Review AKTIV DÖDSHJELP “The Nasty Piece”

Aktiv Dödshjelp hail from Oslo, Norway, and have been delivering their take on punk rock since 2007. While the band name may sound rather serious at first glance, these Norwegians clearly have a sense of humor—one that occasionally wanders into irony and dark comedy. You can already get a hint of that from the band’s logo, and I’m sure the lyrics carry plenty of the same attitude. Since my Norwegian is, well, completely nonexistent, though, let’s focus on the music. That language is universal enough.

Although the band came together back in the early 2000s, it took until 2024 to finally put out a debut album. Send Dudes was a solid first statement that put Aktiv Dödshjelp on the radar of plenty of punk rock fans. Now comes The Nasty Piece, marking the next step for the Oslo five-piece.

The only English title on the record is the intro. Can Opener is a pretty fitting name for an album opener, and while dystopian keyboard sounds dominate the introduction, Øyesmelter quickly makes it clear that we’re dealing with a wild blend of punk and hardcore. The five-piece wastes no time challenging the speakers, delivering raw punk that comes straight at you with very little interest in taking its foot off the gas.

That doesn’t mean these guys only have short, sharp blasts in their arsenal. Når jeg dør clocks in at six minutes, which naturally requires a little more songwriting than a quick hardcore burst. Here, Aktiv Dödshjelp shift gears into pounding hard rock, coming at you with plenty of high-octane attitude.

It’s this stylistic range that makes The Nasty Piece an album you can easily spend some time with. Dirty hard rock meets an anarchic spirit, something that comes through particularly well on the pounding Hun Som Sitter Fast. At the same time, Aktiv Dödshjelp have a clear appreciation for a good melody. Lazer Tag is a prime example, getting straight into your head and letting its hooks do the talking.

Ingen Hjemme even allows for a slightly more emotional side without ever drifting anywhere near ballad territory. And then there’s Kredits 2, which serves as a kind of outro and once again reveals that little twinkle in the eye that seems to be part of Aktiv Dödshjelp’s DNA.

The Nasty Piece is a refreshing and well-crafted record. Hard rock meets punk rock meets hardcore—that’s the mix Aktiv Dödshjelp bring to the table, and what comes out of the speakers is simply entertaining and tailor-made for a good party. Aktiv Dödshjelp don’t sound much more lively than this.