Preceded by the single "Running," the debut solo album from Vidar Landa, guitarist of Kvelertak, is out now. Anyone expecting another take on stadium-sized black metal by other means will be caught off guard: King Hüsky is an indie-rock album with folk shadings, veiled in sweetness, at times melancholic, at times airy, and always fairly tongue-in-cheek.
"Running" was already quite different from what one might expect, with its delicate power pop recalling Belle and Sebastian and Real Estate. The same goes for "Heads Above Water," a fine opening track, with a steady bassline that fills out the sound and gives an extra edge of tension to what would otherwise be a classic ballad. Still, it's an intimate, whispered, personal piece that sets the tone for the album nicely. From there, the record ventures into variations on the theme, whether with the breezier "Change Of Heart," the indie-punk of "Bürn In Hell," a gripping track clocking in under two minutes, or the closing "Waiting For A Chance," which edges toward Sufjan Stevens territory.
The album is quite surprising given the musician's background, aided here on production by Anne Lise Frøkedal (Harry's Gy, I Was A King), who also contributes guitars, arrangements and backing vocals. It's an intimate, sincere and pleasant record, helped along by the dose of self-deprecating humor that comes through in the cover art, where a childlike drawing parodies the imagery of Norwegian black metal.
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09/09/2025
This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Pietro Virtuani, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
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