TROG
TROG "Horrors Beyond"
By Dr. Abner Mality
With a name like TROG, I was expecting more knuckle dragging caveman death metal of the kind that's been all the rage lately. And to be sure, you get that here as well. But there's more to this Neanderthal than guttural grunts and easy riffs.
For example, I sure didn't expect to hear the melodic twin guitar barrage that starts off "Deluge of Skulls" and "The Void"...clean and crisp like a premium beer. Even more startling is the 9 minute plus "Ontological Shock" which is just as much black metal as death metal, with some great “wintry” guitar tones. And such a good song as well, keeping your interest for its entire length.
So TROG surprises, but make no mistake, this is still gruesome death...listen to the crushing assault of "Ritual Corpse Division" and the title track for confirmation. Plus the vocals are as bestial as you could want. Still plenty of thick riffs to go around. TROG is a peculiar mix of sophistication and primitivism...one which took me by surprise...a pleasant one!