Trollcave - Adoration of the Abyssal Trespasser

Trollcave is a funeral death/doom metal band from Spain, who formed in 2019. Their latest release, “Adoration of the Abyssal Trespasser,” is their second EP; they have also released a full-length and a split.

The two songs on this album, that equal to over 30 minutes of music, is among the most terrifying doom metal I have heard this year. Considering doom is my favorite genre and I’ve heard a billion different doom albums, that is saying a lot. This is the type of music that if you let a non-metal fan listen, they either won’t get it or they will break down and pray to jeebus over what they just heard.

For people like me? It doesn’t get much better than this for funeral doom in 2024. I love this type of music and these two songs have everything in them that makes me feel that way. 

Being a funeral doom band, the songs on this EP are long, slow, and as deep as the unfathomable abyss of some alien world. What I really like about the album is that it’s just as brutal as it is cavernous. Much of that is due to its pacing—obviously, it’s slow but it doesn’t drone on and on without purpose.  

The production goes a long way in making the album as bleak and unforgiving as it is—it’s raw and dense but open enough to swallow the listener whole. How else could it contain all these sounds?  

I also really love that it isn’t a complicated album—it’s subtle and simple in its approach because it knows exactly what is needed at the exact time. Why throw it all together when every instrument, every element, can speak for itself when it is time to do so?

The first song, “Intro/Grotesque Abyssal Trespasser,” begins with deep, ominous, ambient tones. Within thirty seconds, the mood is set and I’m wondering exactly what horror is around the next corner or pocket of darkness. The synth work is fantastic—I wish more funeral/extreme doom bands used them. They definitely help set the atmosphere and they work hand in hand with the guitar/bass tones. Speaking of which, those tones are perfect. Around the four minute mark, the intro gives way to the slow crush of these riffs. The death growls are also well conceived with the right amount of echo. 

Around the halfway mark, the song turns clean but it’s the type of stripped down approach that is just as dark as the distortion–it’s on a different path but still dripping with the same dangers. The build up is excellent—fast double bass kicks up the trepidation while the guitars and bass do their magic in the background. Around the 9:25 mark, it all comes together and the song manages to inject monstrous grooves into the mix. 

The second song is “Abominator’s Diseased Carrion,” and it begins in a more immediate way. The drums compliment the song, keeping the flow on the death metal side and allowing the doomier parts to increase the atmosphere.

Around the halfway make, after the songs barrels through by being propelled by the drums, a slow, dense Gothic style riff hits. The cymbal works accents as just the right spots. The synths blanket this passge with cold tones—all of it combined is rather claustrophobic.

The temple opens back up afterwards, providing steady riffs until the songs pulls back on the tempo for the ending. 

But getting down to the nitty gritty: this album is disgusting, abrasive, and the definition of what being underground truly means. This is an esoteric experience so it won’t appeal to everyone—if you don’t already like this style, this EP won’t change your mind. But if you get it, if you love this type of music, then this album is going to full enthrall and envelop you. There is respect and a certain amount of charm in that—playing something with such purity is something to be commended.  

All in all, Trollcave’s “Adoration of the Abyssal Trespasser,” is one of the best EPs I’ve heard this year, doom or otherwise and a wonderful late year surprise for the doom genre.