Band:	Thulcandra
Album:	Hail The Abyss
Style:	Melodic black metal, Melodic death metal
Release date:	May 2023

01. In The Eye Of Heaven
02. Hail The Abyss
03. At Night
04. Velvet Damnation
05. On The Wings Of Cosmic Fire
06. Acheronian Cult
07. As I Walk Through The Gateway
08. Blood Of Slaves
09. In Darkness We Descend
10. The Final Closure
11. The Second Fall [live] [bonus]
12. Deliverance In Sin And Death [live] [bonus]

Sadly, Dissection are no longer with us, but through Thulcandra, the meloblack flame truly lives on. Hell, they even give Necrophobic a run for their money.

Thulcandra are a German melodic black/death band, whose style very much reassembles that of the 90s Swedish meloblack scene, from their winter-themed music style to their album cover arts, with main influences coming from the likes of Sacramentum and Dissection (just in case you didn't know already). Since their formation back in 2003, Thulcandra have become a well-established household name in the underground meloblack scene, perhaps even being one of the best and most consistent around in recent years, alongside acts such as Necrophobic. This brings us to their fifth full-length release, Hail The Abyss, which also marks the band's twenty-year existence, but how does this release stack up against Thulcandra's previous efforts?

As expected, the album begins with no fancy build-ups or atmospheric intros, and immediately bombards you with ferocious, break-neck, melodic riffing and powerful blast beats in the great opening track "In The Eye Of Heaven". This clearly shows that the band mean business early on, and there's simply no shortage of melody and catchy riffs here, yet, there's that all-important sinister presence that persists throughout. The light background synth work adds to the grim, cold, wintry soundscape, and works effectively with the raspy blackened shrieks and other instrumentation. The consistent approach across Hail The Abyss will leave listeners fully satisfied by the amount of melodious rhythms, striking leads, memorable riffs, and true all-round 90s meloblack experience.

There's nothing original, nor anything overly experimental, about the way Thulcandra approach things, but what this band seems to do so well is keep the traditional Swedish meloblack sound alive, striking that perfect balance between Dissection and Necrophobic. The Necrophobic influences couldn't be more evident on the track "As I Walk Through The Gateway", with its title and riffs a clear nod to "Blinded By Light, Enlightened By Darkness" from Necrophobic's album Hrimthursum.

Aside from two short acoustic-based instrumental interludes, "At Night" and "In Darkness We Descend", and several slow melodic build-ups, most noticeably the beginning passage of "Acheronian Cult", this is an album that flows at quite an unrelenting pace. The interludes act as a breather between the chaos, slowing the tempo down before the album continues its onslaught. This works most effectively for "In Darkness We Descend", which is essentially an intro to the final track, appropriately titled "The Final Closure". This closer begins with a slow build-up, giving a journey-like feel as opposed to immediately unleashing the usual breakneck tempo and rhythm, setting up an ideal closer.

Once again, Thulcandra don't disappoint here; Hail The Abyss is a genuine pleasure for fans that want to keep the true meloblack flame burning, and is another solid performance all round.