With their current album Travesty Of Heavenly Existence Finnish metallers THYRANE keep messing around stylistically. Getting started as a purist black metal outfit, many influences got used and utilized (even electronic stuff on the previous album), now turning back to the roots, just to come up with new influences again as they fill in Folk tunes now and then.
It all sounds like a mix of much Dimmu Borgir with Ensiferium for example (or any other modern melodic Viking Metal bands). It means, on a matrix consisting of mid-tempo black metal with some thrashing parts many symphonic and/or melodic keyboard cascades get put on. Technically there is nothing to nag about, since the production is caring for brute but differentiated sound characteristics, suiting the music quite well.
But although the material gets presented on a high level of quality the spark doesn’t want to jump over entirely. Keyboard parts are at times too sweet, and guitar riffing sounds quite familiar. Furthermore there are no tracks standing out the masses. Every song convinces by itself but looking on the overall picture tracks are too similar leading to the phenomenon that Travesty Of Heavenly Existence results in a too homogeneous work, preventing THYRANE from a high scoring. They have to be comfortable with just 7.5 points. I know, it’s like a plague with the reviewer, you never can please them