Troll - Army Of Lost Souls - [Screaming Ferret Wrecords]

2007-07-01

Anyone buying Troll's album expecting some sort of a melodic power metal album because of its cover, will find out a solid hard rock album instead.

This band's second release is a quality slab of pretty groovy, yet almost stoner hard rock, that benefits from strong vocals, some nifty guitar leads, and a strong sense of fun that runs throughout the album's nine tracks.

Opener "Power" is one of the heavier tracks here, the sound is quite earthy and raw but it seems to work for the band most of the time. Though the guitar lines are not very complicated or unique, they seem to serve the track well enough, and let the strong vocals and guitar leads stand out. If you still think you're in heavy metal land -in comes the second track, "Midnight", and turns the tables. The track is pure acoustic hard rock, sounding like something that came out of the 70's, but in any case, it works.

You really shouldn’t look for too much depth or complexity here, the band's brand of old school hard rock wears its heart on its sleeve. There's some Black Sabbath here, some Lynyrd Skynyrd, and these bands surely didn’t believe in depth or complexity. The line "Pour Me Another Shot Of Your Love" in "Sweet Love" is pure escapist hard rock, and it works just fine for the band.

There are some heavier moments here and there, and some Manowar themed lyrics ("Blood Of Our Enemies"), but the album is mostly dependent on its sense of groove and swagger, and it works in both departments. So grab a beer, open up the windows, and let it rip! This is hard rock for playing loud.

Alon Miasnikov