TROTOAR – No Salvation

The name Trotoar may sound like a term for a prehistoric European war chieftain or the final monster the hero must face in an ancient epic quest, but the word has no actual meaning in the band’s native Swedish. Members Linnea Landstedt and Pontus Pettersson-Gull, chose the word for their newest collaborative project basically because it sounded cool. Taking a break from Thrash/Speed outfit Tyranex, where Linnea and Pontus are bandmates, they search for different sounds musically on debut No Salvation. Landstedt sheds her rough growling vocals from Tyranex in favor of a cleaner style, and drummer Petersson-Gull lays off the double bass, slows down the pace, and lays the bedrock for a more melodic sound.

The concept behind Trotaor was to replicate the sound of early, twin guitar driven Traditional Heavy Metal, and they are largely successful in this endeavor throughout the ten songs on No Salvation. Opening with the title cut, “No Salvation” launches with a riff and rhythm that sounds like it had been freed from a time capsule buried in 1981. Landstedt plays all guitars and bass on the album along with providing all the vocals, which she layers on several of the tracks to provide harmonies, such as on standout track “Hunger Of The Wolf”. Although Landstedt sings at a much higher register than her, she has an emotive quaver similar to that of Leather Leone in her voice on the choruses of the faster songs like “Far Away From Home” and single “Tomorrow.” The quaver adds additional tension and feeling to those fast cuts; one can almost feel her straining to keep her “Tyranex voice” in check.

Writing the album, playing everything but the drums and altering her vocal style for a Trad Metal offering is more than enough for No Salvation to rank as a bravura performance for Landstedt, but she still has a few surprises in store on the record. She and Pontus slip the ballad “Don’t Let Me Bleed” in the middle of their uptempo setlist. “Don’t Let Me Bleed” shines with an unexpected vocal vulnerability, with Landstedt’s vocals imbued with an almost plaintive quality. This fragility, rather than being at odds with the powerful, high-octane vocal style she displays on the other tracks, adds an additional layer to the finished product in the same way many of the best Traditional Metal/NWOBHM albums confounded expectations with slower and/or more melodic songs–think of “Remember Tomorrow” or “Strange World” off the first Iron Maiden album.

Promotional press for the release makes it sounds like No Salvation may have initially been intended as a one-off, labor-of-love side project, but the finished product is a strong, highly engaging release leaves one hoping there will be more in store for Trotoar.