heavy-metal-darkness: Qwälen |Veri Virtaa Edelleen |Time To Kill Records

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Qwälen |Veri Virtaa Edelleen |Time To Kill Records

Release Date March 6^th, 2026
Format LP/CD/MC/Digital
Genre Black Metal, Punk
Country Finland

Qwälen became what it is in 2017. The band members share a passion for playing music in its various raw manifestations and their band backgrounds include Kürøishi, Viimeinen Virhe, Letterbombs and Hoc Est Bellum among many others. Diverse background bleeds into Qwälen’s interpretation of black metal. Simplicity, rawness, speed and honesty. These values were present in the beginning and the same values still hold true. Lyrical themes in the first album focused on self-portrayal, dealing with loss, building anew along with finding alternatives in abandonment, misanthropy and Satan. The second album ponders the sheep-like nature of humanity, the inevitability of destruction, the acceptance of being faulted and surrendering to a greater force. The third album continues the path but also explores the musical roots of the north. More black metal than ever. More of something else entirely. Still cold and sharp. Instruments are held as true weapons and words emanate true power. Rottenness of our human reality, the abolition of our kings and gods, the normatively sinister path of brotherly violence. For Qwälen all of them mean nothing and yet all are everything. Blood continues to flow.

Finland has a nasty habit of spitting out bands that sound like they live in a dumpster fire, and Qwälen fits right in. With "Veri Virtaa Edelleen", these guys channel their punk backgrounds into a black metal framework without making it sound weird or disjointed. It is ugly, loud, and angry music for people who think the world is going down the drain. The energy here is kinetic. You can hear the hardcore influence in the drumming and the way the riffs chug along, but the atmosphere remains grim and northern.

The production on this third album keeps things grimy. Recording at Waiting Room with Mikael Neves paid off because the sound has enough crust on it to peel paint. It is not too lo-fi, but it definitely isn't trying to be radio-friendly. The guitars have that distinct buzzsaw quality that cuts through the mix, while the vocals sound like someone screaming from the bottom of a well. This sonic approach fits the themes of misanthropy and anti-religious sentiment perfectly. When they scream about dead gods, you believe them.

"Veri Virtaa Edelleen" maintains a consistent level of aggression. The band strips away any unnecessary fat, leaving only the essential parts of the song. There are no long, boring ambient sections to skip over. It is just straight-up violence from the first second. The songs invoke a desire to break furniture. The mix of d-beat rhythms and tremolo picking creates a wall of noise that serves its function well.

Ultimately, this is a record for the pit. It is music for drinking cheap beer and complaining about society. Qwälen delivers the goods without asking for permission. If you want something that sounds like a fistfight in a frozen forest, give this a spin. The blood flows, the headbanging follows.

Score: 7.5