Chuck Schuldiner Project

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Trollwar-Earthdawn Groves


Back when I first reviewed Trollwar in July of 2012 these guys just had a rough demo out and they hadn't quite found their sound. They had barely gotten a stable line up! But now, now things are different and Trollwar are here with their debut record Earthdawn Groves and are ready to force a heavy dose of folk metal madness straight down your throat with the eternal might of Thor. Viking ballads for the twenty first century Trollwar mix a bit from every school of folk metal into their sound, from the fun magic of Korpiklaani to the progressive mastery that embodies so much of Ensiferum's music. This is folk metal that any fan of the genre could love.

One of my favorite aspects of this album is the variety of sounds embodied so freely by the musicians. There are sing a long parts contrasted with sections of raging black metal fury. Extremely technical solos contrasted with simple dead ahead riffs. Even non-folk metal fans could enjoy the soaring melodies found throughout this record. The folky melodies are very well integrated in the music, they come over as natural and flowing rather than campy and silly. And yes, for those of you who love to dance, their are more than a few jig melodies here, don't worry, your lust for the jig pit will be sated with the roaring alcohol fueled magic that these tracks fearlessly provide.

Epic, yet down to earth, beautiful yet destructive, these are all things that embody Earthdawn Groves. An album that understands folk metal and proves you don't need to have the blood of vikings to be a great folk metal musician (Trollwar are Quebecois) Their roaring folk metal power will capture your heart and take it on a veritable journey through the wilds of our forefathers. This record is shockingly developed for a first full album and it suggests of great things to come. Triumphant and often glorious this is a stunning debut from Quebecs best folk metal band. 

Find Trollwar on Facebook!

3 comments:

  1. Well considering most french canadian come from europe we might as well have some pagan blood! We do not strive to sound like anything or to make riff that ''sound'' like folk metal, thats why its so diverse, music from the hearth. Thanks for the review!

    Ben.

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  2. As quebec people in majority is from france ;

    Sent on an expedition by Francis I, King of France, Jacques Cartier arrived at Gaspé in 1534, taking possession of lands that had been inhabited for thousands of years by Amerindians and the Inuit. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain made landfall on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at a spot that the Aboriginals called Kébec. In 1642, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded a Catholic mission that he named Ville-Marie and which would become Montréal at the end of the 18th century.

    By the way, pagan blood of course ! hahha

    Nice review my friend ;)

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    1. for more...

      New France expanded rapidly between 1660 and 1713. During the Seven Years’ War, the army of General Wolfe laid siege to Québec, and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham culminated in the defeat of the French General Montcalm on September 13, 1759. Four years later, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the King of France ceded to the British crown “Canada and all its dependencies.” This led to significant immigration on the part of English, Irish and Scottish settlers.

      In 1791, the Constitutional Act established two provinces in British North America: Upper Canada (Ontario), with an English-speaking majority, and Lower Canada (Québec), which had a French‑speaking majority. The Lower Canada Rebellion, in 1837 and 1838, was put down decisively by the British army. In 1867, the British North America Act established a federation of provinces that became known as Canada.

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