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.