Band:	Thulcandra
Album:	Fallen Angel's Dominion
Style:	Melodic black metal, Melodic death metal
Release date:	July 2010

01. In The Realm Of Thousand Deaths
02. Night Eternal
03. Fallen Angel's Dominion
04. Frozen Kingdom
05. Everlasting Fire
06. Spirit Of The Night
07. Legions Of Darkness
08. In Silence We Eternally Sleep
09. The Somberlain [Dissection cover]

You are a Dissection fan? You simply love their stuff? You probably did not know it until reading these lines, but the band is alive and their new album, entitled Fallen Angel's Dominion, was released on June 2010 through Austrian label Napalm Records. Am I serious with such catcher? Certainely not and the joke is over now, but I can ensure you that the first lines above really could have been the case. To re-establish the truth, Fallen Angel's Dominion is the first full-length album from German metallers Thulcandra. The album was recorded at Woodshed Studios and was produced by V. Santura (Dark Fortress, Triptykon) and Steffen Kummerer (Thulcandra, Obscura) while the cover artwork was created by Kristian Wåhlin (At The Gates, Dark Funeral, Emperor and surprisingly Dissection).

So why such an introduction? Simply have a listen to the first minutes of the album and you will see that it is strictly impossible to not evoke the name of Dissection. Furthermore, even though they come from Germany, Thulcandra's stuff sounds typically Swedish.

But this easy comparison can end now. Indeed since the dead of Jon Nödtveidt, the throne of Dissection was vacant, and Thulcandra are their trustworthy successors, really. Indeed, the music played by the band is not just a pale copy of Dissection's stuff, they exceed their heritage by instilling personal touches. To be convinced have simply a listen to the real first song of the album, entitled "Night Eternal" (the first one, "In The Realm Of Thousand Deaths," being an instrumental introduction). Their black/death metal mixes aggressiveness with groovy parts. Furthermore the inclusion of acoustic parts adds a wide range of variety in the listening and fits perfectly to create the sad atmospheres. The guitar work is impressive, too, ranging from high tempo riffing (such as on "Spirit Of The Night" or on "Legions Of Darkness") to more mid-tempo ones such as on "Everlasting Fire." Also, killer guitar solos are scattered along the whole album, which reinforce the aggressiveness of the album. At least, I cannot conclude without evoking the last song of the album, entitled "The Somberlain" from who you know. A kind of last homage to their spiritual fathers. The loop is closed now.

Fallen Angel's Dominion remains a solid album. Indeed the sound is clear and the production powerful. The only damageable point against this album could be the lack of originality. Is it so important when the musicians clearly know how to handle their instruments and when the songwriting is really well-grounded? Clearly not. So no need to argue anymore about Fallen Angel's Dominion especially if you are a Dissection fan, you will enjoy the listening, be sure of that. For the others, you really should have a listen too, this album is black/death metal at its top.

Highlights: "Fallen Angel's Dominion," "Frozen Kingdom," "Legions Of Darkness" and "The Somberlain" (Dissection cover)