Influential as their combination of equal parts black metal and melodic death metal has been, not many bands have attempted to copy the style of Dissection. And even fewer succeeded. Often, blending the icy atmosphere of Scandinvian black metal with the more riffy nature of death metal is done well, but the melodic approach is rarely right. As refreshing as the more song-oriented take on melodic death metal of Steffen Kummerer’s main band Obscura has been, his other band Thulcandra always stayed fairly close to Dissection’s sound. The more they put their own spin on the style, however, the better Thulcandra gets.

Naturally, ‘A Dying Wish’ still sounds like Dissection. But the desire to create their own path within those stylistic boundaries is very clear. Where many of Thulcandra’s peers skip the acoustic parts and downplay the melodic guitar parts that made Dissection as unique as they were, Thulcandra supersizes them. There are more guitar harmonies and melodic themes on ‘A Dying Wish’ than any recent album with a similar stylistic approach, making the album all the more memorable. Fans of the style will undoubtedly enjoy this, but ‘A Dying Wish’ might just release Thulcandra of the “cover band with original material” stigma.

What Thulcandra does well here is ease the listener into the slight stylistic shift. The first two tracks, ‘Funeral Pyre’ and ‘Scarred Grandeur’, are more or less in line with what listeners have come to expect from the band. The former is notably shorter than any other opening track Thulcandra has released to date, but it does show the band doing what they are known for. Not just endless blast beats under surprisingly dramatic guitar chords: this band takes the dynamic possibilities of this blend of styles seriously. Especially the use of space and the contrast between open sections and busy parts is done tastefully without exception.

‘A Shining Abyss’ starts out sounding like it could be on ‘Storm Of The Light’s Bane’, but then incorporates some riffs that could feature on a contemporary death metal album and an extensive acoustic middle section. The way the keyboards interact with the guitars in the middle section of the excellent ‘In Vain’ is somewhat reminiscent of Hypocrisy, while ‘In Bleak Misery’ and the closing title track put a strong focus on fantastic guitar melodies. ‘Devouring Darkness’ has a couple of cool melodic progressions that almost sound classical in nature. I also love the riffs and the dramatic nature of ‘The Slivering Silver’.

Starting a band that exactly copies one particular band seems to have been a bit of a trend over the past decade or so, but the good bands that stuck around for long enough eventually got comfortable enough with that particular style to tweak the formula a little and make it more their own. Thulcandra is definitely the best example of that I can personally think of. They have remained stylistically consistent, but the fact that their material has developed its own character really makes ‘A Dying Wish’ stand out even among Thulcandra’s own discography. Thulcandra is no longer a band to check out if you like Dissection, but a band recommended to anyone who likes metal that is as melodic as it is extreme.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Slivering Silver’, ‘A Dying Wish’, ‘In Bleak Misery’