Death is June- Thulcandra : "Hail the Abyss"

I like this German band, but their earlier work felt like it was a tribute to Dissection. I love Dissection, so on one hand they are no longer making music so it seemed to fill a void, but really what I want from these guys is to hear who they are underneath all of that.  "Hail the Abyss" serves as another step away from that, while still sounding more Swedish than German. The icy riffing and the vocals are what lean them in a black metal direction, while everything else is more aggressive like death metal. This is their first album with the bass player from Nailed to Obscurity. 

The new bassist aids in laying down grittier grooves. This can be heard on both "Velvet Damnation." and "Wings of Cosmic Fire", though the latter song finds the band looking back in the direction of their Dissection tribute days. It recalls that kind of anthemic chant. It might also be in their best interest to stay away from acoustic intros like the one that sets the stage for "Acheronian Cult" .  This brings out the blackness in their eyes . The guitar harmonies are really well done, but the cold Swedish winds almost drown them out. "As I Walk Through the Gateway" is empowered by a mean chug that sells me on the song. 

"Blood of Slaves" leans into the speed and aside from a melodic guitar line, just sounds like everybody else doing this sort of thing. More blackened thrashing abounds. I prefer how Goatwhore does it , if I have to pick and choose, which I do considering there are so many hours in a day to listen to music. The last song is a very easy to listen take on more of the same , that is more flowing, this does not help their argument against being a Dissection tribute, but the crafted it well. I will give this album an 8.5, though I am not sure how many repeat listens I am going to get from it. This was dropped on Napalm Records.