Hjelvik Talks Welcome to Hel, Norse Mythology and His Rebirth Beyond Kvelertak

Originally spotlighting the release of Hjelvik’s debut album, this feature captures Erlend Hjelvik stepping into a bold new era with Welcome to Hel, released November 20, 2020 through Nuclear Blast Records.

I caught up with Erlend Hjelvik, ex Kvelertak frontman, to talk about his latest project Hjelvik and the debut album Welcome to Hel, released worldwide on November 20 through Nuclear Blast Records.

A storm was building, and with it came a full scale rebirth.

After parting ways with Kvelertak in 2018, Erlend Hjelvik spent the years that followed regrouping, writing, and reigniting his passion for heavy music. What emerged from that period was Hjelvik, a project that feels both like a return to roots and the start of something entirely new. With Welcome to Hel, Erlend steps forward as a reinvigorated creative force, embracing the metal that first lit the fire in him and channeling it into a record built on power, mythology, and pure conviction.

“I guess it was always in the back of my mind that I would do something on my own at some point,” says Erlend. “I just didn’t quite know how. I started writing songs when I left my old band and then suddenly it really started rolling. The whole songwriting process went even better than I expected and I’m really excited about getting started again.”

Steeped in classic heavy metal, black metal, thrash, and the spirit of old school extremity, Welcome to Hel is wrapped in myth, atmosphere, and a larger than life sense of identity. Recorded at The Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon with Justin Phelps, the album stands as a vivid declaration of intent from a musician reconnecting with the sounds that first inspired him.

For Erlend, that reconnection was a vital part of the process.

“Over the last couple of years I really started listening to a lot of metal again,” he explains. “While I was in my last band, I just didn’t listen to it as much, particularly when I was on tour. So I started getting in the mood for it again, and that definitely seeped through. I feel like I regressed a little bit, I just started feeling inspired by bands that I liked when I was a lot younger. So suddenly I’d write something that would sound like some old Dimmu Borgir riff. But I’ve been inspired by a lot of first and second wave black metal, thrash metal bands, just the classics, basically.”

That love for classic metal in all its forms runs throughout Welcome to Hel. From the explosive opening charge of “Father War” through to the pounding force of “Thor’s Hammer” and the grandeur of “The Power Ballad of Freyr”, the record balances old world heaviness with modern fire. There is swagger, menace, melody, and frostbitten aggression all woven into its DNA. Tracks like “Glory of Hel” and “Necromance” push that identity even further, giving Hjelvik a scorched and cinematic backdrop for tales shaped by Norse mythology, Norwegian history, and personal experience.

Erlend describes the sound with a grin.

“I came up with ‘blackened Viking heavy metal’ as a description. I think that hits on everything that’s in there. The songs are all about Norse mythology and Norwegian history, and I mixed a lot of personal experiences in there too. It’s called Welcome to Hel, so obviously I’ve been pretty fascinated with the idea of underworlds in Norse mythology. There’s a song called ‘North Tsar’, which was the first single, and that’s based on Odin being a real life person, a warlord coming from the East somewhere, and fighting his way to the West. So I like to throw some real elements in there too.”

More than just a debut, Welcome to Hel marked the arrival of a renewed artist with a clear creative vision and a hunger to build something lasting. Even in a time when the live world had ground to a halt, the momentum behind Hjelvik felt undeniable. The album carried the energy of an artist reclaiming his voice, reconnecting with his influences, and setting the stage for the next chapter.

With a lineup built to bring these songs to life, Hjelvik was ready to charge forward.

HJELVIK is:

Erlend Hjelvik – vocals, organ, lyrics, songwriting
Rob Steinway – lead guitar
Remi André Nygård – rhythm guitar
Alexis Lieu – bass
Kevin Foley – drums