THULCANDRA has been making its way with four albums releases and a fifth one already titled “Hail the Abyss” on the way. They have progressed the sound, but I still find that iced melodic trademark, an aspect everyone misses since the early DISSECTION era. The German quartet was touring the States for the first time, and I know that many of us were waiting for the main courses like WOLFHEART, OBSCURA or FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, but deep down we were also very excited to check this band out for the first time, and let me tell you this, there was no deception at all. It was a total joy with a show full of tight performances impersonated by Steffen Kummerer on guitars and vocals, Mariano Delastik also guitarist, Carsten Schorn on bass and Alessandro Delastik on drums. As a part of the audience, I can tell that Houstonian metalheads expectations were fulfilled. There was a little bit of everything in the ludus, horns up, beers up, a small circle pit, diehards chanting their songs and a total response to THULCANDRA’s music. The new singles are valid proof that we need to be attentive to the next album that will be out this May.

The stage set up for WOLFHEART was simple but impressive, three mic stands resembling an Elk skull.

It was such a privilege to have the Finnish quartet on this run because they couldn’t make it in last Devastation on the Nation tour. With “Skyforger”, the first song for the 2022 album “King of the North”, started the setlist and since that song winter winds froze the White Oak downstairs stage. The first songs didn’t break the ice, the crowd was supporting but arms crossed listening to the music, some random headbanging, a huge ode of applauses after every song, but Tuomas Saukkonen (guitar and vocal) was not enjoying himself with a standing audience, he needed a mosh pit. He addressed the crowd and stated something like this “… There’s no good show in America without a circle pit…”. After his words of encouragement, hell broke loose in the middle and didn’t stop. The Finnish four-piece put out quite a majestic and somber show, full of dark harmonies, blast beats, cold melodies, and outstanding executions.

It was time for some Progressive Death metal in the lineup. Steffen Kummerer on guitars and vocals was working double that night, first with THULCANDRA and now with OBSCURA. Both bands started in the early 2000’s but for some reason OBSCURA has managed to build more of a fan base over these years. I could tell that the H-town Death metal diehards were expecting this band also, although they were not closing that night, but they were co-headlining. Everyone was really attentive to the starting note. They performed songs from other albums but mostly from “A Valediction”, last release from 2021. The Bavarian four piece lit the fire with progressive interpretations and my best award of the night for live band bassist Alex Weber (EXIST/MALIGNANCY), who did a five-star defense of what Jeroen Paul contributed in “A Valediction”. OBSCURA took it from where CYNIC, DEATH, or PESTILENCE left it and made its own approach to Dearth metal and the American audience can identify pretty well when there’s a band this magnitude on stage. No need to say that the whole show was supported from top to bottom.