Trollheart

On to June, and one of the Batlord's favourite artistes, who released their seventh album this month.

Luminiferous --- High On Fire --- 2015 (E1 Music)

Introduction: I experienced these guys as, I believe, part of Janszoon's Members' Top Ten last year, and was suitably, if I recall, impressed. This will then only be the second time I've heard them, so let's see what it's like.

Track-by-track

1. The black plot: Well, there's no settling in is there? Guitar and drums pound you across the room from the first chord and there's an abundance of energy in this. It's just a little too chaotic for me. Good fretwork certainly.
2. Carcosa: More a kind of rolling beat to this; reminds me of Metallica in places.
3. The sunless years: Hmm. Much of this is tending to sound the same to me.
4. Slave the hive: This is faster, has a lot of bite. Reminds me of Slayer.
5. The falconist: Kind of a nice melody in this one. Not bad.
6. Dark side of the compass: Very heavy and chaotic again. Meh.
7. The cave: Now this is different! Restrained guitar, almost a ballad, and I can actually make out what the vocalist is singing.
8. Luminiferous: Almost punk in its aggression and speed.
9. The lethal chamber: Meh, just too bored now. Most of this sounds too similar.

Conclusion: I get that HoF are big on many people's radar but I really don't see it with this album. I actually enjoyed Hate and Drudkh much more, which you would have to say is odd, because if I'm leaning (or believed I leaned) in any direction other than power/progressive/trad metal, I would have thought speed/thrash would have been my stepping-stone to more extreme subgenres. And yet here I am, praising Black Metal and calling Thrash metal boring!

Who is this, and what have you done with Trollheart???

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