Thulcandra is the second band led by guitarist/singer Steffen Kummerer, with the other being the most known tech death metallers Obscura. Although they were founded just one year after Obscura, in 2003, their paths were not parallel. Two years later they went on hold because co-founder Jürgen Zintz committed suicide. 2008 marked their return, with this album being their fourth full-length.

I could easily describe in one word the sound of “A Dying Wish”. And that word is Dissection. The Germans are clearly influenced by Swedish legends and this can be heard in every second of the album with the main feature being the instantly recognizable tremolo-picking riffs and the guitar melodies of this particular scene. The rhythms range from ultrasonic attack with non-stop drumming and slow atmospheric moments that I personally prefer more here, as they are the only ones that kept my interest while listening to the album.

And I say this because the very fast moments seemed quite tiring to me. It’s as if they play fast just for the sake of playing fast, while the sound seems to me bloated since the old-school production they chose I think highlights better their slower stuff. The melodies, the atmosphere and the music that bring out their slowest parts personally won me over immediately and I must admit that they did a great job there. But for the rest, I just waited for them to stop blasting, so I can enjoy what was about to come.

“A Dying Wish: through eight songs and two very small acoustic interludes lasts forty-five minutes and I cannot say that it excited me, mainly because of the two different emotions that caused me as I mentioned before. There are of course many who consider this year’s works of Kummerer (this and the new album of Obscura) as some of the best in the extreme metal scene. I belong to the side that the German musician has not managed to win (yet?). Fans of Dissection and similar sounding bands should listen and judge for themselves.