ÅRABROT: Cvlt Nation Premieres “Maldoror’s Love” Video From Norwegian Noise/Art Rock Eccentrics; European Tour To Commence This Evening + Who Do You Love Full-Length Out NOW On Pelagic

Photo by Thomas Night

“ÅRABROT is in so many ways as much a travelling circus as a rock ‘n’ roll unit. Captured here is the essence of the snake-handling, the Holy Mountain alchemy and the medicine show prophesies…” — Kjetil Nernes on “Maldoror’s Love”

Cvlt Nation is pleased to unveil the video for “Maldoror’s Love,” the latest visual adventure from Norwegian noise/art rock eccentrics ÅRABROT. The compelling track comes by way of the Who Do You Love full-length, recently issued via Pelagic Records. Described as, “a universe unto themselves,” by Louder Sound, who crowns frontman Kjetil Nernes, “an iconoclast for dark and dysfunctional times, whose perverted dogma you would do well to fall under the sway of,” the Norwegian Grammy award winning ÅRABROT carry all the hallmarks of a sonic spectrum that has always been a wide and wild field of purposeful mismatches; a world of friction between the noisy, the disharmony, and the tension, with rivalling moments of harmonic relief.

Comments Nernes of the clip, “ÅRABROT is in so many ways as much a travelling circus as a rock ‘n’ roll unit. Captured here is the essence of the snake-handling, the Holy Mountain alchemy and the medicine show prophesies. Paal Laukli/Laukli & Laukli with the help of the amazing editing skills of David Hall have done a remarkable job catching the heart and soul of the Church of ÅRABROT.”

Adds director Paal Laukli, of Laukli & Laukli, “Being fans of ÅRABROT, we are always super excited to be able to work with them. Kjetil actually let us choose which song we wanted to film. After a quick listen we landed on ‘Maldoror’s Love.’ We love the song, and also the misanthropic worldview put forth by Isidore Lucien Ducasse in [French poetic novel] Les Chants des Maldoror. The dark and strange content of the novel was an inspiration. There are also some visual nods to other artists that we know have influenced ÅRABROT in their work.”

View “Maldoror’s Love,” courtesy of Cvlt Nation, at THIS LOCATION.

If you missed it, view the band’s creepy “Pygmalion” video, initially debuted at BrooklynVegan, at THIS LOCATION. Stream Who Do You Love HERE.

Who Do You Love is out now on CD, 2xLP, and digital formats. For orders in North America, go to THIS LOCATION, for Europe go HERE, for Australia go HERE and for digital orders go to THIS LOCATION.

In conjunction with the release of the “Maldoror’s Love” video, ÅRABROT will join The Ocean on a portion of their Phanerozoic I European tour beginning tonight, October 31st, at Halloween Dudefest in Karlsruhe, Germany. ÅRABROT will remain on the tour through November 9th at Strom in Munchen, Germany. Additional support will be provided by Rosette. See all confirmed dates below.

ÅRABROT w/ The Ocean, Rosetta:
10/31/2018 Halloween Dudefest – Karlsruhe, DE
11/01/2018 Backstage – Paris, FR
11/02/2018 The Dome – London, UK
11/03/2018 Damnation Festival – Leeds, UK
11/04/2018 Effenaar – Eindhoven, NL
11/05/2018 Sputnikhalle – Münster, DE
11/06/2018 Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, DE
11/07/2018 Le Port Franc – Sion – CH
11/08/2018 Santeria Social Club – Milan, IT
11/09/2018 Strom – München, DE

There is a great deal more than noise rock to ÅRABROT‘s formula however. “I’m interested in feelings, either the very silent or the extremely noisy,” comments Nernes. “I don’t care about what’s in between, the middle of the road isn’t my thing. The bible fits really well with that. I’m using it thematically all of the time.”

It comes as no surprise that the singer and guitar player has established himself in a former church in the woods of Dalarna in rural Sweden, where he lives with his wife, piano player, and singer Karin Park, and where his band now rehearses and records, surrounded by pianos, organs, and hundreds of old bibles that the church left behind when the congregation stopped. The clerical environment has proven to be an excellent creative tapestry for a band whose lyrical focus orbits around sex, death, and defiance.

Nernes has made his own firsthand experience with the topics he sings about. He was diagnosed with malignant throat cancer in 2014, in the middle of a tour. Instead of heading in for surgery right away, the band finished a full European tour first, “Every night of that tour was like the last show ever,” Nernes comments, “When a doctor calls and says, ‘you’re terribly sick,’ it’s surreal. You go into this phase where life is more vivid and more real, in a weird way. We’ve done so many shows through the years and sometimes it’s a little like going to the factory to do a job. But with an axe hanging over your head you perceive the world differently.”

After successfully recovering from cancer, Nernes and ÅRABROT are now stronger than ever. The band has collaborated with procuders like Billy Anderson and Steve Albini, and musicians like Ted Parsons (Killing Joke, Swans), Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley, and Kvelertak’s Erlend Hjelvik. They have composed music for silent movies like Die Niebelungen and Doctor Caligari, and have teamed up with The Quietus founder John Doran on his spoken word tour. Their previous full-length album The Gospel, was also named Album of the Year by The Quietus. And now comes the the big question: Who Do You Love? For fans of: Swans, Unsane, The Melvins, Death In June, Captain Beefheart, and Killing Joke.

“…the caustic nature of Killing Joke and the artistic abrasiveness of The Birthday Party has never been too far away from the forefront of Kjetil Nernes work. By adding a Nick Cave backwash to the (ir)regular order of things… Nernes has established a unsettling tone to the proceedings where the unmelodious dark poetry of a tale of morality is woven into jangling art rock ‘n’ roll (‘Maldoror’s Love’), that playfully sits at odds with servings of cathartic goth death rock, such as the twisted reworking of Nina Simone’s ‘Sinnerman.'” — Ghost Cult

“…a diverse and rewarding listen, albeit a rather gloomy one…” — Echoes And Dust

“Who Do You Love does so much right… a record where each song is worth listening to…” — MXDWN

“Chunky, punchy, and over the fucking top… this is a weird listen to be sure but one that fans of art rock will be enamored with.” — Two Guys Metal Reviews

“…one of the most unusual yet fascinating releases this year.” — Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life

“…yet more proof of ÅRABROT‘s status as amongst Europe’s leading alternative rock acts.” — Drowned In Sound