Trollfest - Helluva (2017)

In the metal universe, there are weird bands, there are crazy bands, there are insane bands, and then there is Trollfest, a Norwegian folk metal band that are completely out of their fucking minds. With a solid mix of strange folk melodies that takes you straight to the troll infested forest of Norway and a lot of saxophone (yes, saxophone!), this band is truly something unique, something that no one can recreate. I mean, just look at the cover, and you will immediately understand what kind of wacky creatures we are dealing with here (THE SPELUNKING SISTERS HAVE FREAKING EIGHT NIPPLES?!... or maybe warts).

My first encounter with these woodland beings was in 2012 when they released "Brumblebassen", and quality wise they have always held the banner fairly high, making them enjoyable even if only a couple of songs were truly excellent. Not surprisingly, the same can be said about "Helluva", the band's seventh offering. It is really enjoyable, because the wacky nature of the band is just so infectious, forcing a Joker like grin to your face.

The album opens up with just an intro. No seriously, the intro is actually called "This Is Just The Intro", but it is more than just a simple intro. Sure, it is just an short instrumental, but it has zany melodies that gets you pumped up for what is coming. Then the band takes you straight through its insane world with "Professor Otto", a speedy track that is Trollfest to the very core, with its crazy folk melodies and incomprehensible vocals. Sure, Trollmannen may not be a new Ronnie James Dio, but he fits perfectly in with the madness around him.

There are several small details in this album that is genuinely charming, making "Helluva" really good. The speed and the catchy rhythms are a main reason to why this band is so enjoyable, which is highly noticeable in songs like "Spelunking Sisters" and "La Grande finale", while "Gigantic Cave" stands out as one of few songs with some clean vocals, giving a more catchy chorus that will make you sing along to the line "Some creepy looking guy, some creepy looking species". Then we have "Steel Sarah", which starts with some techno-ish video game music, but then bursts out into one of few times where the heavy guitars are at the front of the cavalry, especially towards the second half of the song where the band almost goes industrial on our asses. It is a cool and almost epic song, a clear highlight of this album.

But then we have those really weird songs that are either hilarious, or just plain... wut? "Trollachen" is just three straight minutes of trolls laughing and, seemingly, getting drunk. Then we have "Hen of Hades", which is a song about a chicken... from hell. Let us also not forget "Reiten Mit Ein Fisch", which is German for "Ride with a fish" (I thought these guys were from Norway, god dammit), and at some parts it sounds like it was stolen from a level in "Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex". Finally, we have "Kabaret", and yes, it sounds like some cabaret from the 1930's, only with hairy, green, wart filled trolls. Jesus Christ, I am truly speechless here, this is just completely bonkers. If you want insanity, you have surely come to the right place

If nothing else, "Helluva" will be remembered as a really fun record that follows the same spirit that the rest of Trollfest's discography displays. It is an incredibly wacky record that is sure to turn your frown upside down in no time, and even if it does not add anything new to the band's repertoir, it is still good times when this is on. It might be a little too long though, so a couple of songs could have easily been removed, but still, this is a helluva fun adventure that Professor Otto and the Spelunking Sisters are treating us. Never stop festing, you god damn crazy trolls.

Songs worthy of recognition: Steel Sarah, Professor Otto, Gigantic Cave

Rating: 7,5/10 Kabarets

www.trollfest.com/
twitter.com/TrollfesT_Band

Korpiklaani - Noita (2015)

The folk metal genre contains a hand ful of really interesting and great bands, and then, there is Korpiklaani. The band can certainly create some great folk metal, but does it with a sparkle in the eye, playing with groovy rhythms, the insane Finnish language, and using their fondness of alcohol to their advantage. There really is not much to dislike with Korpiklaani, so whenever the band releases another record, I start to smile and start preparing for what to come.

"Noita" is more or less just like any other Korpiklaani release. It is fun, groovy, and pretty addictive. It is hard to just sit still while listening to songs like "Viinamäen Mies" or "Luontoni", the urge of wanting to dance just takes over your body. The only thing that takes away some of the groove factor is the Finnish language. Finland does have an interesting (and complicated) language, but for a dude who is born and raised anywhere else than in the land of the thousand lakes, it is hard to sing along to any Korpiklaani tune. It is always fun to try of course, but it is more fun to sing along to a song that actually uses a language you are familiar with.

With that said, I do still love the fact that the band stays true to their native language, which gives the folk aspect of their music an extra dimension. I can see the endless woods of the north before me when listening to Korpiklaani, which makes it so much easier to enjoy the music even more. I also like that the band can still sing about alcohol since some of my favourite Korpiklaani tunes are about alcohol (like "Vodka" and "Tequila". The song "Sahti" is about the beer sort with the same name, a beer that uses juniper berry instead of or as a complement to hops. Never tried it personally, but it sounds pretty good, and the song is nice as well.

But I am starting to think that the band had a couple of Sahtis too many when swapping ideas for the album. I would really like to know who came up with the not so bright idea of turning the classic Tommy James & The Shandells song "Mony Mony" into a folk metal song in Finnish. "Jouni Jouni" does have some humour to it, but it is just too similar to the original (and to the excellent Billy Idol version) for me to enjoy it. A weird experience that ultimately left me speachless. I would also liked it if the band had amped up the diversity of the album, even if the single "Lempo" does it to some extent, it is not enough for me, especially since the band has not shown many proofs of evolving their sound. But it is as the saying goes, why fix something that is not broken?

I may only be able to say kiitos (thank you) and yksi, kaksi, kolme (one, two, three) when it comes to my knowledge of the Finnish language, but I understand Korpiklaani as bright as daylight. The Finns brings to the table another solid folk metal release that should go well in the cabins. Even if "Noita" is far from perfect, it is still a very fun listen and well worthy of your time. So take out your booze, turn up the volume, start drinking, and enjoy some good, groovy folk metal.

Songs worthy of recognition: Pilli On Pajusta Tehty, Viinamäen Mies, Sahti

Rating: 7/10 Luontonis