Håndgemeng – Satanic Panic Attack

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · April 24, 2025

Håndgemeng, from Drøbak, Norway, formed in 2017 and have so far released: 2019’s Motorcycle Death Cult EP, 2020’s Grim Riffer, 2023’s Ultraritual, and their latest 2025’s Satanic Panic Attack. The band consists of Ola Holseth on drums, Charlie Ytterli on guitars, Martin Wennberg on vocals, Kim Grannes on bass, and Cro-Magnus on guitars. Håndgemeng’s sound is described as the new wave of Norwegian heavy metal. It has varied elements of stoner, doom, hardcore, black metal, grunge, and traditional metal. As stated on their Bandcamp page: “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!” Satanic Panic Attack is the band’s debut for Ripple Music and was released on April 11th 2025. It contains eight tracks around forty minutes long.

After the quick sample of the army of the dead, “The Cauldron Born” kicks things off with a classic big eighties metal riff that has some aggressive hardcore vocals. They then break into a very catchy chorus with melodic vocals that then drift into a black metal rhythm. The transitions of musical styles is elaborate and ingenious. Håndgemeng seamlessly mix hook driven riffs and melodic arrangements intertwined into sonic bliss. The number of musical styles that “The Couldron Born” leaches from is many and irrelevant, it doesn’t matter because these Norwegian’s are raging with raunchy rock and punk metal pop. When I first heard this single a couple of months ago, I was floored and impressed with the unique sound blending that is going on, and that’s just in the first song. This is a grandiose track to begin with and it works out perfectly. “Mideival Knievel” begins with a cool guitar riff that has a heavy psych flare that rips into a rocking grungy riff. The raspy singing is enhanced with catchy “hail Satan!” chorus hooks. There’s some jamming keys overlapping the rhythms and the riffs are fuzzy and crunchy. The flow of the music is great and the tasty guitar leads really helps to elevate the overall sound. The band really delivers a walloping of fuzz and Stompbox riffs that would make Helmet blush. The aggressive vocals work really well on this song too.

The title track, “Satanic Panic Attack” is a rocking Motörhead worship with plenty of big rock melodies. The clean vocal parts are strategic and powerful enough to modify the sound and shift your focus. It’s a great ride and things just keep advancing from here on out. Håndgemeng further push out any preconceived limits aside and float into “A Path Less Traveled”, one of the best songs on Satanic Panic Attack. The guitar starts with a phasing effect that blends in the atmospheric rhythmic connections. The soft and subtle rock allure carefully aligns with the aggressive post-hardcore fragments. The bluesy guitar leads adds another layer to this unpredictable band. I love when my brain has no idea of where this song will lead it. Every track on Satanic Panic Attack is quite different from each other. As a collection of songs, it’s a pleasure to listen to these one right after the other. “Earthwoman” has a special vintage metal vibe that entangles into a trippy psychedelic and riff rocking ride. It’s another top level track on this record, which is ironically all of them. The song has a very spacy and ethereal feel compounded with the punk fueled ferocity and the metallic rhythmic crunch. A very expansive track that travels through moods and melodies with malevolence and harmony.

The sixth track entitled “The Sundrinker” is a magnificent piece of musical art. The hard leaning on heavy psych is met with a delicious slice of desert rock. The flawless grooves and hard rocking retribution is catchy and contagious. The band are really expanding on their range and creativity with this song. The sound is huge and convincing. “Down Below” catapults these rhythms and adds in some funk and soul into the mix. The backing gang vocals are delightful as is the flashy and fancy rock rhythms. The song delivers a very catchy allure and the driving bass with the accented leads are golden. The final track on this excellent album is called “Supermoon”. This is a total raging song that connects everything in one final push for a potential album of the year performance. “Supermoon” has everything that a great closing track should have. It begins a little subdued with haunting clean guitars and vocals. The ambience and psych are engaged nicely and the heavy stoner rock riffs are a raging along. Very smoothly, Håndgemeng easily combine dank and sludgy rhythms with melodic and harmonizing euphoria. The end of “Supermoon” is a head trip and the whole construct of the song is brilliant. The tune leaves the listener wanting more which ultimately leads to listening to Satanic Panic Attack again and again. Not the worst problem to have, this record is introspective and irresistible, in which I can’t stop listening to it. Open your mind to the New Wave of Norwegian Heavy Metal!