Skryti v mlze

The spirit of black metal can be found in many places. You can meet it at dreary Norwegian fjords in autumn, at Finnish lakes in the moonlight, at German castle ruins and of course in the dense forests of Bohemia. So it's not surprising that Trollech from Pilsen, Czech Republic, describe their style as "Forest Black Metal". Granted, that's still a little silly, but who cares about the label? What is interesting is what is in the bottle.

"Skryti v mlze" does without influences from outside the genre, but instead gladly uses a large part of the black metal spectrum. The opening title track thunders out of the speakers at high speed, but already in the third track, whose title translates as "Land of the Giants", Trollech strike completely different notes. Sad to fatalistic, the song drags along with an eerie heaviness. The three dudes offer a slow version of Master's Hammer here, with the occasional orchestral instrumentation adding a special flair. At the same time, it in no way disturbs the metallic basis of the piece, nor does it soften it. The following track picks up speed again and has an occasional flashing guitar line that lacks neither frenzy nor individuality. Well, why the track is translated as "Trees Are in Us", I can't answer. There's not even a bush in me. But well, Pilsen's main attraction is its brewery, maybe you come to such insights in such a place.

Nonsense aside - Trollech present themselves as an entity to be taken seriously. The mixture of black vehemence and occasional spirituality gives the trio a good degree of identity. Admittedly, the forest lovers also walk on well-trodden paths from time to time, but let he who is free of sin cast the first stone. Less nice, on the other hand, is that the seventh track derails after 47 seconds due to an inappropriate break and at times seems like a drinking song by Korpiklaani. Such digressions tarnish the overall impression a little.

On the other hand, the production meets expectations. "Skryti v mlze" does not impress with a showpiece sound, but the mix lacks neither power nor density. Towards the end of the album, the Czechs' compositions lose a little of their expressiveness, but the last track, with some melancholic melodies and solos, once again shows that Trollech are not a backyard combo. Even the "oooh-oooh-oooh" background choruses do not harm the title and so "The Secret Will Be Hidden to All" becomes a great finale, which among other things once again shows the good compatibility of the Czech language with the darkness of the most misanthropic form of metal. One may argue about the style designation "Forest Black Metal", but it is certain that where Trollech come from, the spirit of black metal blows.

Pagan black metal entertains a potent release with the birth of Skryti v mlze, fourth of Trollech’s full-length offspring.

Not only is it a solid release for the band, but their sound has positively escalated since prior releases. Trollech disgorges ten distinct tracks of varying tone, hailing the traits of Nature and her wondrous forests.

This black metal is fresh to breath; the frenzied hymns are captivating and often majestic like the trees they respect. It would seem Trollech has arrived at a more mature stage in their existence. Some songs are laden with reverberating acoustics, parts of Zeme Obru, and the entirety of the superlative instrumental Mlha nad Peklovskym potokem, bear example to this.

The vocals are icy and well-executed. Occasionally there is some aggressive chanting like on the song Z kotle popijej. Much of the music is enjoyable; the quality cold chaotic black metal is sometimes transformed into a more amiable-sounding form of metal, at times retaining a distant resemblance of Finland’s Korpiklanni.

The instruments are all used to the best of their potential, maintaining a mystical yet dynamic atmosphere. This is undoubtedly a great effort from Czech band Trollech. Although the music is not as raw or with as many traditional folk instruments as pagan black metal acts such as Slavland, there is appealing quality to this album and it is regardless a masterful pagan black metal release.