WINDROSE – “Trollslayer” (2024)

The Italian dwarves WINDROSE refuse to put their pickaxes down, as they tirelessly dig deeper into growing their name. Their debut was unearthed in the early 10s so they are a relatively new band, yet here we are today with their sixth Full-length renewing their studio appointment that consistently takes place every 2-3 years. They have set their eyes on the prize which is a place next to the genre’s big names, so does their new collection of Folk/Power Metal songs bring them a step closer? 

Picking the thread from the cover, it is clear that it feels very videogame-y and there is a good reason. It was created by an artist that has also created ample art for the World of Warcraft related card game Hearthstone. Their ties with gaming does end there, as the song ‘Rock and stone’ is written for the game Deep Rock Galactic, which features dwarves digging in space! Even in that regard, there is a great consistency in the dwarf/fantasy theme. 

Now for their music, it manages to blend two things together in a great way. The first is the folk aspect that is prominent at all times. The orchestral arrangements/ keyboards bring this folky atmosphere to life and they do not stray far from the music at all, they have a core part in the album. Assisting in that are the backing vocals that are accompanying most of the vocal lines. The final result brings to mind images of a company of dwarves singing in their underground tavern in unity, while the bard plays in the background. 

That is good but we are discussing a Metal album, so what about that? The Italians have managed to refine their Metal side as well, as the record is full of polished heavy music. The drumming and guitar play has nothing to envy from other bands of the genre and what surprised me is how pompous their aggressive side is. Usually some fantasy folk bands omit the Metal for the sake of building atmosphere, so seeing that “Trollslayer” brings both at the table is a very pleasant occurrence.  

Despite what the up to now description may imply, the tone of the songs is not silly in an ALESTORM way. The band members surely are having the fun of their lives, but their music does not joke, it sounds sincere even during the light hearted ‘The great feast underground’, which made me respect it and treat it in a serious way as well.

The pacing of the record is very straightforward, all tracks are of the same style that we discussed above with no ballads to slow the momentum or any extreme experimentation. This homogeneity may be seen as a weakness by some, but for me it was definitely a strength. I will listen to WINDROSE for that specific type of music after all and the important part is that it is well executed, sometimes this direct approach is all that is needed. To be fair some compositions have their own details, like ‘Dance of the axes’ that is faster or ‘No more sorrow’ that leans more on the epic side during its chorus. 

To tell you the truth, I initially wanted to familiarize myself with “Trollslayer” just for the tour with HAMMERFALL and POWERWOLF. It ended up being very, very good! I am happy to see that they do not focus solely on improving their live shows, but also give us quality staff from the studio as well. WINDROSE give us something fun, uplifting, heavy! Many people are put off but bands cosplaying, dressing etc, but as long as we have cases like the dwarves in question, their whole theme becomes another thing to enjoy on top of the excellent music.

82/100

Pavlos Pavlakis