Häxer – Til Skræk og Exempel
Release Date: 12th January 2024
Four tracks of genre-fusing music forms the basis of the debut EP from Norwegian outfit Häxer in the form of Til Skræk og Exempel. When it comes to Norwegian music you can probably make a few assumptions about it based off of some of the bigger bands to come out of that area. You have your Turbonegro and Kvelertak types and it would seem that Häxer are wanting to drop themselves into that bracket too.
What Til Skræk og Exempel does as well as any record around right now is bring barrels of energy whilst traversing through varying levels of heavines. Where previously released single ‘Heksedans’ begins with a more garage feel to it, a ‘mates band’ sort of vibe, ‘Kardinalen’ brings a heavier, more drum focused start. Both eventually settle into the hardcore punk, ‘black ‘n’ roll’ area. The other two tracks, ‘Kunst Uten Kjærlighet’ and ‘Trollmars’ do follow a similar pattern of high-energy hard rock, though these two songs
pull from a more classic rock style. if you listen to either of these songs and don’t immediately get cast back to Gary Moore and Phil Lynott then, well, you need to go listen to some Thin Lizzy. Whilst vocally it is much heavier than the Irish legends, the groove is still there and, particularly on ‘Kunst Uten Kjærlighet’, there are sections of guitar in the middle of the track that if you close your eyes you may think you’ve gone back a few decades.
As an overall piece of art, one of the biggest things that Häxer do right on this record is keep a consistent sound that doesn’t become repetitive. Yes, it’s only four tracks, but you can feel the various influences coming across in each of them. At times as one big bundle of hard rock noise, sometimes more individually. This may be the first new music some people listen to this year and it’s a really strong place to start.