VREDEHAMMER

10 of 10 - Metal Temple
9 of 10 - Powermetal
9 of 10 - Soundscape Magazine
9 of 10 - Maximum Threshold
9 of 10 - Heavymetal.dk
8 of 10 - Metal Injection
8 of 10 - Sweden Rock
8 of 10 - Occult Black Metal Zine
88 of 100 - Ragherrie
83 of 100 - Lords Of Metal
4.5 of 5 - Metal Rules
4 of 5 - Angry Metal Guy

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"Vredehammer are a step beyond almost all of their peers in terms of songwriting, with a distinct aesthetic that has no problem borrowing from any metal subgenre it pleases in order to contribute to the album as a whole."
- Metal Injection

"Violator is already an obvious contender for one of this years best albums, it simply contains everything you'll want from a black metal album."
- Heavymetal.dk

"...this is an excellent album that is a definite must-listen, especially for fans of Blackened Death Metal. It is exceptionally rare for me to award an album with a perfect score, but this stunning opus deserves no less."
- Metal Temple

7 years have passed since the birth of Vredehammer, and this is celebrated by the release of their second full-length album ”Violator” - definitely their heaviest and most powerful release yet.

With their highly acclaimed debut album “Vinteroffer”, Vredehammer instantly made themselves known as a force to be reckoned with in the Norwegian metal scene. One album in and the band was already nominated for “metal album of the year” through the Norwegian Grammys. They also toured Europe as direct support for the mighty Satyricon, as well as together with Keep of Kalessin and Vreid. 
 
Vredehammer’s combination of aggressive guitars and Norse melodies has already rewarded the band with a loyal fanbase around the world, which grows bigger and stronger every day.

Front man Per Valla comments: ”Vinteroffer was a good release, but our new album Violator takes our music to a whole new level when it comes to writing really powerful and well-composed songs. I feel confident that this album will be one to remember.”

The references may not be obvious in Vredehammers latest release but there is certainly an underlying vibe. Per Valla specifies: ”With Violator I wanted to take a step back and focus on the feeling I used to get from listening to bands like Metallica, Pantera and Megadeth. This resulted in an album that isn`t really focused on speed and aggression, but rather groove and power. It will be interesting to see how such an album will be received these days, when a lot of the focus seems to be on speed for many of the extreme metal bands out there today.” 
There is also a distinct source of inspiration for the lyrical content on the record: ”The lyrics on this one are pretty dark. I was very much inspired by Stephen King and old horror movies while writing Violator. Personally I feel this is the best Vredehammer release so far.” - Valla