Debut Drep De Kristne (in 1996) was an atmospheric and keyboard-heavy release, with appropriately ragged, trollish riffs and Nagash’s surprisingly raw vocals. (Well worth searching out if you’re feeling nostalgic for the sound plied at the time by other bands like …And Oceans, Thy Serpent, Old Man’s Child, Gehenna, etc). 2000’s The Last Predators, and its follow-up, Universal (which was recorded on the same day) changed up a few things. The guitars and songwriting became thrashier and less blackish/folky, and previous members Fafnir and Glaurung (who did not appear on Drep De Kristne) rejoined, with Fafnir taking up vocals under the name Sinister Mister Twice. His is an odd vocal performance, sneering and theatrical (and for some reason, I want to say… French – maybe it’s the resemblance to Anorexia Nervosa’s Hreidmarr.) Unfortunately, there was one more change in store – Universal’s second half inexplicably brings in big dance beats and industrial flavors, but they’re not integrated nearly as well as they were on The Kovenant’s inescapably catchy/cheesy 1999 release, Animatronic.

You have to wonder what drove all that musical soul-searching and sound-shifting, especially given that Nagash was involved in other bands treading similar ground. In any case, it seems he’s learned something from all of that, which is why Neo-Satanic Supremacy sounds like a blend of the previous albums’ best elements – and without an industrial beat to be heard.

Overall, it’s a return to the symphonic black metal sound of Drep De Kristne, but the guitars have retained their sharpness and definition from the latter two albums. Tracks like “Alt for Satan,” “Ga til Krig” and personal favorite “Morkets Skoger” feature an even mix of heaving keyboards and scrambling, icy riffs, while the title track is a much speedier, less ornamented affair. Some tracks like “Burn the Witch” and “Age of Satan” are even built around memorable choruses, but without sacrificing any of venom or edge.

I also expect that Nagash has been paying attention to his old bandmates in Dimmu Borgir over the years, because the orchestration is much more sweeping and grandiose throughout the album. In fact, though Dimmu Borgir is sometimes criticized for not being a pure black metal band – it injects power metal, thrash and death metal into its signature blackened pomp – 2010’s Troll is what Dimmu would have sounded like had they followed up the original Stormblast with something buzzier, faster and less bombastic than Enthrone Darkness Triumphant and the albums that followed. (Not that I’m complaining though, I loved all of those).

If there’s one major criticism I have of this album though, it’s the title and imagery. Not that I expected anything subtle from a band whose debut was about trolls killing Christians, but at least that’s an unique, slightly exotic take on the usual Satanic nonsense. This doesn’t even have that novelty to rely on. Maybe it’s a purely marketing-driven decision – perhaps Satan makes everything seem more extreme, particularly if you’re 14 years old – but I generally find the whole business to be embarrassing. And yeah, Dimmu does it too, but they’re so overwrought that it bleeds over into high camp. The branding here just comes off as uninspired, redundant and juvenile.

/begin rant – it’s doubly infuriating because for the anti-religion stance that many of these bands take, they’re not actually communicating anything of intellectual worth. There’s plenty of convincing, clear-eyed work being written and published by contemporary atheists and biblical critics, so why not take some inspiration from them? Yeah, it’d be drier and more serious, but it’d also add a touch of elegance and respectability. But I guess goats and hellfire and jagged pentagrams sell albums, not Richard Dawkins, Dan Barker or Sam Harris. /end rant

Anyway, though Neo-Satanic Supremacy doesn’t tread any new ground (and stubbornly sits in the mire in other respects), this is the best thing that Troll has done – and, I’m tempted to say, that Nagash has done as well. It’s sharp, entertaining, melodic and not too over-produced, which makes it a damn fine addition to the symphonic black genre. Hopefully next time Troll will attempt one more change and really make a mark.