There is a thing about Scandinavian bands that’s almost always applicable when writing a review; they deliver damn good quality. The same goes for Thyrane’s latest album ‘Travesty Of Heavenly Essence’. Tight playing, cool riffs, nice melodic guitar & synth work and some nifty rhythmic grooves. Add a very good production (tight and clean but never losing it’s edge) and it’s champagne time for these lads (and lasses, there’s a woman on keys), or at least it should be…

The first thing that comes to my mind listening to this album is ‘Old Man’s Child’, and it really never gets out of my head. To be more exact, it’s sounds like what OMC did three albums ago which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but a slight déjà vu feeling can’t be suppressed listening to this record. More of these moments occur when listening, only different band names pop up in my head. ‘Truth Revealed’ reminds me of Satyricon’s ‘Prime Evil Renaissance’, and some Emperor alike melodies are heard in the album’s title track. It’s not overly original on the whole, but to be compared with quality acts like those doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me.

The vocals are your typical melodic-black metal rasp (a bit like Dismal Euphony on Autumn Leaves), and there’s not very much variation in singing, but such is not to be expected or wanted on an album like this. It’s perfectly suited for their antichristian message, and there’s enough action in the instrument department to keep things fresh. As mentioned before, Thyrane is a quality act who know how to write a decent tune but there are no classics to be found here. The only song that really stands out for me is ‘Legacy Of Saints In Disguise’, where everything fits together as it should. A majestic opening riff, a trashy verse, and a bridge that has a great melodic riff that really delivers the metallic goods for me. The song’s only 3:43 long, and it’s like a black metal pop tune, but to hell with that, it’s their finest hour on this disc.

If modern melodic black-metal is your cup of tea, you dig Old Man’s Child and you do not overly care about originality, then this could be your thing. It’s well written and excellently performed and only lacking in the ‘standout tune’ department. This could be a problem in an overly saturated genre as this is, but their effort certainly deserves a spin.