TROLD

Stirring, infectious and occasionally very silly indeed, folk metal has already survived for longer than cynics might have expected when the likes of FINNTROLL and ENSIFERUM first emerged from their Scandinavian hideouts. But while the scene has produced plenty of like-minded bands to sustain the forest-dwelling shindig over the last 25 years, the scene definitely needs a band to step up and fill the void left by bigger bands who rarely seem to be in a hurry to make new music. That is where TROLD come in. Since releasing their debut album, 2023's "Der Var Engang…", this Danish quintet have risen rapidly in their native homeland and become one of the most impactful folk metal bands of the last decade. Firmly at the FINNTROLL end of the genre's stylistic spectrum, TROLD are also a lethally proficient heavy metal band with all the bluster and belligerence that such an affiliation entails. On their first live album, recorded at Denmark's Copenhell festival earlier this year, they seek to demonstrate their prowess and personality at maximum volume.

When the audience chants your name, you know that things are going well. TROLD hit the ground running, after a mysterious, atmospheric overture, and rip into "I Skovens Rige" (the title track from their latest album, which was released earlier this year) like rabid, nocturnal trolls on a mission from the Devil himself. With all the expected, esoteric instrumentation, penny whistle hooks included, and a frontman (Allan Madsen) whose excoriating screams are wild and raucous in the best possible way, TROLD come across as an overwhelming storm of euphoric sound. Guitar tones are clear and heavy as hell, and on the lead-heavy likes of "Troldmanden" and "Tusind Ar I Dvale", the sheer force behind the Danes' delivery is genuinely startling. Live albums rarely convey the true experience of being present at a show, but "Til Gilde Under Ulven" comes closer than most.

Primarily selected from their two studio albums to date, the set list is understandably limited in its scope, but TROLD have written songs that demand to be blasted directly into fans' faces. The result is an album that maintains its momentum with a bottomless supply of energy and commitment. They are also measurably heavier than any other folk metal band that springs to mind, and on the expansive whimsy of "Den Gamle Sump (Medley)", TROLD absolutely nail the genre's theatrical, cinematic side too.

Not quite yet the official heirs to the scene leaders' throne, TROLD are the sort of irrepressibly vibrant and vivacious band that simply needs to be put in front of as many people as possible. The crowd at Copenhell obviously had a fantastic time, and if you neck a few beers and crank this up to a suitably idiotic volume, so will you.