...And in today's unusual Metal bands, we have Barcelona, Spain's Troll Metal ensemble DRAKUM. At first listen, I knew I was in for a treat with their latest EP "Trollmin."

So when I said unusual, I mean borderline absurd. This is a cross between NEKROGOBLIKON, ALESTORM, and (of course) FINNTROLL. DRAKUM is a blend of instruments from seemingly all over the European continent and as far as an actual Metal subgenre goes for this band, it goes from Melodic Death Metal to Folk Metal in a hurry. I cannot overstate how random this band is, but it is all in coordinated fashion, even with lyrical themes that range from mythology and fantasy to alcohol and Paganism.

For some reason this music mentally takes me to Germany. Like not modern Germany though, I am thinking more of Seventeenth century Germany in some remote forest village. The scene is a joyous festival amongst the townsfolk, torches lighting up the night and dancing around the fire in the center of town. But then to ruin the celebration and help themselves to a human delicacy, hungry trolls barge in and send the people in every direction, fleeing for their lives.

If you can wrap your head around that, you are pretty much ready to hear this album. Though the multitude of instruments may seem cacophonous at times, there is a neatly orchestrated chaos in the music. The vocals are all gravelly, but conveniently portray the ferocity and mayhem for which trolls are characterized.

The various whistles, woodwind, string, and percussive instruments (including what I believe sounds like a xylophone) that are not native to the realm of Metal have found their way onto this album. It is remarkable the way that even though most of them are playing at the same time, it all easily blends together and creates a sound that is one of the most unique I have heard in recent days.

This follow-up to 2014's "Torches Will Rise Again" is very memorable and if you like a good dancing jig-style tune or general audio tomfoolery, then "Trollmin" is sure to set your heart on fire! So fortify your defenses, and prepare for the troll invasion!