Rolland: Definitely, but that came
later. When we got three guitarists we
started experimenting more with fancy
guitar licks. Iron Maiden, too, for that
matter. And there’s a lot of Southern rock
influence, too, like the Eagles.
How did the three-guitar line-up
come about?
Rolland: It was a matter of some lineup changes that eventually led to having
one more guitar player in the band. We
quickly realized it sounded way more
massive live. We could do the two-way
harmonies without losing the extra power
from the rhythm guitar. It’s a way to keep
the momentum up and going. Even if
you just have one guitar playing lead,
you still have two guitars playing rhythm
in the background, so you don’t lose the
power, which is one of the big benefits of
having three guitars live.
Maciek, how did you join Kvelertak?
Ofstad: I’d been playing since I was 16
and did a bunch of tours in Europe. I
was pretty much over the whole band
thing when I saw that Kvelertak needed
a guitar player. I knew Vidar and Marvin
[Nygaard, bass]. They were in the same
scene as me, and they played in a death
metal band that was really cool called the
Rape of Lucrece. Those guys were
pretty gnarly.
I saw Kvelertak live and they were
awesome, so I figured I would talk to
Marvin and, if they needed me, it would be
cool. At the time Kvelertak was just a local
band that played a couple of shows per year.
I joined and we’ve been touring ever since.
Did you have any reservations about
playing in a three-guitar band?
Ofstad: Yeah, I thought about it. I’d
never played in a band with three
guitars and to arrange three guitars is
complicated. But when it works, it works.
It’s a really cool songwriting process,
fitting everyone into the song. And when
it’s supposed to just go forward we all
blast the same thing and it sounds huge.
Look at Maiden.
VIDAR LANDA’S GEAR
GUITARS
• Nik Huber Krautster II
• Danelectro 12SDC 12-string
• Vox Phantom XII 12-string
AMPS
• 1979 Marshall JMP 50-watt
• Orange Rockerverb 100 MK III head
• Marshall & Orange 4x12 cabs
EFFECTS
• Boss CE-5 Stereo Chorus Ensemble
STRINGS & PICKS
• Ernie Ball 2215 Skinny
Top/Heavy Bottom (.010–.052)
• Dunlop Nylon .73 mm
YOUTUBE IT
Don’t think a three-guitar band playing in standard tuning can bring
the metal? Check out Kvelertak live in London in 2013, where guitarists
Bjarte Lund Rolland, Maciek Ofstad, and Vidar Landa steam ahead full
bore on “Bruane Brenn” from their breakthrough album, Meir.
YouTube search term: Kvelertak – Bruane Brenn (Live)
Photo by Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography
Brandishing
a Nik Huber
Krautster II,
Vidar Landa digs
into the high
E string while
Marvin Nygaard
holds down the
bottom end, and
a wall of Orange
and Marshall
amps bear
loud witness.