Metachthonia is the third album from raw folk/melodic black metal outfit Thrawsunblat and colour me impressed – this is a work of art from the fourpiece.
One of the best elements of Thrawsunblat’s sound is the good use of melody. It’s more of a melodically driven piece, both from a vocal and instrumental point of view (that fiddle line throughout is stunning!) but there’s also a heavier edge to it and the way the two different approaches are juxtaposed against one another is fantastic to hear. The vocals in particular have a great vesatility to them and frontman Joel gives stunning performances with both his clean and his harsh delivery – with an especially great example being during the opener Fires That Light The Earth. The instant switch from harsh to clean at one point doesn’t disrupt the flow in the slightest and the Windir-esque vibe to the vocals as a whole is spine-tinglingly good.
Although the album only weighs in with six tracks, they’re very substantial offerings (indeed, the shortest of the bunch is over eight and a half minutes in duration!) and although the tracks may be lengthy, the songwriting is good enough to maintain your interest throughout without the songs feeling repetitive. This is an album that ticks all the right boxes and leaves you both satisfied, but also eager for more. Nicely done!
9/10
