Thrawsunblat, a self-proclaimed 'Atlantic-Canadian' band, released a very memorable debut album in 2010 called, rather helpfully, 'Canada 2010'. I won't go too much into that release here, as it will be reviewed, retrospectively, on this site soon. However, it was noticeable, songs aside, for featuring David Gold on drums. In fact Joel Violette, who's the project mastermind here, became a full-time member of Woods of Ypres. Sadly, David Gold passed away in late-2011, effectively ending Woods. Such tragic circumstances resulted in Thrawsunblat coming back to the fore with the announcement of their sophomore offering, which we have for review here; 'Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings'. Rae Amitay, another ex-Woods member, takes the drum stool; and does a fine job of weaving blasts to traditional metal beats, to folksier rhythms. And it is the blending of these styles that makes 'Wanderer...' a fascinating listen. In fact two songs in particular rely solely on shanty/folk styling; 'Goose River (Mourners' March)' and 'Maritime Shores'. While they are unlikely to get a spot at the Cambridge Folk Festival any time soon, Joel does a neat maritime-drawl, which should gain sage-like nods from bearded pipe-smokers the world over. However, I digress; this is a metal album at its core, and is cast in the die of progressive post-black metal (for you genre fans). Vocally it's satisfying to hear an even mix of growling rasps and clean singing outside of the usual metalcore setting. Lyrically, there is a loose concept embraced throughout the album concerning, to my ears, our personal identity in the world; the heartache of coping with death; and the reflections on nature and our removal from a way of life conjoined with it. Perhaps I'm way off though. Musically, the guitar playing too is nicely executed. Imaginative and layered in its rhythms, there are plenty of tasteful harmonies too snaking through each composition. The production is beautifully crisp, and a fine job has been made of the mastering (something I was worried about, having seen a screen-shot of the wav files recently). Happily, there are no clips or distortions through my headphones, which is a mean feat these days. Despite the black metal DNA running through their veins though, it's never apparent that you're listening to a black metal album. It's certainly extreme in places, and there are tremolo-picked passages that evoke a blackened feel, but the majority of the time is spent in the company of melodic brutality. Thrawsunblat should be applauded for not falling foul of the troublesome second-album syndrome.
Score: 8.5/10
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