TROLLFEST To Begin Recording Next Album

TROLLFEST, the self-proclaimed "true Norwegian Balkan metal" band which eschews musical convention by combining local folk sounds from their native Norway with those from the Balkans and mixing them together with occasional melodies that could originate anywhere from the Latino countries to the Middle East, will enter the studio this month to begin recording its fifth album, "Brumlebassen", for an early 2012 release via NoiseArt Records. The group will track the drums, bass, guitar and main vocals over a three-week period beginning on November 7 at Strand Studios with engineer Marius Strand, after which they will move on to their own Trollskogen recording facilities to record the extra vocals, choirs, and instruments.

As with all TROLLFEST's previous releases, "Brumlebassen" will tell a story involving Trolls and a certain amount of drinking. Without wanting to give too much away at this early stage, a spokesperson for the band said that the storyline will revolve around a brewer called Brumlebassen who is charged with making the mead much beloved by the Trolls. Cover art for the album will once again be in the hands of Swedish artist and cartoonist Jonas Darnell and designer Terje "Andy Wartroll", both of whom have worked with the band for several years, and whose work on the group' last CD, "En Kvest For Den Hellige Gral", has yet again proved to be a huge hit with the fans and an integral part of the overall TROLLFEST "experience."

TROLLFEST, which comprises members of URGEHAL, PANTHEON I, UNTIME, MELCH, SARKOM, HALLUCINATIONS and POWERSWORD, has already written ten metal tracks and a handful of acoustic ones, and will decide which to include on the album once recording is completed. There will also be guest musicians, who will be announced at a later date.