AKTARUM – Interview with the bassist Arpad Gencsek

It has long been known that Metal music is not only for ordinary people. Apart from humans, Metal music attracts various creatures… For example demons, devils, angels, dragons, elves, gnomes, orcs and of course trolls! I managed to get the one troll to talk. Although, as trolls, they are not very talkative, unless they feast… and rather they avoid people, unless they are hungry…

Hiya!!! Why do you love trolls so much? Are you trolls disguised yourselves as humans? Hahaha…

Hahaha yeah no, it would be silly haha… (phew we almost get caught here!)

I am a Pole, and Polish folk beliefs include krasnal or krasnoludek. A creature similar to “nisse”, little dwarf, goblin or a gnome. However, trolls are rather reserved for Scandinavia. And in Metal music, their presence is no stranger…
However, your music and all lyrics are about trolls, so there is a reason some people refer to your music as Troll Metal … What conditions must be done to play Troll Metal? 🙂

Be a Troll and play metal ? 😀

Haha seriously, we just try to play the music we like, with epic stories around Trolls (yeah we do love them to…).

Musically, you create quite extensive arrangement Folk Black Metal, with a lot of influences from other genres, such as Melodic Death Metal or Power Metal and even Doom Metal decelerations…

In addition, your music, apart from Metal heaviness, contains a lot of melodies – guitar, keyboard and vocal… very epic, full of pathos and sublime, even idyllic and festive, but also very emotional, catchy, energetic, dynamic, stimulating to action and full of nostalgia or melancholy…

Who composes the music?

Actually each Troll in the band composes. We all have different musical influences and I think that it is our strength. We can go from power, death or black metal but always sprinkled with folk.

You released “Trollvengers” a few weeks ago. What’s the reaction?

Pretty great to be honest 🙂 We already had a few awesome reviews for now and people seemed to really appreciate our new songs!

Why did you decide to choose a label from Spain – Art Gates Records?

Well… They ask us for a partnership! That was enough for us ^^

… The very interesting concept with “Pirates Vs Trolls”! How did you invite Elliot Vernon from ALESTORM to work with you?

We met the band at a festival here in Belgium and we hit it off. After the festival we continued to chat with Elliot and he suggest composing a song together!

Your lyrics are full of trolls 🙂 You have come up with interesting combinations of titles with references to trolls. Are these stories made up, or maybe inspired by some legends or events?

For what I know (I’m not in the band since the beginning so I can make a mistake) every song is made up.

Through the years we built a world, our own world, with of course some inspirations from other universes, but we try to be honest with our stories.

However, you are not the only one… There are many bands that use the figure of trolls in the name of the band, or they using inspirations from trolls. For example TROLLFEST. They have a very specific approach to their playing Metal… But FINTROLL already have their status on the music scene…

You played a few concerts with big bands – for example with ELUVEITIE, KORPIKLANI. How was it?

Well, it’s always awesome when you get to play with bands you admire for a long time of course.

It’s a pleasure to share the stage with them and it’s a great source of motivation and inspiration too!

What are your plans for the rest of 2022?

Actually we are preparing ourselves to conquer the mighty Hellfest! It’s gonna be a wiiild battle! Beside that we continue to promote our newest album in every place we can!

Will the trolls go to the Russo-Ukrainian war? Whose side would they be on?

Unfortunately the trolls are already busy with their own war… There are a lot of enemies in their world.

Ukrainian soldiers call Russian soldiers – orcs. Do trolls like orcs? 🙂

Of course, with a little bit of salt and pepper they are delicious!

So what are the messages of the trolls to the world?

Prepare yourself to hear about us, because we want to conquer your entire world!