IT was novelist Herman Hesse who once wrote “The music of a wellordered age is calm and cheerful, and so is its government.

“The music of a restive age is excited and fierce, and its government is perverted”. Those growing up during the punk era of the mid ’70s certainly fitted in with that statement.

As the UK continues to wade through tough times, some musical genres are once again reflecting the mood of the country, more importantly the dissatisfaction of youth.

With their explosive, high octane live performances, Norwegian punk/black metal band Kvelertak live up to the exciting and fierce tag. For lead singer Erlend Hjelvik their live shows are about more than intensity and passion.

“We define ourselves as a live band; we put all our energy into our live shows, it’s pretty intense, we like to play like it is going to be our last show.

People come to one of our gigs to rock out and forget about their bank accounts, we want them to leave their troubles at home and just escape from their lives for a couple of hours. That’s what our whole ethos is about, it’s why we do what we do,” he says.

Formed in Stavanger, Norway, in 2007, Kvelertak (which means stranglehold) quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.

Their 2010 self-titled debut album sold more than 150,000 copies, and won them two Spellman awards for best newcomer and best band.

With a new album, Meir, due to be released this month, Kvelertak are firmly establishing themselves as one of the most exciting and energetic metal bands around.

Something Hjelvik puts down to their hard work ethics.

“Since we released the first album three years ago, we have played more than 300 shows, and have become better musicians.

I have become a better vocalist and that shows on the new album. I can’t listen to the first album anymore, because I don’t like my voice on it. On the new album I feel I have really grown as a singer,” he says.

While the band is proud of its studio recordings, it is the live arena that Hjelvik feels best represents where Kvelertak is in its musical growth.

“We have toured in the UK a couple of times and find the audiences are different from anywhere else, Manchester and London are great places to play, we get really big crowds, and it’s like playing at home.

One time we played Stoke-on- Trent and only three people turned up,” he laughs.

The connection with their fans is a major factor in the band’s success, which Hjelvik is quick to acknowledge “The energy that radiates from the crowd is amazing. It takes our live performances to another level. It’s great when the crowd are going crazy and are really into what we do, it feeds back to the band, although sometimes it can get a bit crazy – we have had fans break their legs at a few of our shows, but they seem to think it's pretty cool!"