Release Date: March 20, 2026
From the cold North of Sweden, NORNA and LEGBITER deliver a six-track document of contrast, convergence, and uncompromising heavy music. Bringing together two distinct voices, the release explores the many shapes heaviness can take—stretching from crushing, slow-moving atmospheres to sharp, volatile bursts of aggression.
Formed by musicians with deep roots in the European underground, Norna approach heaviness as a vehicle for emotional gravity. Their sound is expansive and deliberate, built on massive low-end, tectonic rhythms, and an acute sense of restraint.
Legbiter approach heavy music as direct, confrontational, and unrelentingly physical. Rooted in hardcore and metal’s most ferocious intersections, the band thrives on immediacy and impact. Legbiter compress time, delivering short, explosive bursts that hit with the force of a live wire. Their sound is lean, aggressive, and unapologetically raw.
“Even though we sound very different sonically I think we all have a lot of common ground, not only in being parts of the 90’s scenes, but also musically in the somewhat dissonant and harsh guitar parts”, says Legbiter guitarist (Rickard Nordström. “Personally, I love splits with bands that don't sound exactly the same, but share some common traits and vibes.”
“Contrast is everything, we have always tried to flow between despair and beauty. Dynamics are important to us. This split will give you that contrast”, comments Norna guitarist and vocalist and former Breach vocalist Tomas Liljedahl.
Norna work with discomfort and resonance until meaning begins to surface. Their sound is dense, immersive and moves with deliberate weight, unfolding gradually and allowing tension to accumulate over time. Guitars loom and resonate, drums seismic, and the overall pacing encourages full absorption. There is an understanding that heaviness is as much about space, patience, and emotional depth as it is about volume or distortion. Vocals in function as another textural layer. When they surface, they do so with intent: raw, human, and confrontational.
“These songs pretty much reflect what we do musically and sonically right now. Create as much destruction with as little means as possible, raw and true”, says Lijedahl.
Norna focus on tension and release across long-form structures. Songs unfold patiently, often hovering in suspension before collapsing inward or surging forward with crushing inevitability. This compositional mindset places them closer to post-metal and doom’s most introspective branches, yet their music resists strict categorization. There is a cinematic quality to their work that invokes environment, mood, and psychological immersion. The recordings emphasizes depth and space, allowing guitars to breathe and drums to resonate with physical presence. Norna embraces texture and grit, reinforcing the sense that their music is something lived-in and elemental.
“The beauty in suffering is always there. Sonically due to the dirt and grit, getting in and out fast was important to keep everyone’s attention, including ourselves. Shorter songs, full force from the very start.” (Tomas Lijedahl)
Legbiter’s three tracks are concise, confrontational, and relentlessly physical. Riffs snap into place, rhythms pivot without warning, and the overall effect is one of controlled volatility. The band’s hardcore-rooted sensibility brings immediacy to the EP, grounding it in sweat, motion, and instinctive reaction. At the core of Legbiter’s identity is rhythm as a weapon. Drums snap and pivot with nervous intensity, guitars carve jagged patterns that prioritize feel over flourish, and bass lines lock everything into a compact, punishing frame. The band’s writing favors momentum and volatility, often shifting gears abruptly to keep the listener off balance.
“It can be noisy, sludgy, doomy, hardcore-y, shoegazy – we really don’t care anymore but it all sounds like Legbiter when we’re through with it. The songs on the EP/split are a really good representation of Legbiter in general, having all the different kinds of elements that we enjoy in our music. (Rickard Nordström)
Vocally, Legbiter channel confrontation and catharsis. The delivery is urgent and unfiltered, cutting through the mix with a sense of necessity rather than performance. Lyrics tend to be blunt and unromantic, addressing personal conflict, societal pressure, and internal fracture with stark clarity. This directness gives the band’s music a sense of honesty that resonates immediately. Highly intentional in their craft, their songs are tightly constructed, with an instinctive understanding of pacing and dynamics. Silence, breakdowns, and negative space are used strategically, amplifying the impact of each return to full force. This discipline prevents their music from becoming chaotic, sharpening it into something precise and controlled.
On the split EP, Legbiter expand their vocabulary without diluting their core identity. The tracks retain their signature bite while engaging in a subtle dialogue with Norna’s slower, heavier sensibilities. This contrast highlights Legbiter’s strengths: clarity, aggression, and focus. Their contribution acts as a jolt of electricity within the broader release, grounding the EP in physical immediacy and reminding the listener that heaviness can be as much about speed and tension as it is about mass.
The EP does not chase trends or easy categorization; instead, it exists on its own terms, inviting listeners to engage fully and without distraction. It is a powerful statement from two bands unafraid to stand firmly in their identities while meeting in the shared language of weight, tension, and sound.
FOR FANS OF
Handsome * Quicksand * Fireside * Breach * Helmet * Superheaven * Narrowhead * Metz
