Troll – Neo-Satanic Supremacy (2010)

After almost 10 years of creeping in the dark woods of Norway, Troll is back with a new symphonic Black Metal opus that restores the momentum the band had after the release of “Universal” back in 2001.

Featuring one remaining member of the original band, Nagash (a.k.a Stian Arnesen) the band is back with a full lineup and the purpose of kicking some major ass. “Neo-Satanic Supremacy” is less Industrial Metal than “Universal” but it sill sounds better than anything that the band released before.

The comparisons to Dimmu Borgir are completely unavoidable since Troll in “Neo-Satanic Supremacy” sounds very similar to the previously mentioned band. But don’t go thinking that they are just another clone, since “Neo-Satanic Supremacy” stands out by it-self and any fan of Symphonic Black Metal will greatly appreciate this release to its full extent without constant comparison to other bands.

The guitar work courtesy of Nagash and Tlaloc is both crushing and melodic, and while it’s not as raw as Gorgoroth or similar bands, is very well written in order to create crushing melodies that few other bands can even dream of making. The drumming is restless and very traditional of Black Metal releases going full throttle and dominating the music when needed.

The keyboard usage is sometimes similar to Dimmu Borgir, but it never gets abused and it never sounds like a movie score, it’s just there to highlight some elements of the music and add melody to the songs, but it’s never the driving force behind “Neo-Satanic Supremacy” something that is very nice, since if I want fancy keyboards I look in other genres, not in Black Metal.

About half the songs are written in English and the rest in Norwegian, a nice change of pace from bands that only use one language. The vocals are somewhat diverse and I think there is more than one person providing them in this release. Overall all elements combine very well on this release, making it powerful and melodic and never dull.

With “Neo-Satanic Supremacy” I’m sure that Troll will be a force to be reckoned, again, and will make several heads turn in this very crowded and competitive Symphonic Black Metal genre. Troll has potential for a very strong comeback this 2010, and I hope I can catch them live some time later this year, as for now, I’ll just settle for giving this album constant rotation in my 2010 play list.

Release: January 29th, 2010

Country: Norway