Karla Kvlt Premiere “Swallowed”; Thunderhunter LP Out Feb. 21

karla kvlt

Hamburg, Germany’s Karla Kvlt make their full-length debut through Exile on Mainstream Records on Feb. 21 with the seven-song sprawl and crush of Thunderhunter. Beginning with the stark thud of Johann Victor Wientjes‘ drums and gradually building over its early measures into a noisy soundscape of atmospheric sludge in lead cut “Karma,” the 37-minute long-player brings together hard-crunch with psychedelic resonance, reverb lacing the vocals of Teresa Matilda Curtens, who’s also responsible for the low-end rumble beneath the guitar of Markus E. Lipka — beneath in frequency, not necessarily in the mix — who adds vocals to Curtens‘ own in a blown-out break toward the end of the song, lending avant flourish to the earlier melody.

It all comes crashing down and Thunderhunter is underway. Below, you’ll find a visualizer premiering for “Swallowed,” which follows the lumber-plod of “Temple” near the start of the record and holds together with almost jazzy purpose through urbane verses and a raw but lush lead tonality from Lipka. Known for his work in Eisenvater — which I hadn’t heard prior to getting this record, but it’s devastating — the guitarist brings a suitably open feel to “Swallowed,” which holds pretty loose in the rhythm as it moves into its second half, exploring while still writing structured songs. Samples of crackling fire precede the burst, and with the force of Big Riff behind, Karla Kvlt roll through the crescendo with marked purpose.

That transition is not jarring, but some of Thunderhunter is, and into that category I’d put centerpiece “Magna Mater” with the sample of a baby crying mixed into its nod, and that’s pretty clearly on purpose. And it’s all part of the thing. There’s complexity of style throughout, and an overarching airiness of tone gives the band ample space to fill as they chase down one aural idea or another, be it a riff, sample, synth or the deceptively intricate chug coinciding with the cries in “Magna Mater.” The subsequent “Mun Kvlta” begins calmer with synth and standalone guitar, but it’s not long before a low-distortion drone takes hold for a few minutes of texture-exploration. Something of a preface there for the closing title-track, in that it’s instrumental and more about ambience despite being heavy as buildings.

Before “Thunderhunter” though, the penultimate “Hekate” seems to be a special moment just to highlight the chug, which is monstrous, and create a feeling of intensity in the turns that are post-metallic but that are raw enough in their presentation to be coming from somewhere else. The good news is that the place they’re coming from is Karla Kvlt‘s own, and that if Thunderhunter is the beginning of a new journey this apparent family band are undertaking, they set out in noteworthy and forward-thinking fashion. One looks forward to hopefully learning the places to which their sound might ultimately go, but what you need to know going into “Swallowed” is don’t get distracted and keep your mind open. Decent advice generally, I guess.

Beyond that, you’ll find more info from the PR wire below, but honestly in my head it’s such a given that anything on Exile on Mainstream is going to be somehow awesome that Karla Kvlt as a new band are already a no-brainer in my head. That the band actually turn out to kill it across the record feels like a bonus.

Please enjoy:

Karla Kvlt, “Swallowed” track/visualizer premiere

Karla Kvlt on “Swallowed”:

With ‘Swallowed,’ you come imminently closer to a state of complete self-dissolution. The ominous sound design of the intro immediately evokes the feeling of being trapped in the belly of a nameless beast, rendered helpless at its mercy. Vocals and bass come more to the fore here and reinforce the mysterious and trance-like atmosphere. ‘Swallowed’ is an infernal dance that celebrates utter madness.

Thunderhunter will be released on LP w/ bundled CD and digitally on February 21st.

Preorders are live at the Exile On Mainstream webshop HERE: https://shop.mainstreamrecords.de/product/eom114

…and Bandcamp HERE: https://karlakvlt.bandcamp.com/album/thunderhunter

…and digital presaves can be found HERE: https://linktr.ee/karlakvlt

“Swallowed” is the new single from new German sludge metal/post-rock trio KARLA KVLT. The song is found on the band’s impending debut LP, Thunderhunter, nearing release this month through Exile On Mainstream Records.

KARLA KVLT marks the return of Markus E. Lipka, the driving guitar force behind 1990s German alternative/noise rock heroes Eisenvater, here joined by his son Johann Wientjes on drums and his daughter-in-law, Teresa Matilda Curtens, on bass and vocals – both also in Melting Palms. Together, the trio delivers a raw and monolithic debut album that is unique in style and approach with Thunderhunter.

KARLA KVLT is currently booking live ventures across Europe for the Spring and Summer months, having booked a Thunderhunter release show in Hamburg April 25th and a gig with labelmates Caspar Brötzmann Massaker in June. Additional live updates will follow shortly.

KARLA KVLT Live:
4/25/2025 Elbdeichstudio – Hamburg, DE *record release show
6/07/2025 Z-Bau – Nürnberg, DE w/ Caspar Brötzmann Massaker

Tracklisting:
1. Karma
2. Temple
3. Swallowed
4. Magna Mater
5. Mun Kvlta
6. Hekate
7. Thunderhunter

Recorded by Stefan Gretscher at Privatear studios in Hamburg/Germany
Mixing by Nihil Rossburger
Mastering by Chris von Rautenkranz at Soundgarden Studio
Album cover design by Teresa Matilda Curtens

KARLA KVLT are:
Markus E. Lipka – Guitars, Guitar Soundscapes, Voice
Teresa Matilda Curtens – Bass, Vocals
J. Victor Wientjes – Heavy Drums, Synth Soundscapes

Karla Kvlt, Thunderhunter (2025)

Karla Kvlt on Instagram

Karla Kvlt on Bandcamp

Exile on Mainstream Records website

Exile on Mainstream Records on YouTube

Tags: , , , , ,

3 Responses to “Karla Kvlt Premiere “Swallowed”; Thunderhunter LP Out Feb. 21”

  1. Frank says:

    thanks JJ for making me listen to this; great band, great find and once again, I discovered a new band through your work and The Obelisk.

Leave a Reply