2004 album from the Finnish 'trollish hoedown metal' act. Ten tracks including the first single 'Trollhammaren'. Spikefarm.
CD Reviews
Rot 'n' Troll!
Igar The Terrible | Canada | 02/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finntroll are an amazing group of musicians, and Nattf?d is a truely amazing album. They make some of the most creative metal my ears have ever had the Privilege to listen to. Finntroll's music will never be "popular"; But that dosen't stop them from doing what they do best, A Crazy head-banging trollish polka fest. You wouldn't think that metal and polka (or humppa as they call it over in finland) would fit together so well, but once you listen to what these guys put out you'll soon forget that polka is what your grandparents do on a friday to fill the vast void of space that is the remainder of their lives.
Finntroll has entered my Top 5 favorite bands with un-earthly swiftness. It's all so insanely catchy! From start to finish your foot will be tapping to the beat while wearing a grin, Its not laugh out loud funny, its just grin-because its all so bizarre- funny. The first time I listened to a Finntroll record it took all my willpower not to shove my PC and scattered papers off my desk, hop onto it, and begin the jig to end all jigs. If you have an open mind, and haven't checked these guys out already, DO SO NOW!
Its really too bad that Wilska (the lead singer) was recently "fired" from the band. He had such a great voice for the part. It sucks that he is gone, but im sure the band did what they had to. its good to hear that this hasn't slowed the band down; They've already started searching for a replacement. Finntroll has had a rough time when it comes to their line-up. Their first lead singer Katla had to step down from his vocal duties in finntroll due to some strange vocal chord virus although he still contributes musicly and lyricly to the band. And they're previous guitarist died from an "acholic related falling accident". Not many bands can live through those kinds of issues. I'd give out some of my favorite songs, but honestly, I love them all; you won't find yourself skipping a track on this album! In conclusion, If you haven't checked out Finntroll already, give them a shot. Nattfod is a good a place as any to start listening to one of the most originaly fun bands ever.
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Thank you,
-Igar the Terrible"
(4.5 stars) Obscure and Incredibly Creative
S. Morales | Levittown, NY United States | 05/15/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For anyone who doesnt know anything about this band, and you probably don't, only because they don't sing in English, and have an incredibly UnAmerican sound of metal. Finntroll is considered Pagan folk metal, but for a better understanding of that, let me put the music in my own description; imagine fast-paced staccato riff oriented black metal with death/black vocals led by accordian polka style "humpa" melodies and medieval atmospheric keyboard arrangements. Toss in a few other instruments like flutes and horns etc, and you have some of the most "danceable" black metal available. Now, when i say danceable, i don't mean like dance music, i mean the kinds of dances made up in Hobbitan. Sound interesting? Its sure as hell is! This is some great stuff. The album kicks off great and stays great mostly throughout the entire (yet unfortunately short) 36 minute record. We open with what sounds like Dwarves in battle, and then kick in some heavy black metal guitars followed by growling vocals; at soon as this starts, one thinks their in for a typical black metal record, but as soon as those accordians and keyboards kick in with a headbangingly intriguing melody, one knows their in for something completely new. The second track is somewhat goofy, and not really one of my favorites but still listenable. Track 3 has got some cool singalong type vocals which at the end sound like guys singing a beer chant together at the end. Very good. Track 4 "Transhammaren" (think it's spelled right) is without a doubt my favorite incorporating an extremely catchy accordian tune mixed with metal guitars and a fist in the air type chorus. This sound continues throughout most of the album, given there are a couple of breaks like 6 which sounds like more dwarves in battle and about 30 seconds of actual music, and then an acoustic melody short track as an ender. So, why only 4.5 and not 5 stars? Well, most of the score was just given for the incredible creativity and catchiness of the record, it really is a very fun CD to listen to. There are a few moments where the production sort of mixes the guitars, vocals and everything up too much, causing almost a mish mash of noise, plus the album can only really be listened to so many times, and only because it's so short you can't really repeat it again and again like lets say a 60+ minute Opeth, or Blind Guardian record. These don't seem to me like HUGE problems but still significant enough to not make 5 full stars. In conclusion, i have to say that hardcore black metal/death metal heads will appreciate this just as much as the power/prog people will, because this one really encompasses something for everyone. I definitly recommend this record to those who wanna hear fantasy oriented metal in a darker more brutal approach, as well as the dark/death/black metalheads who are in the mood for something lighter and catchier. Worth every penny!!"
All Hail The Trolls!!!
J. Rodriguez | New York | 09/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album last year and it still is in heavy rotation. If you never heard of this its a mix of humppa (Finnish polka style) and black metal. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but its one of the most amazing things you will ever hear!
This album introduces new (and better in my opinion) lead singer Wilska (the older vocalist had to quit due to throat problems). His vocals are more menacing and troll-like, which raises the greatness of this cd.
This album seems to have a more metal feel than previous efforts, but it never loses the sense of outrageous fun of the others. This stuff was made by a bunch of drunken guys and you can definetly down a pint to it! I dont know whether to polka or mosh!
I feel that this is easily their best album, although many would say Jakten's Tid was. But hey, buy them both. Hell buy them all! Finntroll is playing some shows with Sodom in January, so if they're coming to your town, BE THERE! ROT AND TROLL!!!"
Polka Metal?! Count Me In!!
p_drl | 03/23/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Woah... Unlike anything I've heard before. These ale-loving trolls hail from Finland and play a strange, yet fun mixture between Finnish folk music, (known as "hummpa") and up-beat Viking metal. There are a lot of accordions spead throughout the album, giving the listener the true feeling of being in the forest years ago with your troll brethren gulping down ale.
The guitars are very basic and back the keyboards most of the time, but are clear and sharp. There are also a lot of acoustic guitars underlying the song structures, giving the album a medieval feel. The keyboards are genius! They dominate the majority of the songs here and are well-used to portay a, shall I say, "happy" atmosphere? Listening to this album without rocking out is album is impossible. You can't listen to songs like "Trollhammeran" without wanting to get up and dance around like a drunken ape. Simply put, it's just fun music to listen to! The vocals are well... troll-like... It's a mix between a throaty yell and the black metal scream, and there are lot of chanted choirs and "HEY!" thrown in... Good stuff indeed. The drums are up-beat, mainly polka beats, but have some nice double bass beats thrown in. I can't understand a word these guys are saying since it's in Finnish, but the music does more than compensate for that. Judging from the booklet, the lyrics seem to be about trolls, obviously, and other fantasy matters. This is definitely one of the best metal purchases of 2004, and is highly reccommended to anyone looking for something refreshing and different to listen to. My only complaint here is that the Cd is a but short, clocking in at only 30 minutes. All of the tracks are outstanding, buy this CD!"