Labels: Shadow Kingdom
Review by: Alex Deller
Portland metallers Troll are onto something interesting with their debut, which has been rescued from doomscurity and reissued by Shadow Kingdom. The sound is classic in more ways than one, reminiscent of wilderness torchbearers like Candlemass and Count Raven while also harking back to proto-metal obscurities of the 60s and 70s. The riffs are surefooted and the delivery is supple and fluid, while the singer’s cadences at times recall a heavy metal Craig Wedren. It feels like a little more force is required in terms of both delivery and production, but things are still able, enjoyable and intriguing enough that we should all be keeping an eye out for, uhh, Troll 2.