1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
1-Well it's quite a strange situation actually.
We recorded the album during this health crisis so we got plenty of time for that (or not, as we are professionals to do things at the last minute...).
So now as the concerts remain rare we can focus on the promotion with the help of our record label.
2.In March you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2-For this one we tried to write the songs in a darker and maybe a more violent way, in order to match with the story we wanted to tell.
3.There is usually a 4 year time span between each full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?
3-Hmm... Mostly procrastination I would say !
Seriously, actually it was the time we needed to make something we were all proud of, between our jobs, families and other obligations.
But now as the band continues to grow more and more, we are trying to be more productive and we hope to shorten the gap between the next albums.
4.Most of your lyrics cover Troll themes, can you tell us a little bit more about how your interest in this topic has evolved over the years?
4-Actually it all started with the comic "Troll de Troy". Trollour and Trollaklass are really big fans of these books and so they decided to base the band on them. From there we create our own world, our own troll tribes and stories. "Trollvengers" is the sequel of our previous album "Ragnatroll" and this story arc will end with the next one.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork on the new album cover?
5-It was drawn by the talented Laury Hammer.
We decided to have some super-hero vibes for this artwork, in our lyrics as well, a bunch of troll super warriors going on an epic adventure... (There could be some comic material here no?!)
Some of us are big fans of the several cinematic universes form DC or Marvel comics, and we wanted to make a reference/parody of some sort.
6.According the the metal archives page the band takes an antifascist direction of art, can you tell us a little bit more about what this means to you?
6-Hmm we're not aware that they say that about us. But of course we're not fascist and to be honest we're not into politics nor religions (we just praise the God of War of course!). We are Trolls, we just want to drink beer, party and fight!
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
7-There have been a loooot of great shows, recently I would say our participation at the Durbuy Rock Festival 2021 as it was one of our only shows in 2 years of Covid. The crowd was on fire, it was a real pleasure to play there after so much time without a show !
8.Are there any touring or show plans for the new album?
8-Well, of course we've got pretty great gigs coming this year, but with the actual health situation in each country it remains quite hard to plan a lot of concerts for now. But hey maybe the end of the year will be more clement, and will let us have more shows !
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black and folk metal?
9-It's still really recent, we only have 2 songs officially released now and we will need to wait till the full release of the album but for now we can say that the feedbacks are pretty good! We are also starting to get great reviews from different webzines around the world so yeah, everything's fine!
10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
10-They are in the same situation as us. These 2 years were really awfull so everyone was in stanby, focusing on new material, waiting for the reopening of the cultural sector.
But that only affects Trollhammer, our drummer, 'cause he's the only one who has other musical projects for now...
'Cause he's a drummer...
And drummers are rare...
Espacially the good ones...
And he is the best, so yeah... That's even worse.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
11-I think it will depends on the stories we would like to tell. Actually we are in a storytelling process that will occurs on 3 albums, so our music evolves a lot according to the ambiance of the lyrics. I think you could really feel the difference between “Ragnatroll” and “Trollvengers” as the themes are precisely differents, and it's really great because it's an awesome way to try something new musically.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are listening to nowadays?
12-We are all quite eclectics, of course we are listening a lot of folk, but everyone in the band has his preferred style. Trollbard loves power metal, Trollaklass was really into Heilung recently, Trollour is the real folkman here hehe, Trollhammer loves death and thrash metal and finally I, Trollaflem, definitely heavy and thrash metal.
13.Does Paganism play any role in your music?
13-It certainly plays a role in our imagination, the way we write stories or compose musics (as we don't see many trolls in actual religions...) but we're not strictly into paganism either, it just helps us to create our own style, mixed with other fantasy worlds.
14.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?
14-Well thank you very much for your interview! We hope to see you and everyone soon on stage!
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