Spike (Quireboys) Steve Conte Voices From The Pool Monty Oxymoron (The Damned) Rebellion Festival Blackpool Aug 2026 My oh my Rebellion Festival how much you have grown! Blackpool is full of punks of all shapes and sizes and nations and generations for a record breaking seven days this year and opens with this event […]
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One-man Norwegian black metal is almost a cliché—the quintessential “oh, of course it is” of black metal. As a reviewer, one-man black metal of most varieties excites me, because, as far as quality goes, you really have no idea what you’re going to get. Take Vetter, for example: active since 2005, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Håvard Tveito (ex-Folkearth) has released two full-length albums, a couple of demos, and a split with Fyrnask last year. As far as I can tell, Tveito handles production, artwork, and every instrument save drums (credited to Nils Martin Haugfos). Now on full-length #3, Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid, Vetter is creeping its way out of the Norwegian underground. But doing “everything except drums” is a lot to ask of one person. How does Tveito manage this time?
How you feel about that and how you feel about lo-fi production may well be the same—that’s the first thing to notice about Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid. As soon as you press play, hazy riffs, muted drumming, and hoarse growls welcome you to Vetter’s world, so much so that the bass actually becomes the primary driver of melody on “Messefald.” There’s a strong early Ulver feel to the work, with heavy emphasis on atmospheric riffs and breaks for clear acoustic guitars. In its heavier moments, it reminds me of October Falls; the lead riff on “Sort var Bogen” wouldn’t be so out of place on The Womb of Primordial Nature. Occasionally there are breaks for clean singing too, used primarily in the form of archaic-sounding chants. It’s a good recipe for a historically inspired album, ripe with natural, ritualistic imagery and a very traditional approach to the craft.
Generally speaking, organic and melodic are two things Vetter do well on Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid, and the more it leans into being a folk album, the more I like it. “Under Sorte Øine” blends melodic, atmospheric riffs with melodic chanting and vocal effects to build an almost symphonic black metal sound, one that feels organic, if not quite fresh. “Aff Blod oc Bly” is, unexpectedly, a fully folk interlude, and one that offers a good balance and much-appreciated break from the metal. Ignoring its very abrupt fade-out, “Messefald” is a great song, with a memorable melody and an appreciably menacing vocal performance from Tveito. Throughout Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid, Vetter is able to blend atmospheric black metal with modern-sounding folk and melodic influences under a retro umbrella that somehow holds it all together remarkably well.
It feels weird to critique the production on an album that is intentionally low-fi, but one thing that does hold back my enjoyment of Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid is a production issue. When I first read that Tveito handled all instruments except for drums, I assumed he used a drum machine. Truthfully, I only just learned that he didn’t—the drums so lack impact that I had no trouble believing they weren’t real. Similarly, the use of bass as an occasional melodic assistant—certainly a cool choice in the places it works—occasionally removes some bottom end that could give the music more heft than it has. As is, Vetter feels restrained throughout Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid in too many respects—the hoarse growls are fine, the hazy guitars are fine, the muted drumming is fine, and the bass sound is fine, but all together it becomes a little too easy for Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid to fade to background noise by its back half.
And that’s a shame, because I really like what Vetter has done with Sort var Bogen der Bragte Os Hid. Tveito’s music is simultaneously vague and interesting, focused and expansive. The way he blends melodic, atmospheric, and traditional black metal elements is a great asset to his music and an impressive statement to his songwriting. In this case, however, it is held back a bit too much by its presentation. I understand these choices are intentional—but I would personally have preferred a different approach. I’d recommend a listen anyway, though, as, when it does work, it works very well.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Rekviem
Website: facebook.com/vetterkult
Releases Worldwide: August 14th, 2026
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If you’ve got a friend who’s still on the fence about whether Electric Callboy are genius or trash, all you need to do is silently hand them a copy of ‘Tanzneid’ and they’ll be converted. Well, okay: if they haven’t already been convinced by a live show, then this tactic will be hopeless because the seventh outing for the hyperactive Germans is a close to one of their live sets as you’re going to get. The good side of this is that ‘Tanzneid’ is an hour of pure adrenaline which really does capture the live experience, upping your heart rate with each track like a shot of caffeine to the heart delivered Pulp Fiction style. However, there’s not a lot of tracks on there that haven’t been released as singles already, or aren’t already very familiar to anyone who caught then at Download or on their UK dates. Think of ‘Tanzneid’ as the sampler for the full Callboy product, a live album in all but recording style: we get the newer hits, we get some songs we haven’t heard before, and it’s all wrapped up in a neat glittery bow made of fun.
Let’s re-tread the familiar ground first. ‘RATATATA’, their collaboration with BABYMETAL, is a massive jam, and while teaming the cute vocals from the fearless warriors of the Fox God with a gruffer male singer isn’t exactly revolutionary, it always works. Teaming two bands with a high octane performance style together is a tried and tested winner. There’s also ‘Let The Good Times Roll’, which brings in The Offspring for inspiration. ‘Elevator Operator’ is practically a staple at this point, and their techno charged love letter to romantic assignations in lifts is obviously a huge banger. Fan favourite ‘Still Waiting’, their Sum 41 cover, is always a joy no matter how many times we’ve heard it, and it doesn’t suffer when it’s taken away from the stage. Regulars on their Tanzneid World Tour, ‘Revery’ brings the spookiness and is probably the most conventional of the new crop of tracks, and ‘Hypercharged’ is guaranteed pit fuel. So far, so fantastic, but not exactly anything we didn’t know or love already.
However, much like a sudden costume change or switching to Schlager music for a few minutes mid-set, there’s always something up Electric Callboy’s sequinned sleeves. Six songs on ‘Tanzneid’ were veiled in secrecy online on the run-up to release, and of those, one is a live favourite awarded a studio recording for the first time. We are, of course, referring to anti-romance song ‘The Way You Are’, which glitches between Boyzone-like sweetness and demonic howling, as if you were dating a horror movie villain with a secret second life as a serial killer. It’s hilarious live, and while the complete 180 in emotion loses some of the joke when you’re listening on headphones, it’s testament to the versatility of the Callboys.
The real new songs, ‘Heartclub’ and ‘The Saviour’, hearken back to the days when Electric Callboy were, more or less, a regular metal band. Neither plays on the innuendo and whimsy which permeates their last album or their big hits, and both can be summed up as “really good synth metal tracks.” All of Callboy’s humour would fall flat if they weren’t also absolutely stunning musicians to back up their silliness, and adding two straight tracks serves as a timely reminder that they are more than just the gimmicks. ‘Heartclub’ shreds with cult-leader sinister growling and a vital energy, and ‘The Saviour’ is a future anthem in the making, combining everything we love about the band with riffs for days, a shout-able chorus, unrelenting positivity and a healthy topping of Euro-pop. If they show up with a video for this one in which they dress as eighties Jesus, don’t be surprised.
Before accusations of not being able to count to six fly, there is another surprise. Or, to be more accurate: not really a surprise at all, if you’re a Callboy fan. The final four tracks are a takeover by their DJ alter-egos, Electric Bassboy, in the form of a set of dance remixes. It’s too easy to say they’re trashy when, if we’re being real, we’ll all be shouting along to these when they’re dropped at a club night. It feels like adding these at the end was the final ingredient in this live show sampler because there’s no way they’d be able to recreate the concert experience without a chance for a cheesy rave.
‘Tanzneid’ is, without a doubt, the most quintessentially Electric Callboy album to date: a version of their live shows that you can put in your pocket, packed with all the fun and skill that we’d expect from our favourite Germans. It’s a statement about where they’re at and what they’ve got to offer with their bananas live sets, and will leave no one in doubt of how ridiculously awesome they are.
KATE ALLVEY
Me calling The LDG the best band on the Rum Bar Records roster is no hot take. And every new release adds to the growing mountain of evidence. On a surface level, this is a band that almost anyone who reads this blog can enjoy. Garage pop with a punk rock urgency is a vital part of all our musical diets. But at a deeper level, you’ve never heard a band quite like this one. The way this band can milk such a pleasurable listening experience out of the darkest and strangest subject matter never ceases to amaze me. Even their most bitter pills hit the tongue like hard candy. Every song is a window into the brilliant and utterly unique mind of Steph O’Halloran. Even on record, her presence is commanding and enthralling. Her songwriting partnership with husband Johnny produces an enticing sonic stew with a rare depth of flavor.
The title track of the new EP was something I never could have anticipated: a haunting, five-minute Western epic that breaks completely from the band’s usual two-minute minimalism. Steph sounds like she’s purging poison from her soul, and the musical performances (hey there, D. Walker and Matt Rendon!) are so flawless that an instrumental remix on track 2 was fully warranted. You could be a skeptic and call a second version of “Wreckless Eyeballs” superfluous, but there’s something fascinating about hearing the same desert dirge repeated with J. Clay Koweek’s pedal steel essentially doing the “singing.” It’s like they’re both the same song but also not the same song. Who knew we needed ten minutes of “Wreckless Eyeballs”? I will always admire a band that’s willing to take chances on an idea that not everyone will get.
The final track “Comin’ To Get Him” was originally done by Steph’s old band Tulip Sweet and Her Trail of Tears. Here it receives a proper Lemon Drop Gang makeover — finding the band back in the fuzzy garage punk/pop lane with a hint of spy flick soundtrack. Steph’s vocal is fierce, and those lyrics are totally bonkers in the very best way. Johnny kills it on guitar, and that rhythm section locks in tightly. That hook is worth its weight in gold. If ever a song needed to be revived for the world of 2026, this was it!
With 13 new tracks released since its first album came out, The Lemon Drop Gang more or less has a whole second LP already in virtual existence. They could comp these tracks now and instantly have one of the best albums of the year. Whether that project is imminent or a little further down the road remains to be seen. But if you’re not keeping up with all this stuff, you’re missing out on one of the most extraordinary indie bands of the moment. Head on up to the bar and let Lou hook you up with this triple shot of spiked punch!
