Thrawsunblat - Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings

Now here's something interesting: a band that, previous to today, I knew nothing about, that I had heard no buzz about in any way, releasing one of the most exciting Folk Metal albums I've ever heard. The songs here are powerful and passionate, rife with plenty of epic, emotional melodies and hooks, with an atmosphere and production that's larger than life. Starting with the jaunty opening track, I was hooked and intrigued. By the time I was halfway through the emotive, highly melodic second track, "Once Fireveined," I was being effectively blown away, a feeling that did not vanish, or even lessen, throughout the remainder of the album. 

With Thrawsunblat's creative and diverse songwriting, the band manages to bring something new and fresh to the now overdone combination of Folk and Black metal. They can be raw and aggressive when they want to be ("We, the Torchbearers"), only to turn around with an extremely melodic and emotional track ("Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings"). 

Thrawsunblat's brand of nature-themed Blackened Folk Metal was, to me, nothing short of amazing. The album is well-composed and well-executed, playing to the feelings of the listener by means of skillful melodies and powerful, gripping composition. This album is definitely a winner, and has a good shot for our end of the year Best Albums of 2013 list.

-Andrew Oliver