The Pitch: 15 years since their last material, 90's Finnish black metal group Trollheims Grott bring us their third album via W.T.C. Productions. FFO: Absu, Ascension, Blaze Of Perdition
What I Like: There are some very thrashy and at times Absu-esque riffs scattered throughout this album to great effect. I turn on a track like “Holy Black Sun” and simply must crank it up. It’s in these moments that Trollheims Grott truly prove their worth; displaying the perfect balance of technical mastery with traditional black metal tropes. Both the drumming and guitar work are excellent, matched perfectly by the abysmal, blackened vocals. Fast, ferocious, and fun...in the grim black metal sense that is. I dig the industrial percussion that shows up here and there as well (most notably on the closer).
Critiques: On the flip side, this album gets repetetive when it isn’t at full tilt. There are several 6-7+ minute songs that only feature enough content for around 3. They would be better served in these places either significiantly cutting runtime or putting more effort into diversifying the compositions.
The Verdict: In the end, Aligned With The True Death is a mixed bag. The high points rival some of my favorite black metal albums, but the lows seriously drag the overall experience down. If you want to hear some seriously awesome singles featured on an album that is otherwise kind of average, this is still worth checking out.
Flight's Fav's: Aligned with the True Death, Holy Black Sun, LXFR
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.