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Part of some reissues of Troll's early material, this one was originally released in 1996 and it really sounds like the symphonic black metal of the time. That is to say, it's not overpolished or filled with gimmicks. Keyboards provide the symphonic aspect, accompanying an otherwise fast and vicious black metal that would sound pretty damn brutal if the keyboards were taken away (incidentally, it's pretty obvious in those spots where the keyboards are toned down a bit). The keyboards themselves aren't made out to sound too "flowery" and most of the time they're fast, loud and really give the other instruments a run for their money when it comes to the violent aspect of the music. The vocals are high-pitched screeches that rip through the speakers and sound hateful as hell. They do have a bit of folky black metal in here as well, which gives the listener a break from the hostilities. If you miss the mid to late '90s stuff, this is of course the real deal right here, and with this reissue you won't need to pay the big bucks to get it from some guy on Discogs or eBay.

Additional Information

- 2023 reissue on Polypus Records reviewed