New Trolls

The Profile

New Trolls are a Genoese Italian rock band often associated with Italian progressive rock, noted for their early-1970s blend of rock instrumentation with classical/orchestral writing (especially the “Concerto Grosso” works with composer Luis Enriquez Bacalov), and for a long, turbulent history of lineup changes and stylistic shifts.

From the reviews: the band is repeatedly described as Genoese/Ligurian, eclectic, and marked by frequent lineup changes and even legal disputes over the name. Key members cited include Vittorio De Scalzi and Nico Di Palo (leaders in later-era reviews), with Gianni Belleno frequently present. Their 1971 “Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls” involved composer Luis Enriquez Bacalov and is portrayed as a landmark rock-classical fusion in Italy; “Searching for a Land” (1972) is described as a double album sung in English in an attempt to reach Anglo-Saxon markets.

Across these reviews, New Trolls come off as a Genoese Italian prog institution: ambitious at their peak, restlessly eclectic, and chronically turbulent in lineup and direction. The most celebrated cornerstone is the 1971 rock-classical fusion “Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls” with Luis Enriquez Bacalov. “Searching for a Land” is framed as a bold (and debated) English-language double-album move with clear UK hard-rock/prog echoes. Later works split opinion—from jazzy odd-time curiosities (“Tempi Dispari”) to more melodic/pop and even disco-era identity crises (“Aldebaran”).