Kvelertak puts a 'chokehold' on rock & roll (Created March 20, 2013)

Bare-chested, tattooed and most accurately depicting a renegade bunch of misfits, a six-piece band from Stavanger, Norway took the world by storm in 2011. Calling themselves Kvelertak (Norwegian for "chokehold"), they put a new spin on their own genre (and a few others) by incorporating black metal and punk into their rock & roll music. The result has been a sound that doesn't just come through your speakers, but punctures your eardrums and wraps them up in an insane cacophony of noise.

Kvelertak consists of vocalist Erlend Hjelvik, guitarists Vidar Landa, Bjarte Lund Rolland and Maciek Ofstad, bassist Marvin Nygaard and drummer Kjetil Gjermundrod. From out of nowhere they emerged with a self-titled debut album released in 2010 that merged genres and defied anyone looking to put a label on the group. Maybe it's because the lyrics were written in Norwegian, and supposedly deal with Norse Mythology and Viking Folklore. Whatever the reason, fans couldn't get enough of their in-your-face style.

By March 2011, Kvelertak had not only been featured in English music magazines like Metal Hammer, Kerrang and Rock Sound, they were also raking in the awards. The band was presented with two Spellemann Awards – a prestigious Norwegian music award similar to the American Grammy Award – for best Newcomer and Best Rock Band, and had played sold-out shows on two European tours.

The sophomore effort from the band, "Meir," is due on March 26, 2013 on RoadRunner Records (Sony Music Scandinavia). In support of the album the band has announced a North American tour that will begin in late April. The month-long trip will see them join forces with Canadian metal/hardcore crew Cancer Bats and Georgia trio Black Tusk.