Review Summary: Glory knows another name.
Dream Tröll are England’s most righteous troubadours, fulfilling their duty on this occasion by imparting the noble tale of mighty Cyrian in his struggle against the titular
Witch’s Curse. Weaving a rich tapestry, coloured with equal strokes of power and heavy metal, this narrative-driven EP features an incredible story layered atop an unbeatable backdrop of wailing riffs and epic melodies. With instrumental support and songwriting that endeavours to match and enhance this tale’s atmosphere, the impressively versatile vocal performance not only dictates the mood throughout, but distinctly changes timbre when portraying different characters without actually “doing voices”, if I can be so reductive. As most of the information progresses through the near-constant stream of lyrics, it seems appropriate to include a brief sample for illustrative purposes;
“Cyrian turned around, grabbed his sword,
and ran to his trusty stead.
He mounted her saddle, gave an awesome
cry and the beast roared up and charged.
She moved across the battle field obliterating all in her path”
If that alone doesn't set the tone, none of my paltry words will be of any use. Cyrian’s tragic adventure is one of compulsion, bloodshed, triumph, and honour – it’s just about the most fun one can have in 20 minutes, thanks to these metal minstrels. Leave your lactose intolerance at the door by your sword - be damned those who cannot stomach cheese and cliches, you'll find no shortage of both within. While these three tracks are quite satisfying and I very clearly had a blast following along with Cyrian’s struggle multiple times, the only aspect holding this EP back is its relative brevity. I for one would love to experience exactly Dream Tröll’s method of musical story telling on a larger scale. Hopefully the future holds such a prospect, and Cyrian can finally triumph over
The Witch’s Curse.
