FINNTROLL
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
When "Nattfood" begins, those who have visited Disneyland in Anaheim, California or perhaps those who have been to Disneyworld in Florida (I haven't, so I don't know for sure) will have a difficult time not associating the first couple of tracks with their last trip to the Disney empire. Not because "Nattfodd" is a Mickey Mouse CD (sorry, I couldn't resist) but because the first few tracks remind you of the heavy metal version of the classic Haunted Mansion soundtrack: Thunder, or perhaps the sound of distant explosions, rumble from the speakers. A driving guitar riff joins it, followed quickly by a double-beat drum blast. The vocals kick in then, a raging growlfest that isn't quite death metal but damn close. About halfway through, things start to get a little weird. Keyboards kick in, giving the song a bouncy but dark Oingo Boingo vibe. In fact, you'd swear from the first ten seconds of Track 2, "Eliytres," that you're listening to an Oingo Boingo CD. But the metal guitar that eventually burns through every song on "Nattfodd" leaves no doubt that Finntroll are out to crush and destroy with each track.
If I had to find a band that would compare with Finntroll's unique sound, I'd have to draw a comparison to In Extremo. But In Extremo has a cleaner, slower paced sound than does Finntroll. Track 7, for example, screams along like a Cradle of Filth tune. Like In Extremo, however, Finntroll makes for some very different, very fascinating heavy music listening.
Finntroll: Wilska - vocals; Routa - guitars; Skrymer - guitars; Tundra - bass; B. Dominator - drums; Trollhorn - keyboards.
For more information, check out http://www.finntrollnet.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2004 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 26 Feb 2024 13:06:28 -0500.
