Håndgemeng Premiere “The Sundrinker”; Satanic Panic Attack Out April 11
Posted in audiObelisk on March 25th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Norwegian heavy gutter rockers Håndgemeng will release their second album, Satanic Panic Attack, on April 11 through Ripple Music. As one might glean from the corpsepaint-‘n’-skin-contact cover art, there’s no lack of shenanigans throughout, but also as one might glean from the cover, a fair amount of it is brilliant, bringing together classic metal and heavy rock, shouty punk and riff after riff, the odd melodic change just for good measure. They pull as much from black metal as from Scandinavian drinking songs, or so posits “The Cauldron Born” at the album’s outset, and while reveling in the idiocy of our times in referencing the notion of a ‘Satanic panic’ at all, cleverly setting it next to the idea of a panic attack, they take all the tropes of darkness and devil-worship and cult this-and-that and make them fun. They’re a reminder that ultimately music is supposed to bring people together.
They’re also brash as fuck. Enough to remind that their home country once produced a group called Kvelertak. Håndgemeng are coming from someplace else sound-wise and aesthetically — we’re talkin’ demons on choppers, beers sloshed in beards, farting dudes and bawdy ladies ripping it up until well into the ancient moonlit forest night of yore, or somesuch — as much raucous unpredictability and gang-shout throwdown with those seven best friends that you definitely at any point in your life had as it is a classic hard rocker, with “Medieval Knieval” long on charm and short on bullshit, the title-track tapping all of our inner Motörheads and “A Path Less Traveled” reminding in its echoing mellow divergence those few times when Death Alley might space out to end a vinyl side.
“The Sundrinker,” premiering below, has some of that same space and proggy nestle in its groove, so keep an ear for it, and it pairs that with a rougher-edged vocal than the earlier song, keeping things moving after side B leadoff “Earthwoman” stoner-reverbs its worshipful procession en route to a psych lead and punkish threat that ultimately turns back to the expansive chorus, and ahead of the closing duo, “Down Below” and “Supermoon,” which round out with a bit of death-bluesy nodder catchiness and an over-the-top succession of solos that really is kind of the only thing that “Supermoon” could do to appropriately cap the proceedings. Not that there was any doubt of the all-in nature of Håndgemeng generally, but there’s no way they’d let an opportunity to showcase it in such a manner slip. Somewhere out on the floor, a drink spills. No one even begins to notice.
After doing Ripplefest in Germany last year, Håndgemeng will go two-for-two at Desertfest Oslo in May, but if you’re thinking about making it to the release show, you’ve got to wait until October for that. I guess sometimes a venue’s calendar fills up. Or maybe they have another album coming. I don’t know. Regardless, I wouldn’t expect either the chicanery or the riffs to have staled by then, as so much of what Satanic Panic Attack captures conveys a live-on-stage feel, from the gang vocals in “The Cauldon Born” to those persistent twists in “Supermoon” and at points between as Håndgemeng reshape genre around themselves rather than curbing their sundry transgressions. This, in the end, is no less a strength than the most searing or righteous of riffs.
Enjoy “The Sundrinker” on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire:
Håndgemeng, “The Sundrinker” track premiere
Five damned dudes, banished from the pits of hell, smelling of brimstone and cheap beer. Brought up on heavy metal and rock n’ roll brewed together with a bad attitude and devil worship, and from that cauldron, Håndgemeng emerges guitars in hand. Get ready to experience the doom n’ roll extravaganza as they play to entertain the devil himself! Riff after riff after riff Håndgemeng will take you from the depths of hell to the farthest reaches of space. Together we will escape prison planet Earth, if just for a little while.
Under the eerie glow of the supermoon, the motorcycle death cult gathers in parts unknown, ready to perform the infamous Ultraritual. As the night deepens, the air crackles with anticipation, and the 
roar of engines fills the darkness. This is no ordinary gathering; they are here to summon the Cauldron Born, a demon also known as Medieval Knievel, a powerful entity that embodies chaos and fear.
At the center of the ritual, the cult invokes the name of the motorcycle-riding demon, Medieval Knievel. With each rev of their bikes, they channel energy into the night, calling forth Knievel to rise and unleash a wave of satanic panic attacks upon the unsuspecting world. The ground trembles as the demon emerges, a harbinger of dread and madness.
As the denim-clad cult members chant in unison, the atmosphere thickens with tension. Those who walk the path less traveled feel the fear they instill spreading like wildfire, and soon, it becomes clear: we are all going down below, drawn into the chaos that the ultraritual has unleashed. The line between reality and nightmare blurs, and in the shadows, the motorcycle death cult revels in the panic they create. Don’t worry, it’s only black magic.
New album “Satanic Panic Attack” was produced, mixed and mastered by Ruben Willem at Caliban Studios. Artwork by Thomas Moe Ellefsrud.
1. The Cauldron Born
2. Medieval Knievel
3. Satanic Panic Attack
4. A Path Less Traveled
5. Earthwoman
6. The Sundrinker
7. Down Below
8. Supermoon
