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Thulcandra - Ascension Lost review




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Band: Thulcandra
Album: Ascension Lost
Release date: January 2015


01. The First Rebellion
02. Throne Of Will
03. Deliverance In Sin And Death
04. Demigod Imprisoned
05. Interlude
06. Exalted Resistance
07. The Second Fall
08. Sorrow Of The One
09. Ascension Lost
10. Outro
11. Perishness Around Us [bonus]
12. Frozen Kingdom [bonus]
13. Dreaming [bonus]
14. Immortality [bonus]

When I think of death metal and black metal mixing in a melodic fashion, I think of Dissection, and you do too. Thulcandra is a band heavily influenced by the aforementioned masters of the genre, and on their new album Ascension Lost, they pack it full with everything a fan of the genre could want.

The guitar work is totally on point, and the album is full of dark and twisting melodies. Of course, there are vigorous blasts and shredded riffs, but the mid-paced sections are equally impressive. For example, in "Second Fall", the moderate pace and wise usage of repetition in songwriting give the melody plenty of room to shine and enhance the atmosphere of the song. When everything clicks together like that, Ascension Lost is quite an enjoyable listen.

However, the elephant in the room and likely source of problems for many people is just how Dissection-sounding this affair is. The album is strong on its own, but takes a somewhat unavoidably clear influence from works of the past. I have no trouble just enjoying it for what it is, but to those highly concerned with originality, it might not be the most satisfying album.

The thing is, when everything falls perfectly in place on here, it becomes more than just Dissection 2.0. When the strength in songwriting comes through as much on songs like "Demigod Imprisoned" and "Second Fall" the album can be pretty encapsulating and engaging. Unfortunately there are some sections that plod a little and sound more by-the-numbers, but it doesn't detract too much from the fact that Thulcandra at their best are definitely worth hearing. It should also be noted that the production on Ascension Lost is well done, giving it a modern sound expected in 2015, but with just enough grit and uh... Frigidness? Fits the music anyways.

Sometimes this album is just good, and sometimes it's great. For those who are willing to overlook the fact that it tracks over well-traveled territory, there certainly are moments of brilliance to be found.

Written by Mattybu | 18.01.2015




Comments

Comments: 9   Visited by: 207 users
18.01.2015 - 20:12
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
You've definitely intrigued me with this one. Storm Of The Light's Bane is a fucking great album, and more bands in that style would be cool, but we don't exactly want a bunch of Dissection clones either, so hearing that this album kinda pays tribute while also retaining its own personality is great. I'll be getting on this when it's released.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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18.01.2015 - 20:16
Mattybu

Written by Auntie Sahar on 18.01.2015 at 20:12

You've definitely intrigued me with this one. Storm Of The Light's Bane is a fucking great album, and more bands in that style would be cool, but we don't exactly want a bunch of Dissection clones either, so hearing that this album kinda pays tribute while also retaining its own personality is great. I'll be getting on this when it's released.


Yeah, even for me, someone who rarely takes originality very heavily into account, the Dissection-ness was a little much at times, but I still found the album to be very enjoyable. It has it's own little subtle way of carrying the torch, so to speak. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance to hear.
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19.01.2015 - 00:52
Joe Zombie

Never heard of this group but now I'm gonna have to check them out.
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19.01.2015 - 02:54
-Morbid-

I have been meaning to check these guys out for a long time as I love Storm of the Light's Bane, but they keep slipping away from me on Ebay.

They seem pretty unknown still which kind of surprises me as everything I have read (aside from people who obviously don't like the genre/demand originality) has said they are pretty solid, and the fact that it is Steffen Kummerer's "other" band, and I would have thought with Obscura blowing up like they did with Cosmogenesis more people would have stumbled across this... Maybe they did and weren't interested though I guess, I'm not sure how many tech-death guys also are hunting for Dissection-esque stuff.
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19.01.2015 - 05:39
Mattybu

Written by -Morbid- on 19.01.2015 at 02:54

They seem pretty unknown still which kind of surprises me as everything I have read (aside from people who obviously don't like the genre/demand originality) has said they are pretty solid, and the fact that it is Steffen Kummerer's "other" band, and I would have thought with Obscura blowing up like they did with Cosmogenesis more people would have stumbled across this... Maybe they did and weren't interested though I guess, I'm not sure how many tech-death guys also are hunting for Dissection-esque stuff.


Yeah, I haven't known about them for too long either. They don't seem to get a ton of attention, but for the crowd who enjoys Storm of the Light's Bane era Dissection this music is kind of tailored for them.

True though, despite the Obscura connection musically it's quite a different style.
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19.01.2015 - 08:27
Malignar

I thought their previous release was almost embarrassing in its Dissection worship. I really enjoyed Dissection but something about this band is not right. I've never been critical of a band sounding too much like another band, until these guys came along. Hopefully this release blazes a new trail for them.
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19.01.2015 - 17:07
Mattybu

Written by Malignar on 19.01.2015 at 08:27

I thought their previous release was almost embarrassing in its Dissection worship. I really enjoyed Dissection but something about this band is not right. I've never been critical of a band sounding too much like another band, until these guys came along. Hopefully this release blazes a new trail for them.


I don't wanna make up your mind for you on the album but something tells me you might not like it, in this case. The thing is I really don't care at all that they have such a strong Dissection influence, so it was easy for me to just take the album for what it was and enjoy it. And then once I got into it I started noticing the littler things that made certain songs really good. But I could see some people being put off right away and not getting that far.
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28.02.2015 - 20:24
Susan
Smeghead
Perhaps it's the power of suggestion in the band name, but this music conjures up the exact same feelings as reading Out Of The Silent Planet when Ransom fearfully describes the Sorns.

I dig it. Love the use of great tempos to unfold the music. I guess I need to start listening to Dissection.
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"A life all mine
Is what I choose
At the end of my days"
--The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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01.03.2015 - 00:13
Mattybu

Written by Susan on 28.02.2015 at 20:24

Perhaps it's the power of suggestion in the band name, but this music conjures up the exact same feelings as reading Out Of The Silent Planet when Ransom fearfully describes the Sorns.

I dig it. Love the use of great tempos to unfold the music. I guess I need to start listening to Dissection.


I'm glad you like it and I agree 100% about the tempos. You should definitely listen to The Somberlain and Storm of the Light's bane if you are a fan of this.
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