Review AVRAK “Avrak”

When heavy Sabbath-inspired riffs collide with classic hard rock and blackened metal, you get AVRAK. At least, that’s the name of the project formed by Anders Hegna and Ted “Nocturno Culto” Skjellum. Together with drummer Terje Kråbøl and bassist Steinar Gundersen, they make up the lineup behind this new Norwegian outfit.

The first ideas for AVRAK date back to 2023, when Hegna and Skjellum turned their shared passion for classic hard rock and metal into a new project. Three years later, the band delivers its self-titled debut. Across nine tracks, AVRAK explores a broad range of the influences that drive its two main songwriters.

“The Lonely Shadow” is a good place to start. The track brings several sides of the band together, moving from extended retro-rock passages into melodic hard-rock grooves. Then a sudden break opens the door to a thrashier attack, and the song shifts into another gear. The sheer weight of those heavier sections set against the melodic classic-rock passages creates a striking contrast, yet nothing feels out of place.

The band’s taste for doom is already apparent on the opener, “Forever Mountain.” Built around a massive riff, the song takes its time getting into motion before gradually building considerable weight. “Unborn” leans into a darker kind of beauty, while the dystopian-sounding “Rot” serves as a brief interlude that leads into “Varde.”

AVRAK is an engaging debut built around the musical instincts of its two central figures. There’s no obvious attempt to follow a trend or squeeze the songs into someone else’s framework. Instead, AVRAK follows its own set of influences, combining heavy riffs, classic-rock melodies, doom-laden weight, and darker metal elements.

The result is an album that feels heavy, atmospheric, and slightly mysterious without becoming overly complicated. AVRAK have put together a debut that is well worth a listen.