Troll’s Neo-Satanic Supremacy is black metal to every possible tee imaginable. That’s no surprise, considering Troll’s head-honcho (and founder) Nagash has been at this since he started the band in 1992.

Surpremacy is Troll’s first album since 2001’s Universal but you wouldn’t know it by listening. Steeped in traditional Norwegian black metal styling, not a beat is missed. There’s symphonic synth-driven guitars, atmospheric sampling, a mixture of punk and death influences, and (but of course) a whole heaping helping of anti-Christian messages and themes.

Vocal work is on par with any black metal release: gravelly, back-of-the-throat howling and screeching. You won’t find any Behemoth-esque gutturals or, Satan forbid, singing here. For those familiar with the black scene, Nagash’s vocals are very reminiscent of The Deviant’s Dolgar. Very evil, less reverb-centric, and very gravelly. The guitars, however, are more in line with the “mainstream” (if you can call it that) black metal, ala Dimmu Borgir. This is not to say that Troll don’t throw a few monkeys in the black metal gears, though. Certain songs contain a few parts where the music goes beyond its trappings and recalls other genres (death, punk, hardcore). Sadly, these moments are few and far between. I hear a lot of missed opportunity. The drumming is nothing to write home about, but it’s not bad. There’s a few blast-beats thrown in when things get fast. Synth is heavily utilized (as expected) to pad the songs and move the guitars along. It’s ever-present and a key component of song structure, so don’t anticipate any breaks.

There’s nothing new here, nothing really revolutionary. But it’s well crafted and it fits 100% into the Norwegian Black Metal mold; it should, considering the band’s background in the genre. There are a few flirtations here and there that hint that Troll, now that they’ve returned, could be on their way to breaking some conventions. Just don’t expect it to happen too quickly. We are talking about a band that has been in this business for over a decade. Expecting a wholesale change is laughable. Still, it’s nice to hear those little evolutionary touches dancing in the background in what is, in essence, a love letter to old-school Black Metal.

3.5/5