Troll - _Neo-Satanic Supremacy_
(Napalm Records, 2010)
by: Nikola Shahpazov (6.5 out of 10)
Back in the day when Dimmu Borgir were making the headlines as the first Norwegian black band to achieve commercial success and Cradle of Filth's "Jesus is a C" T-shirt provoked violent response from hardcore Christians, Nagash was all over the metal press. Slamming down his ex-colleagues from Dimmu and proudly announcing how his Covenant project would outsell the electronic duo bearing the same moniker, the man stood high and mighty, riding the second wave of Scandinavian black metal. What followed were years of silence, but with festival appearances of The Kovenant planned for this summer and a new Troll album, it's obvious that in 2010 Nagash is thinking resurrection and world domination once again.

Still, _Neo-Satanic Supremacy_ sounds like the kind of record he could have composed well back in 1999 and revamped at his home studio some months ago. That is not to say the album is weak or uninspired, but rather to imply that it delivers a pretty traditional slab of melodic metal -- the type of sound that made Dimmu Borgir's _Stormblast_, Covenant's _In Times Before the Light_ and indeed Troll's _Drep de Kristne_ classic examples of second wave Norwegian black metal. While Nagash went experimental on 2000's _The Last Predators_ and 2001's _Universal_, _Neo-Satanic Supremacy_ relies firmly on neoclassical keyboards and simple, often fast and aggressive riffing that is the backbone of most tracks. Lyrics are spit out in both English and Norwegian, but even if you're not familiar with any Northern European language, titles such as "Age of Satan" and "At the Gates of Hell" make it very clear: this is a thrashing, diabolically loud yet somehow unsophisticated tribute to the Horned one.

A nice and daresay entertaining listen, _Neo-Satanic Supremacy_ makes a fine job of whirling the listener some ten to fifteen years back in time and even though tracks like "Smertens Rike" and "Mørkets Skoger" deserve a second and even a third spin, it is highly unlikely Troll will end up in anyone's top 10 of the year list.

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/troll

(article published 7/3/2010)


ALBUMS
9/4/1997 D Schinzel 7 Troll - Drep De Kristne
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