Thrawsunblat - Great Brunswick Forest

By Calen Henry. Though Thrawsunblat followed 2016’s Metachthonia with the two-song acoustic Fires in the Mist EP, an acoustic full length follow-up is a bit of a surprise. Thrawsunblat have long pulled from a folk song tradition

By Calen Henry.


Though Thrawsunblat followed 2016’s Metachthonia with the two-song acoustic Fires in the Mist EP, an acoustic full length follow-up is a bit of a surprise. Thrawsunblat have long pulled from a folk song tradition as much as folk instrumentation, and upon hearing Great Brunswick Forest, acoustic is a natural transition for the band. The band have managed to maintain the density of their sound, exemplified on Metachthonia. Here layer upon layer of acoustic instruments replace layers of palm muting and tremolo picking atop blast beats, giving a similar feel to the previous album.

Much of the approach remains unchanged; epic folky metal songs with a unique Eastern Canadian spin. This time, with the exception of some distorted rhythm guitar on a couple of songs, acoustic instruments take front and centre. The composition is still deeply rooted in metal, though. The riffs are down-tuned and pulled from metal, but played on acoustic guitar or mandolin. The riffs are expertly intertwined with the folky lead work, all played on acoustic guitar, mandolin, and violin.

Violin is common in folk metal, but here it’s no afterthought. There are the expected lyrical lead passages as well as harmonized backing parts, but they also explore the instrument's rhythmic potential with staccato backing parts and even some pizzicato work. It makes the violin integral to the album and meshes perfectly with the rest of their sound.

The other big change from prior releases is the drumming. It’s much more laid back with more of a rock than metal vibe, no blasts or double kick, which complements the instrumentation wonderfully. The drums are lively and give the songs drive, but they don’t push them back into full metal territory.

The vocals match the move to acoustic: no black metal rasps, just singing. The vocals are often harmonized and show an impressive range, from a clear tenor to baritone backing. Again, it’s an extension of the clean vocals on previous releases, but massively fleshed out and extremely epic. Lyrically, the shift is natural. Thrawsunblat have always sung about the majesty of nature and mixed pastoral imagery with lamenting the loss of nature. Now the music completely lines up with the subject matter.

With Great Brunswick Forest, Thrawsunblat have distilled their prior metal sound into acoustic folk metal without losing their musical identity. In fact, by going acoustic, they’ve really thrown their musical chops into sharp relief. Folk metal bands are increasingly common, and successfully “going acoustic” really sets a band out from the crowd. Indeed, it might actually be my favourite of their albums.

Marsh Dweller - Wanderer

By Justin C. Marsh Dweller's last album, The Weight of Sunlight, offered a unique take in the broad musical area of melodic/atmospheric black metal. A mix of influences and some serious guitar riff worship made for a pleasant departure

By Justin C.


Marsh Dweller's last album, The Weight of Sunlight, offered a unique take in the broad musical area of melodic/atmospheric black metal. A mix of influences and some serious guitar riff worship made for a pleasant departure from a lot of what was going on at the time (and continues to go on).

The title of the second album, Wanderer, might lead you to believe there will be more atmospheric black metal to come. Maybe some tastefully applied "crunching leaves in the woods" sound samples? But Marsh Dweller's sole member, John Owen Kerr, had something different in mind. Wanderer sees Marsh Dweller move into full post-metal territory, complete with all the crushing, layered riffing interspersed with sparse interludes that particular subgenre implies. In fact, Kerr himself said that Cult of Luna's Vertikal was a big inspiration for Wanderer.

So how does that translate? Pretty damn well, actually. A lot of the melodic sensibilities and sonic choices from Sunlight show up here, so this doesn't sound like the work of a completely different band, although if you had your heart set on an expansion of that sound, you may walk away disappointed. "Wander I" erupts with the sound of siren-like guitar line before moving into a hefty, chunky riff, a riff that gets built upon, churning and evolving as the song progresses, while still making room for some wide-open, clean-ish guitar work in the middle of the song. Kerr lets his vocals range from a lower, almost Ihsahn-ian croak up through harsh highs and, later on in the album, some chant-like cleans.

"Wander I" is a proper post-metal length, coming in at just over 9 minutes, but that's just a warm up for the purely massive "Wander II," which comes in at well over 17 minutes. It's a bold choice for the second track of the album, risking breaking the listener too early on. Reasonable people could argue as to whether this is really one song or more of a connected suite, but to my ears, it works as a single piece. Trippier guitar work opens the track with a bit of swirling effect, before moving on to a progress of riffs that build and release, layer upon layer, topped with a mix of growling styles. I'd be lying if I said I thought this song was as tight as it could be--there's a tremolo/white noise/sampled sounds section about two thirds of the way in that I might have cut down if my editing advice was sought, but if it overstays its welcome a little bit, it's not so much that it derails the song.

Recounting all of the details of all the songs would make this album sound fractured, which it definitely is not, but there are more surprises to come. "Coalesce," true to its title, acts as if it's almost falling apart in the middle, with guitar and drums seemingly at odds, before coming back to a unity at the end. "Wander III," another behemoth of a track, plays with tempos that are almost in the realm of funeral doom and includes dueling female vocals with dueling growls, all building to a furious ending.

As I've hinted at, this album runs the risk of pushing away some fans of Marsh Dweller's last album. When I first realized the direction Kerr was taking this particular album, I have to confess that I moaned inside a little--I need my post-rock/post-metal to be in the top 99% of its class to hold my interest--but after giving this a chance, I was able to put aside preconceived notions of what this would be and go along for the ride. Stay open minded and give this a fair shot--you may find a lot to like.

Deadbird - III: The Forest Within the Tree

By Nate Garrett. There’s a reason why bands that come from Arkansas are so powerful. The entire area is haunted. Ask certain people there and you’ll get certain explanations. Their theories will range from spirits carried along the river

By Nate Garrett.


There’s a reason why bands that come from Arkansas are so powerful. The entire area is haunted. Ask certain people there and you’ll get certain explanations. Their theories will range from spirits carried along the river, to restless Native Americans reaching out from their burial mounds. No matter what you call this ominous force that permeates the Natural State, Deadbird has always been one of its strongest channelers. The band has been dormant for a decade, and now it has returned with its best album.

Opening track “The Singularity” features intimate acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies reminiscent of the dark melancholy of Alice In Chains. A swirling undercurrent generates a sense of foreboding beneath the beauty of the music. According to guitarist/vocalist Chuck Schaaf, the sound in question is a recording of a massive glacier calving (look it up). This is a fitting introduction to the album, as the looming end of humanity has always been an inherent theme of the band’s music.

“Luciferous Heart” is a romping rock and roll masterpiece. Layered guitars exchange classic hard rock riffs under a barrage of harmony vocals that sound like The Allman Brothers if they were from hell. The mid-tempo swing is disintegrated by a pummeling gallop during the bridge. This section resides somewhere between Black Sabbath and High on Fire, yet remains distinctly southern. The song then slows to a crushing crawl, proving that Deadbird is still among the best bands in the world as far as southern sludge is concerned.

“Heyday” is another epic track that runs the gamut of Deadbird’s creative arsenal. Like its predecessor, this song features haunting vocal harmonies, impossibly heavy riffs, soaring guitar harmonies, and enthralling dynamics. Next up is “Alexandria,” the most unexpectedly catchy track on the album. This is the closest thing to a single Deadbird has ever recorded, and it works. Remember when Baroness was more brawn than brains? That might get you in the right ballpark. The verse/chorus structure is streamlined for maximum potency, and the vocal melodies are as infectious as they get.

“11:34” is an instrumental, a compelling bassline awash with guitar harmonies that wouldn’t sound out of place on a classic Metallica or Priest record. But as always, Deadbird carves its own path, and the music is accompanied by the nighttime sounds of an Arkansas forest. You can almost feel the ghosts I mentioned earlier in this review. “Brought Low” is a heartfelt, bone-deep song about depression, driven by expert control of dynamics. It thrives upon the interplay of light and shade that bands like Led Zeppelin understood was so crucial. The verses are vulnerable and fragile, and the chorus is pure aggressive release. This song ends with one of the best riffs you’ll hear from Deadbird, or any other band for that matter. The last section in particular manages to be unpredictable and still viscerally moving at the same time. “Bone and Ash” is the most overtly heavy song on the album, connecting the dots between crust and post-metal. This track is pure aggression, an assault of d-beat brutality counterpointed by the groove of southern-fried doom. “Ending” is both the conclusion of the album, and the final chapter in the trilogy of subdued interludes. It’s the closing movement of a masterfully constructed piece of music.

Deadbird III: The Forest Within the Tree is a sprawling portrait of the heartache, longing, joy, depression, exhilaration, magic, misery, and hope that informed all the greatest music from the American South. This is the blues by way of Neurosis, southern rock via His Hero Is Gone, gospel that praises the best of classic metal, and soul that only life experience can produce. Deadbird lives.

Nate plays in Spirit Adrift and Gatecreeper.