Moderate Rock

From JR Ewing to Kvelertak, Blood Command to Honningbarna, Norway has a fantastic habit of producing bands capable of combining hardcore fury with colossal hooks. Ondt Blod don’t let the side down. ‘Natur’, the quintet’s second full-length, starts with a Sami chant before accelerating to include punk rage and stomping riffs. Then, bursting out from behind the feedback comes a bona fide gold-plated pop-punk chorus. With the element of surprise it will make your head spin but its catchy, damn catchy, and repeated listens allow it to settle in and seem perfectly natural. They repeat the trick over and over and while there’s little attempt to blend the rough and the smooth- mostly they crash headlong into each other- Ondt Blod are skilled and sincere. They might be too hard for rock fans and too slick for metalheads but these Norwegians deserve to find their audience. ‘Natur’ is outstanding.