Avrak, the new band featuring Darkthrone’s Ted Skjellum, have signed to Peaceville Records and will release their self-titled debut album of heavy rock and metal on October 9, 2026. The announcement arrives alongside the debut single and lyric video, “Unborn.”
The Norwegian outfit was founded in November 2023 by guitarists Anders Hegna (Nød, El Kayenne, Svidd Grevling) and Ted Skjellum, best known as one half of the legendary duo Darkthrone. Long-time acquaintances with a shared passion for classic rock and metal, the pair finally set off on this new journey together under the Avrak banner. Their first compositions took shape within just five days.
Skjellum declared from the outset that he would not handle lead vocals, so Hegna — whose vocal grit proved a natural fit — took the role. Weeks later, drummer Terje Kråbøl (Gjendød, Sarke, Faustcoven) joined, and the creative work accelerated into the hook-laden, doom-laced debut. Bassist Steinar Gundersen (Khold, Sarke, Satyricon) completed the lineup, and the band played its first show in their hometown of Porsgrunn in late April 2026.
Described as a monumental “Heavy Metal voyage from the peak of the mountains to the depths of the seas” with themes of empowerment in increasingly corrupt times, Avrak pulls from a wide range of influences: a classic heavy metal and doom rock backbone with synth passages and even traces of black metal riffing in its DNA. The nine-track album was recorded, mixed and mastered at Mølla Studio by Knut Magne Valle in February 2026.
Stream / watch “Unborn”: orcd.co/avrak_unborn
Pre-order Avrak (CD, black & silver vinyl, digital): AVRAK.lnk.to
Avrak track listing:
- Forever Mountain
- Unborn
- Long May The Lums Reek
- Rot
- Varde
- Cloaks Of Power
- The Lonely Shadow
- The Rift
- Hav
Avrak is:
Anders Hegna – guitars, vocals, bass
Ted Skjellum – guitars, Moog guitar/synthesizer, additional vocals, effects
Terje Kråbøl – drums
Steinar Gundersen – bass
Follow Avrak:
Instagram | Peaceville
