THRAWSUNBLAT, the blackened folk metal brainchild of former WOODS OF YPRES guitarist Joel Violette, released the new album Wanderer On The Continent Of Saplings on March 13th. Drummer Rae Amitay recently spoke with Teeth Of The Divine about the album; an excerpt from the interview is below:

Q: The other bands I know you have played with are more sludgy, hardcore or thrashy. Was it a change to play a more back metal style or have you dabbled in the style before?

Rae: "Well after David asked me to join Woods of Ypres, I majorly stepped up my black metal game. Anyone familiar with Woods knows that there’s a lot of blasts and rapid-fire fills going on, so I had to strengthen and develop those skills in order to prep for our Canadian rehearsals and subsequent European tour. Even though those plans never ended up being fulfilled, the hours I poured into building those chops gave me the ability to drum for Thrawsunblat down the road."

Q: There are a few songs on the album that stand out mood/texture wise; 'Lifelore Revelation' and the two shanties 'Goose River' and 'Maritime Shores'. What are your thoughts on those drastic temp and mood changes?

Rae: "I love those shanties! I think the changes in mood make the album’s pace pretty unique. We have really intense and evil-sounding songs like 'Borea (Pyre Of A Thousand Pine)', and then songs that channel Joel’s love for his Maritime home in a pure folk kind of way. The contrast is fairly extreme, but I enjoy how the album paces itself and doesn’t commit completely to one genre. We get to explore a lot of different styles while still creating something that (I find) cohesive."

Q: Joel seems to be channeling David Gold’s mournful clean vocals throughout the album was he trying to do that intentionally as an homage or did it just come out that way?

Rae: "Joel has a natural, melancholy quality to his voice that I’ve always found captivating. I first heard it last year when we were sending demos back and forth in preparation for the Ypres Metal Fest. I don’t think it was an intentional homage, although he’d be able to answer that, but the album does deal with themes of loss. Joel expresses that not only lyrically, but also through his vocal performances."

Click here for the complete interview.

The new album is now available for pre-order via PayPal: $20 CAD (North America) or $25 CAD (World), shipping included. Send funds to thrawsunblat@gmail.com.

The tracklist for Wanderer On The Continent Of Saplings is as follows:

'Lifelore Revelation'

'Once Fireveined'

'We, The Torchbearers'

'Goose River (Mourners' March)'

'Bones in the Undertow'

'Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings'

'Maritime Shores'

'View of a Million Trees'

'Borea (Pyre of a Thousand Pine)'

'Elegy Across the Silence'

'Song of the Nihilist'

'I Am the Viator'

Violette has reprised his role as songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist for the album, and enlisted Rae Amitay and Brendan Hayter to handle drums and bass respectively. The pair was chosen to complete the Woods of Ypres line-up for the band's European tour in support of Woods 5: Grey Skies And Electric Light. Unfortunately, the tragic passing of David Gold put an end to those plans, but drummer Rae Amitay says, "Thrawsunblat II is an incredibly special way for the three of us to create music together. It's an amazing project, and I'm honoured that Joel has chosen us to be a part of it."

Thrawsunblat II was recorded in July and August, in studios in both Canada and the United States.

The band's first official release - the Canada 2010 "demo" - is still available via BandCamp.com. Go to this location to check out audio samples and to purchase.

The tracklist is as follows:

'Black Sky'

'Set Us Ablaze'

'Misted Shores'

'Slake the Earth'

'Through the Ice'

'Fire Still Burns'

'She, Arboreal'

'Vastland'