The Dogs

Formed in Oslo in 2011 around Kristopher Schau, who had also previously been active under the name Max Cargo, The Dogs develop a nerve-wracking rock that blends garage rock, punk rock and hard rock, with direct and dark writing, propelled by taut guitars, gritty choruses and a front-and-center band energy. Initially conceived as a side project for songs that did not fit elsewhere, The Dogs quickly established themselves as a full-fledged band, with a lineup centered on Schau on vocals, Mads Martinsen on guitar, Roar Nilsen on bass, Stefan Höglin on keyboards, Henrik Odde Gustavsen on drums and Kenneth Simonsen on percussion. The Dogs released its first album, Set Yourself on Fire and Follow the Smoke, in 2012, followed by The Tears Are Voodoo in 2014, Black Chameleon Prayer in 2015 and Swamp Gospel Promises in 2016. From the mid-2010s, the group adopted a steady early-year release rhythm and cemented its place on the Norwegian rock scene with Death by Drowning in 2017, The Grief Manual in 2018, Before Brutality in 2019, Crossmaker in 2020, Post Mortem Portraits of Loneliness in 2021 and El verdugo in 2022. The Dogs thus develops a compact identity, between street rock, punk tension and abrasive melodies, in a collective format that prioritizes immediate impact.