling at full steam ahead.
Kvelertak don’t care it’s not a packed to the gills sold out show to kick off their intended UK run half a decade later, they’re still here giving it everything they’ve got for the crowd that paid to see them. It goes without saying, much alongside the other bands tonight (and practically every band that passes through KK’s Steelmill), Kvelertak’s sound is magnificent. Even though they recently had founding member Bjarte Lund Rolland depart the band at the end of 2024 and are without the extra harmonic layer for their monolithic sound, as a five piece they still bring a potent intensity to their live shows. The layered gang harmonies sound massive when all four are belting out harmonies together. Nikolaisen uses a chorus/doubler on his vocals which sound massive when giving the unhinged howls in heavier moments. The lighting and production is on point, they’ve stepped into proper showman headliner territory, various lighting sequences timed with the rhythmic hits, accentuating fills, solo’s and hard drives of the tracks as the set rolls on.
A double helping from the band’s beloved second album Meir, fan favourites ‘Kvelertak’ and ‘Åpenbaring’ showing off riffs that’ve lived rent-free in their diehards head for over a decade now and still have the power to start a riot if needs be. Endling’s title track allows a moment to breathe and get lost in the catchy hooks before taking one last loving look towards Meir with the furious sing along of ‘Bruane Brenn’. With only two songs left to go, it has to be timed for the four four stomp of the track that launched the band’s career, ‘Mjød’ is still as fresh today as it was fifteen years prior when the band eclipsed the underground overnight.
Set closer ‘Bråtebrann’ feels unstoppable, the choppy palm-muted chug of the main riff inspiring one last wave of head banging in the crowd. The pre-solo call of “air guitar, come on” has everyone rocking out, Nikolaisen pulling the now iconic massive Kvelertak flag out to wave over the audience in his final moments on stage to deafening cheers. Tonight is a defining reminder of why Kvelertak should still be held in the conversation of future headliners, regardless of numerous ups and downs they still deliver a blistering live performance. However, with the unfortunate news that despite only just coming back, that it will be their last UK shows for a long time, perhaps the legend of Kvelertak will be passed on to future generations of heavy metal fiends much like the subjects of Endling; as folk tales kept alive by word of mouth, stubborn and devout followers of this heritage refusing to die.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
