The majority of you that is reading this report know who FINNTROLL is and what music they are playing. If you don't know them, only from their name you have a hint.

Born 13 years ago, FINNTROLL have managed to release until now four full length albums and two EPs. They had some lineup changes, as most bands, with Jan "Katla" Jamsen forcing to leave the band due to a tumor of his voice chords, being the saddest one. Tapio Wilska took his place for three years before being fired from the rest of the band, for reasons that never saw the light of publicity.

But enough about the history and the past of the band. The thing is that we have to see its present and the near future of FINNTROLL. And the thing is when I dragged and drop the mp3s of this digital promo into my player I thought that trolls, elves, orks and other creatures from a video game like Warcraft would come out from my screen. After a short intro that puts you into a folk mood, "Nifelvind" begins strongly, with one of the fastest tracks of this album, "Solsagan". The first riff doesn't look that folk due to its heaviness and aggressiveness. But as the song goes on, it is clear that the band kept some folk elements; listen to the keyboards fills and the chorus (perfect for playing it live and the fans to sing it).

"Den Frusna Munnen"'s opening was a bit of surprise, since with those cymbals it will make you think about a jungle and monkeys "flying" over your head. But yet again if you continue listening you'll notice that their identity is still here. As the album goes on, you will notice that the band seems that wants to go Folk Metal a bit further, or they just want to add to their sound new elements - you'll decide which of the two - with symphonic Metal touches and a more carnival atmosphere, especially in tracks like "Under Bergets Rot" and "Fornfamnad". Of course folk is still here with "Ett Norrskensdad" and "Galgasang" with the banjo and the acoustic guitar, but you can't leave unmentioned tracks like the Black Metal-based "I Tradens Sang" or the most bizarre three last cuts that (as mentioned before) make you feel that you are in a carnival.

"Nifelvind"needs a lot of listening to catch its atmosphere and all the layers in the compositions, so I believe that if you like folk Metal but got bored listening the same old thing, you must buy this album. It is a kind of experiment from my point of view and it wasn't a failure. But it can be better.