THRALL

Australia has delivered incredible extreme music to the ears and eyes of the world. Other than the talent and work ethic imbedded in Australians, a reason that the quality of music is so high is because of the isolation and disconnect from the rest of the world. Artists have more freedom to explore, and while industry and economics are still factors, bands have an edge to them, a care factor that is below the threshold that America and Europe require to succeed. Australian extreme metal bands just do what they want to. Isolation breeds curiosity, and this is important with art, it is a sustainable model.

If Australia is isolated, then its most southern state, Tasmania, feels that even more. It is a state with a rich history in extreme metal, and curiosity runs deep in the veins of bands such as Thrall. Tom Void is the band’s main songwriter and vocalist, he grew up in Tasmania in the 1980s and 1990s. For Tom this was an isolated and insular time. Bands at that time, (and to a lesser degree still today) shared members, equipment and rehearsal spaces. I raised this with Tom, and he had this to say:

“All of those factors created truly unique bands that were less influenced by the outside world and were unconcerned with broad appeal or commercial success. I’m left-handed and play all of my instruments (guitar, bass, drums, trumpet etc.) right-handed due to growing up in this DIY setting. Ramez and I played in a punk band together in Hobart in our teens as well as Thrall. I probably played in about 30-40 projects in Hobart during the 90s and Melbourne since, spanning Metal, Punk, Noise, Ambient, Improv, Jazz, Art Rock, Indie, including Thrall/Thy Plagues, La Scimmia, Forfalla, The Grimm, Bird Blobs, Phone Calls, Mad Plan/Nonchalant Two, Human Host, Dialastic, To Have a Head Shaped Like a Boat, Szare Drzewo, Electrophonic 4, among others.”

Thrall are a Tasmanian band and always will be, but Tom no longer resides there. However, Tom is still closely linked with the Tasmanian scene and has long lasting relationships and other connections to the state and its people. He left the state to grow as an artist and play to different audiences. The isolation to the main land is real in terms of the body of the water, but it does not need to be a barrier, and Thrall and others such as Psycroptic are perfect examples of this.

The definition of the word thrall is to be under someone else’s power or to be in great power. The band play within the middle of those two spectrums, constantly raising questions about humanity, religion, the environment, destruction, life, death and disease. Thrall has released four full length albums, beginning with Away from the Haunts of Men in 2010. Thrall are a Black Metal band that over time has expanded its palette, but stayed very consistent. In any field, it is crucial to remain consistent and reliable, and Thrall has done that, composing and releasing a body of work that is as strong as you can get. I asked Tom how he approaches each album cycle:

“For me, it’s a combination of following what is channelled/evolves naturally and goal setting. Each time I aim to create a thematically cohesive release that surpasses the preceding release/s. I use lyrics to ask questions and examine fears I can’t reconcile. My favourite artists, writers and filmmakers tend to do this. I like hard sci-fi, horror, documentaries, investigative journalism, philosophy, science and literature and art.”

While Thrall is Tom Void, it has had other valuable contributors over the years, but Ramez has been the main stay during the last decade. His contributions to Aokigahara Jukai and Schisms, particularly the solo work on the latter is excellent. Tom is a great songwriter and musician, yet Ramez somehow adds an extra level of class to an already top tier band.

The albums

Away from the Haunts of Men is a strong debut album, churning through a perfect annihilation in the vein of Darkthrone and Satyricon. Thrall show little compassion, strangling the Bible and its tyrants along the way. It is a long album at 61 minutes, and while it is very consistent in quality, some parts overstay their welcome. Already, Tom’s lyrical craft is on display though, with the sharp visuals of words like “with slithering worm tongues” and “devotion etched in tears.” Tom is at his most direct on “Spit in the Eye,” his disgust in humanity on show early and for all to hear. Thrall play an interesting game with pace and structure throughout their discography, one never dominates the other, and they do that here too, with “Rank Webs” and parts of the “Robe of Flesh” taunting the listener with a ghastly approach.

Vermin to the Earth is a strong follow up, and within the first few seconds you know that Thrall mean business and are going to be around for the long haul. The quality of the production is greater here; it is a more rounded sound, and the craft in the tracking is carefully executed. While it sounds better, it still brings the venom. Disgust, disease and virus, and the will of an empty life compounds the listener as the album progresses.

Tom left Tasmania around this time. He is fascinated with Japan and its culture and lived there for 2 years. Tom had this to say:

“Thrall’s third album Aokigahara Jukai was explicitly concerned with Japanese mythology, taboos, historical cultural practices such as Ubasute, collectivism versus individualism and nihilism. The album is named after the infamous ‘suicide forest’ that features in true crime, mythology, literature etc. We visited the forest during our Japan tour.”

Aokigahara Jukai, or the suicide forest, the sea of trees, is an incredible album, and its atmosphere is dark. There is a subtle shift towards a heavier sound, not leaving the Black Metal tremolo arena, but expanding into other areas where sludge, post metal and rock reside. Aokigahara Jukai gets into the roots where it all begins, where it all ends, Thrall is that space in between. You always leave something behind. Tom’s vocals have always been vicious and menacing, but here they have  an extra depth to them, and it is perhaps the subject matter and environment, but you feel the passion in it. One thing is for sure over their whole discography: you believe Thrall.

It took Thrall almost a decade to release Schisms, but in that time we of course went through the pandemic. Tom also took his time to craft this one, and it shows. It is a mature sounding release. Ramez has introduced some stellar solos, again shifting away from the traditional Norwegian sound. Tom is at his most ambiguous with the lyrics here, which I do like. Interpretation is important with good art.

Thrall are deep in the writing process for album number five, and I understand that existential cosmic horror is awaiting us. We are all onward to the sea of trees. Isolation is part of who we are, and what where we end up. If you are a strange to Thrall then get into this band ASAP, and if you are not, then continue to support them.