TROLDHAUGEN interview online!

I interviewed Meldengar from TROLDHAUGEN regarding the band and things planned next year.

01. Hi! TROLDHAUGEN was founded in early 2008. How did the band see the daylight exactly ?

TROLDHAUGEN was formed in the January of 2008, when Reventüsk (Vocals) and I, Meldengar (Guitars), got together and wrote a short piece of music that equally reflected our mutual interest in traditional folk music and metal. Cut to 2013 and we are now a five piece folk/circus/freak/metal ensemble (rounded out by Döesbürg on mandolin vocals, Svarog on bass and Grädenøk on drums/percussion) who have a cassette tape single (2009), a self-titled E.P. (2010), and a debut album (RAMSHACKLE (2012)) under our belt.

02. What means the band name for you ?

TROLDHAUGEN is the name of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s estate and translated means “The Troll Hill”. We originally chose the name because it sounded cool and fit the style and theme of what we were aiming for, but it has actually turned out to be a nice ‘nod’ to our interest/influence in orchestral music (we have even included a few musical references to Grieg in our work).

03. You already released one single, one EP and then, one album… Now, I think TROLHAUGEN is carved here and there; do you sell well in your country and outside Australia ?

We are a bit of an anomaly because once we released RAMSHACKLE (2012) we stopped being known as “that Australian Folk Metal band” and shifted more towards “that crazy circus folk metal band”. As a result, our live shows have gained us excellent reviews, a glowing reputation and exposed us to many people that would not otherwise heard of us. Due to this, the majority of our sales come from people who are first exposed to us at a live show. Other than that we have shipped our albums all over the world, including limited distribution in Germany and Japan, though not to the extent we sell in Australia.

04. What are the countries at the top for your sales ?

Because we have only played nationally this point, the majority of our sales are made at the merch desk at our shows so Australia is our clear top seller, followed by probably U.S.A and Germany.

05. You will enter the studio to record your second album soon. Have you chosen the studio already ?

We have not yet chosen a studio but are currently looking into producers and studios that will best represent the insanity we are going for (which in our case is not going to be a strictly metal producer).

06. How have you entitled that second full length ?

No title yet, but given the eXtremely colourful nature of the lyrics I can’t wait to see what the final result will be!

07. Have you found a label for your band ?

This is something we are currently on the fence about. Up to this point, we have operated quite successfully self-releasing (albeit on a very small scale) our music, but signing to a label would definitely help our exposure as well as our (currently non-existent) promo budget!

08. What folk instruments can we expect in this record ?

You can expect mandolin, banjo, jaw harp, tin whistle, Celtic harp, accordion, fiddle and a ton more. Of course, these will be performed alongside hardstyle synths, trance sequencers, sub drops and a symphony orchestra- so expect to have no idea what to expect!

09. How will sound the new album ?

]The new material takes the direction of RAMSHACKLE and amplifies it by 150%. Of course every band says “This is our most melodic, heaviest, catchiest, brutal, technical, original, artistic work to date”, but this actually is the truth in our case- we are putting a lot of time and effort into shaping a whole new beast of music.[/justify]

10. Can you already reveal us a release date ?

“Sometime next year”. Although fans can expect to hear something new from us early 2014!

11. What can the people expect to see on the artwork ? 

While not complete yet, the artwork is going to perfectly reflect the music- CRAZY! OVER THE TOP! FUN! SENSORY OVERLOAD!

12. Can we know the tracklist for the forthcoming release ?

Still finalizing the tracklist, but it’s looking to be around 9-10 ‘traditional’ songs, with a splattering of oddities thrown in. What are the oddities we speak of? Good question, you’ll just have to wait and see.

13. You have shared the stage with bands like ALESTORM, CLAIM THE THRONE and many others… Can you explicit us your best memories with TROLDHAUGEN gigs ?

It seems we are currently really getting into the swing of things and finding our footing as a live band. One of our more recent performances (supporting Finalnd’s Korpiklaani) comes to mind- we played one of our tightest sets, absolutely destroyed the crowd, got amazing reviews and sold a ton of merch.

Other than that we once played a gig in the middle of a forest. Mid show a thunderstorm started and Döesbürg got electrical zaps from the microphone every time he went to sing. With a dancing mud pit of forest freaks, that show was truly an experience.

14. Do you plan some tours next year ?

Sure do! We currently have a great double-bill tour in the works for early next year, which will also be our first full Australian tour. Beyond that, the release of album "nombre deux" will hopefully lead us offshore to kick many foreign asses.

Nombre deux: I guess you mean "numéro deux" but "deuxième album" for "second album" is better. 

15. What are your plans to promote the new album ? Will you make some official videos for example ?

As we are discovering from the growing reception to our live performances- we are a visual band almost as much as we are aural. We are currently on the prowl for the right director to help us create a music video, as we feel this is an avenue that will really let us affirm who and what we are as a musical outfit.

16. As promotion again and because of some events nearby, do you plan some presents for the fans very soon ?

Yes! We actually sent out a bunch of presents to fans for Christmas this year and part of our “Troldhaugen Secret Santa” program. Unfortunately all our fans were on the ‘naughty’ list, so they will never receive their delightful gifts. However, new non-album material should rear its head very soon as a special treat to ye ol’ faithful listeners!

17. What are your new songs about ?

The new songs are certainly a departure from the standard “beer/party/Odin” themes of folk metal. Instead we are creating very intricate stories for each track that are designed to have strong twists and turns that will keep you guessing… I can honestly say some of the themes are things I have NEVER heard songs about so I don’t want to give too much away just yet, but to give you a vague idea TROLDHAUGEN may or may not be travelling to space, experimenting with Haitian Voodoo, terrorizing Siesta’s and giving a prom date the ride of their lives (or deaths!?)!!!

18. Will some guests appear on the new record ?

Interesting question! We have a plethora of talented musician friends, so if there is a spot where we feel the music would benefit from external input we would certainly welcome that.

19. Now the year is ending, do you have some favorites folk metal albums released during 2013 ?

In order to get a fresh take on what I feel has become an immensely over saturated style of music, we have all really taken a break from listening to folk metal this year. In saying that, there is a new band out of Canberra Australia called BEAST IMPALOR, who just released their debut demo. It’s quite original, like if Jordan Rudess played keyboards for Finntroll. Highly recommended!

20. How is perceived Folk Metal in Australia ?

It’s a bit hard to judge really, as the Australian metal scene is quite fragmented. Folk metal bands are generally well received for the ‘fun’ aspect of the music, but I would say they are probably looked down upon in terms of being ‘serious’ bands. In recent years, many international bands like Alestorm, Korpiklaani, Finntroll and Moonsorrow have toured rather successfully, so the scene is definitely expanding.