Again: just saying/writing a Metal genre doesn’t mean a thing, because depending on the genre, you can have melodic acts and extreme ones making it. Folk Metal, for example, demands a lot, because you can have bands using a more melodic approach as Brazilian TUATHA DE DANANN and Italian ELVENKING, and extreme ones as PRIMORDIAL and SUIDAKRA. Then to deal with Danish act TROLD can demand more from the fans/writers, especially when their second full-length, “I Skovens Rige”, comes to the count. Only the fine cover created by Martin Helgren (known for his works with ARTILLERY) states clean that they’re a Folk Metal act. And the work of Frederik Uglebjerg (on mixing and mastering) makes things balanced between the range of influences that the quartet has on its music, being clean and defined when needed, but always weighty and aggressive as a troll.

As guests, here are Lars Thiesgaard on word, Esse (singer of NUMBNUTS and SWINDLER, former HATESPHERE) on vocals and Laura Emilie Beck (of GNY, former HULDRE) on violin. The music of the band lies on extreme versions of Folk Metal, in a tendency similar to FINNTROLL and KORPIKLAANI on its early stages, but a bit more into Metal then both. But don’t get the wrong idea, because they know how to use those melancholic ambiences that make everyone miss the pagan roots of the past (as heard clearly on “Mod Den Endeløse Skov”). It’s not a sin to have in mind that the band offers to the fans a very good experience, and very good songs as well.

This second full-length of the band shows a very good set of songs, so to deal with “I Skovens Rige”, “Med Høtyv Og Fakkel”, “Troldmanden”, “Til Gilde Under Bøgen”, “Tusind År I Dvale”, “Vår”, “Utysken”, “Mod Den Endeløse Skov”, “Skovfesten”, “Bødlen”, “Gamle Ask” and “Tudseleg” will be a pleasure not only for those into Folk Metal ways, but for Pagan Metal, Viking Metal and all Metal ways. Excellent guitar riffs and arrangements, solid work on bass guitar and drums, fine vocals on snarls and growls, and all those Pagan/Folk touches that the fans love to deal with.

The Danish trolls are back, then listen to “I Skovens Rige” and pay respect to TROLD.