The new metal genre is sweeping the frozen wastelands of the north. What is this new sound? TROLL METAL! The bringers of this new creative fire are Finnish metal/polka players Finntroll, with their unique mixture of storytelling, mythology, and plain barbarism that is best served cold with a side of flesh.
The album is best enjoyed by someone who either knows Swedish, or has a translation handy. There are a few English translations of Finntroll lyrics on the internet; however, many of those are rather awkward and inaccurate. Mostly the lyrics follow the story of a Troll-King and his minions raping, pillaging,and killing christians.
But even if you don’t have the lyrics, the album is still a great ‘background’ listen. The melodies are pervasively provocative throughout the album, and several tracks are very well orchestrated.
The musicianship on this album is of very high quality. There are guitars, keyboards, double bass along with electric bass, accordions, and a tight drum section. All of the instruments are very well played, however the guitars are sometimes overly simplistic. Also one can find the frequent huppa (Finnish polka) rhythms somewhat boring in the long haul. The vocals are good, with some growling in Finnish, but the best parts of the vocals are the clean vocals on a few of the songs.
Overall a very unique album with an interesting outlook on metal music as a whole, however it is not easily accessible, and some may be turned off by the vocals being in another language. But if you are a metal fan who appreciates a more ‘classical’ approach to music, then you will find this album enjoyable.
Good Tracks:
Födosagan
Jaktens Tid
Krigsmjöd
VargTimmen
Aldhissla
