Former Kvelertak vocalist Erlend Hjelvik recently signed to Nuclear Blast to release his debut solo album, Welcome to Hel, as Hjelvik, his new solo project. He's now released his first single as Hjelvik, "North Tsar," and it's a ripper. You can watch the (censored -- the uncensored version is due to be released on Saturday 9/19) video for it below.

"It feels great to finally give people the first taste of what's to come with this awesome video for 'North Tsar' that the talented guys at Grupa13 created for me," Hjelvik says.

About making the video, which is full of imagery from the Viking and Norse mythology Welcome to Hel was inspired by, Hjelvik says, "It was a cool experience. The day corona restrictions lifted, I took the first flight from Norway to Poland and we shot the whole video in one day in a Viking village called Jomsborg. Grupa13 did an excellent job with their team, including well-trained Viking re-enactors, an amazing SFX crew and even brought in wolves and a huge raven. It was an intense and efficient shoot. It felt crazy to be standing in the middle of a Viking battle while performing my song, especially since the village was open to tourists who appeared midway through to stand there, gawk and take selfies… making the experience slightly more bizarre! Nonetheless, I had a great time and I'm extremely pleased with the result!"

Welcome to Hel is due out on November 20, and you can see the cover art below.

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