Årabrot – Caught in the Crossfire

Arabrot
Arabrot
‘Mea Culpa’
Fysisk Format / Eolian Empire

Standing alone and steadfast as the great outsider of the Norwegian music scene since his inception in 2001, Kjetil Nernes’ one-man arts-and-music project, Arabrot, have consistently left their cult following in awe with juggernaut-sized riffs and boundary-breaking soundscapes of distortion and doom. Just fresh from a stint on the road collaborating with the Quietus founder John Doran, in celebration of the publication of his recent memoir, it is with huge excitement that we report Arabrot will be releasing a brand new EP titled You Bunch Of Idiots on June 23rd.

To mark the occasion Arabrot are streaming ‘Mea Culpa’, a grinding and onslaught of foreboding dirge inspired by Nernes’ recent battle with throat cancer, which Nernes explains was written one afternoon whilst drinking alone in a deserted London pub, shortly before being informed of his alarming health condition. “I didn’t know how seriously ill I was at the time but something within didn’t feel quite right,” he recently told Noisey. “The gargoyles on the Victorian houses opposite [the pub] were gazing down at me.”

Stream ‘Mea Culpa’ below and hear Kjetil conjure his trademark vocal snarl, wrought with disgust as he spits out a striking yet doubly catchy mantra of, “foul mouth!” through gritted teeth.

You Bunch Of Idiots will be released June 23rd via Fysisk Format / Eolian Empire.

‘Solaranus’
Fysisk Format

It’s not often that a music video stops you in your tracks, but today we bring you one of the best seen this year. Norwegian Metal band Årabrot are made up of duo Kjetil Nernes and Vidar Evensen based in Oslo, who since 2001 have been pushing their own boundaries of black metal and leading their scene with releases that have received critical acclaim.

Produced by Steve Albini, Årabrot’s latest album Solar Anus is a work of art made up from stripped down drums, a baritone guitar and various vocal techniques from Kjetil Nernes. The end result is a dark soundscape that is relentlessly brutal and mesmeric to the ear touched by the electronic work of touring member Concept Virus, whose production adds even more depth to a broth of some of the deepest riffs out there.

The video, written and directed by Fredrik Hana is a work of art, depicting the solemn existence of Nernes and Evensen, mirthless from the annihilation of their surroundings. When speaking about the video, Hana says: “We have all seen movies where the world goes under and various Charlton Heston’s and Will Smith’s hang out and collect expensive art and drive fancy cars. In this video, we explore what happens when the only survivors are two white trash assholes who are only interested in destroying what is allready destroyed.”