Trollheim's Grott - Bizarre Troll Technology
Woodcut Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Woodcut Records web site.
Yes, I know. Finntroll are already doing the whole troll-obsessed-black-metal thing. But then again, there are a multitude of bands who are all doing the Satan-obsessed-black-metal thing, so why dismiss a band just because they're writing about short pointy-eared ugly things rather than big flame-covered infernal ugly things?
Trollheim's Grott sit firmly in the keyboard-centric camp of black metallers - the album starts with an entirely keyboard-based introductory piece 'Trollgeddon' before the blast beats and riffs kick in with 'Trollsyndicate', which contains the immortal lyric 'the troll will hunt you down'. If I could stop laughing for long enough, I'd be scared...
But, comical as the lyrics might be, Trollheim's Grott are deadly serious in their musical intent. The music is unrelenting and heavy throughout, with evil-sounding, distorted melodies joining the obligatory greased-lightning riffing to add that extra bit of belligerent ambience to proceedings. The songs are pretty epic in composition as well, the tracks proper (disregarding the intro and outro) spanning from 7:10 to 10:01 in length. Occasionally, there's just not quite enough in the composition to keep you fully gripped throughout tracks of that length, although the Grott can usually pull another musical rabbit out of the hat before you lose interest completely.
Not too bad an effort all in all then, but this falls short in the wake of black metal classics like Anaal Nathrakh's debut and the latest releases from Emperor and Borknagar. Worth listening to, but by no means essential.
7/10
Woodcut Records - 2002
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Woodcut Records web site.
Yes, I know. Finntroll are already doing the whole troll-obsessed-black-metal thing. But then again, there are a multitude of bands who are all doing the Satan-obsessed-black-metal thing, so why dismiss a band just because they're writing about short pointy-eared ugly things rather than big flame-covered infernal ugly things?
Trollheim's Grott sit firmly in the keyboard-centric camp of black metallers - the album starts with an entirely keyboard-based introductory piece 'Trollgeddon' before the blast beats and riffs kick in with 'Trollsyndicate', which contains the immortal lyric 'the troll will hunt you down'. If I could stop laughing for long enough, I'd be scared...
But, comical as the lyrics might be, Trollheim's Grott are deadly serious in their musical intent. The music is unrelenting and heavy throughout, with evil-sounding, distorted melodies joining the obligatory greased-lightning riffing to add that extra bit of belligerent ambience to proceedings. The songs are pretty epic in composition as well, the tracks proper (disregarding the intro and outro) spanning from 7:10 to 10:01 in length. Occasionally, there's just not quite enough in the composition to keep you fully gripped throughout tracks of that length, although the Grott can usually pull another musical rabbit out of the hat before you lose interest completely.
Not too bad an effort all in all then, but this falls short in the wake of black metal classics like Anaal Nathrakh's debut and the latest releases from Emperor and Borknagar. Worth listening to, but by no means essential.
7/10
