With a thick, face-concealing beard, stringy long hair and black t-shirts galore, Timothy Showalter would not look that out of place fronting a metal band. But for many years, his band Strand Of Oaks crafted woodsy American folk songs that stirred emotions more with their intimacy than intensity. Yet the Philadelphia band’s latest album, Heal, represents a turning point, both sonically and cathartically, with folk rock songs that let Showalter and company show off a richer and mightier palette that may just capture some of that metal spirit.
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