CoC : Trelldom - Til et Annet : Review

Trelldom - _Til et Annet_
(Hammerheart Records, 1999)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)

I really enjoyed Trelldom's obscure debut _Til Evighet_ -- dark, atmospheric and gut-wrenchingly cold. Which is what I expected of their second outing, this time on Dutch Hammerheart Records. Opener "Vender Meg Mot Ett Kommende" certainly didn't disappoint, a blizzard of furious early-'90s black metal. A fist in the face of today's flower-sniffing wimps, so to speak. Gaahl's throat once again appears in fine form, his familiarly guttural rasps sending a chill through our blackened hearts. Only two minutes through the second track are any lapses hinted at: the torrid vocals suddenly break into clear, semi-melodic tones only to soar maliciously back (a la Gorgoroth days) into harsh screams. Breathtaking, but barely a minute later, the same is repeated, and (horror of horrors!) the twisted singing is continued for a whole verse! One can only be thankful that whatever moved Gaahl to include such ghastly throat molestation on not just one song, but nearly half the album, has not marred the band musically. That's not the end of vocal eccentricities; for some reason or other, the torrid screeches on the first three tracks are soon abandoned in favour of a distorted, almost inhuman roar. I've always preferred the passion and hatred of "pure human" screams. Granted, the coldness is gripping, but the lack of subtlety and range in the electronics almost ruins the entire presentation. Still, a firmly-rooted troop like Trelldom don't miss a step in delivering one of the most traditional albums this year; their cold, ghastly dirges (with hints of folk in the crushing riffs) are bound to please the old guard who so eagerly lapped up their debut, and might teach disco-lovers Dodheimsgard a thing or two about sticking with tradition.

(article published 5/3/2000)

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27/7/2007	J Smit	9	Trelldom - Til Minne...