KVELERTAK, Toxic Holocaust @Birmingham Academy 3 22/11/11

August 1^st 2010 and RTM finds itself at Sonisphere in the middle of the afternoon. After watching The Union disappoint, we are faced with a choice.

We can go and watch Slayer on the main stage, or a band we’ve never heard of in the Strongbow tent.

Now – like any right minded person - we love Slayer, but not at 4pm on the afternoon on a stage that is so far away from the disabled section I have to sit in I can barely hear it, so we opt for the latter.

The tent began to fill up and then it happened. Five blokes run on stage to be followed by another chap, wearing a owl mask, who bellows out some vocals, while the band playing behind him sounded like an amalgamation of all that is great about metal.

The band was Kvelertak, and what followed was still one of the finest half hour sets I have seen in twenty years of gig going. It wasn’t until three songs in we realised they were singing in Norwegian, and we didn’t care a jot that they were.

Tonight is the first time we have seen Kvelertak (which means Stranglehold in their mother tongue) and they are on their first ever UK headlining tour, but first there is the not inconsiderable matter of Toxic Holocaust.

Now a band rather than just the brainchild of Joel Grind, the Oregon three-piece are very much, as their name suggests, old-school thrashers of the thrash-fast-thrash-hard variety. They are also brilliant.

The song titles tell you all you need to know: “Metal Attack,”  “War Is Hell” “Agony of the Damned” “Nuke The Cross” and “Bitch” are all played. Of course its derivative, of course you have heard it before, but who cares? Thrash metal needs new blood and it needs Toxic Holocaust.

The metal world also needs Kvelertak. They storm out on stage, just like 18 months ago, there’s no owl mask this time, just the same fabulous songs. Part metal, part-punk, part thrash, and part hard rock – whatever they are they are the masters of it.

Vocalist Erlend Hjelvik is in the front row by the second song, he attacks the tracks with real vigour and most of the brilliant self-titled debut is played in the hour long set, along with a new track called “Spring” which hints that album number two is well worth waiting for as well.

The evening is not without hitches, though. The sound isn’t great (the whole evening has been heavy on feedback but the headliners struggle with their guitars) all of which probably explains why they don’t come back fro the scheduled encore of best song “Utrydd Dei Svake” which would have topped off the night in storming fashion.

As it was the band that upstaged everybody at Sonisphere is bested tonight themselves, but only just.