ALBUM REVIEW: Trollslayer – Wind Rose

In a normal world, we wouldn’t be reviewing the new WIND ROSE album. By all conventional logic, a Dwarf-themed metal band whose breakthrough was a cover of a comedy Youtube track should have been a one-hit wonder at best. They were all but destined to vanish into obscurity alongside groups like HOT ACTION COP and whoever that band was who did the It’s Just Porn Mum song, but that hasn’t happened. Diggy Diggy Hole came out five years ago, but WIND ROSE are still here. They’ve managed to firmly entrench themselves as more than a temporary viral sensation and are doing remarkably well.

This is partly because despite the inherent silliness of their gimmick, they’re a really good power metal band. 2022’s Warfront was a highly entertaining collection of macho anthems that took them to new heights, and Trollslayer continues the trend. Any concerns that they might come up a little short are dashed within minutes, the sixth WIND ROSE album rules.

The fact that every song revolves around Dwarfs is a bonus rather than the main event, and it’s accessible enough that you don’t need to know the difference between the Squats and the Leagues Of Votann to enjoy it (Ha! The Squats ARE the Leagues Of Votann, you loser – Editor).

After the brief instrumental Of Ice And Blood, Trollslayer explodes into life with Dance Of The Axes. Blessed with an urgency and energy usually associated with thrash, it’s a fast-moving and extremely catchy song, and almost certainly going to be a live favourite on the next tour. And despite the rumours of Dwarfs only being dangerous over short distances, they maintain the pace with The Great Feast Underground. A folk-tinged power metal belter, it has one of the most memorable lyrics on the record (“we’re drinking alcohol”) and is a boozed-up, tankard-raising party song. If you like roaring fires, malt beer, and ripe meat off the bone, this is the one for you.

First single Rock And Stone eases off the Gyrocopter pedal for a more mid-paced but no less thunderous lung-burster, while To Be A Dwarf comes across like it was written for a fantasy movie that doesn’t exist yet. Somewhat appropriately though, the title track is the showstopper; it’s a muscular and memorable song, with melodies that bring to mind mist-shrouded mountains, centuries-old grudges and piles of dead Orcs.

There’s even an unexpected degree of emotional depth; for all the blood-pumping heroism, WIND ROSE manage to make fictional warfare sound tragic, despite the protagonists being heavily bearded men who can’t reach the top shelf at Tesco.

Trollslayer does lose some momentum towards the end as Legacy Of The Forge doesn’t have the hooks or determination of its brethren to really stand tall, and the climactic No More Sorrow is a too-long epic that sees them over-reaching. For the most part though, Trollslayer is a right old time down the mines, and they don’t need to include any hipster-appeasing novelty covers to make it worthwhile. So let them come, let all the detractors who wrote off WIND ROSE as a gimmick face the might of their axes. There is one power metal band yet in Moria who still draw breath.

Rating: 8/10

Trollslayer is set for release on October 4th via Napalm Records. 

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