Song Stream Debut: Halshug - Knæl

. . .

How much trash and nightmare can three people throw around? A lot, if you’re young, lawless, from Copenhagen, half riot, half thrash and 100 percent punk.

This track, “Knël”, is the fourth song on Halshug’s debut album, Blodets Bånd, set to be released on February 24 via Southern Lord. By the time you get to this point on the album, you’re less than 6 minutes in and you already have black eyes and broken teeth. By the end of the eighth track, they live up to the translation of their name: decapitate.

“Knæl” is actually one of the slower songs on the record, and I think it’s one of the songs that is written in Danish but I honestly can’t tell over the screaming. (Most of the song titles are Danish.)

Halshug formed in Copenhagen two years ago with only a demo tape and a 7-inch to their name as far as I can tell. Somehow they figured out how to create crust, d-beat and hardcore that‘s both traditional and even more bold than the original stuff.

I found an interview in which this band was asked a series of dumb questions. (What are your influences, how did you meet, what have you got planned for the future, blah blah fucking blah.) The best was this simple exchange: “What made you want to start a band?” “Boredom, irritation, wanting to fuck shit up.”

Blodets Bånd is only 17 minutes long. One listen and you’ll get that adrenaline rush and want to fuck shit up too. Just don’t fuck up your musical device, because you’ll definitely want to hit repeat on this one.

Halshug is playing several dates in Europe in April, so suck it U.S., at least until later in the year.

. . .

. . .