Thulcandra - A Dying Wish (2021)

Unleashing waves of old-school Melodic Black/Death Metal in the vein of Dissection, today we have Thulcandra and their latest opus “A Dying Wish”. Packed with ten tracks and nearly 45 minutes of incisive music, Steffen Kummerer keeps the old-school vibe alive with this excellent release. With a heavy tribute to Jon Nötveidt's style, the band continues to refine their sound and create brilliantly executed pieces that will appeal to old and new Black/Death Metal fans.

The release opens very strongly with the dreamy “Funeral Pyre” and its mixture of melodic passages and furious onslaughts, perfectly balancing brutality and melody while delivering a timeless sound and aural aggression. We are particularly blown away by the fast-paced songs in this release that remind us of early Entombed and Sacramentum, for example songs like “Scarred Grandeur”, “In Vain”, and “Nocturnal Heresy”.

Drummer Erebor delivers very intense and modern-sounding drum patterns that further elevate the band’s explosivity to new heights as more Black Metal oriented pieces like “Devouring Darkness” and “A Shining Abyss” demonstrate. As fans of the more melodic and melancholic side of the band, we thoroughly enjoyed pieces like “The Slivering Silver” and “ A Dying Wish” which feature Dissection-esque eerie clean guitars and introductory acoustic passages.

With an action packed release schedule in 2021, Thulcandra makes their case for Melodic Death/Black Metal album of the year with “A Dying Wish”. With a retro foundation and brilliant musicianship, Steffen Kummerer and company have managed to release one hell of a release that is exciting and incisive from start to finish. If you want to be sore from too much headbanging, make sure you pick up a copy of this album.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: October 29th, 2021

Genre: Melodic Death/Black Metal

Country: Germany