TESSIA – The Cataclysm

RELEASE YEAR: 2026
BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/3PsAZFXqy2Sb94LbMEApbJ?si=xAbw8ytbQ4mtUktAzz9Ryw

The hard-hitting and musically excellent metal constellation known as Tessia hails from the flourishing underground scene in Bergen and has made quite the name for itself these past few years thanks to some killer outputs and impressive live performances. The Cataclysm is essentially two EPS along with brand-new material combined into one album with a singular vision, or a concept piece, if you will. In that sense, this release marks the full, final, and whole narrative that constitutes the cataclysmic event that the songs revolve around.

Let me start by saying that this is a thoroughly tight and well-executed affair that marks the group’s finest hour yet. Technicality, precision, thick grooves, thunderous riffs, memorable leads, and highly diverse vocals permeate the record’s content, but what stands out more than anything else is the all-pervading and almost overwhelmingly dark atmosphere Tessia has conjured up. It appears and feels infinitely layered, wholly convincing, delightfully dystopian, and frighteningly relevant. Tracks such as the brooding “The Bell” and the epic “Beyond the Sanctum” are prime examples of how to craft dynamic compositions that maintain their flow, momentum, and stirring aura throughout. “Tooth and Nail” is the only entry that adds very little to the disc as it appears a bit mundane and simply less creative and full of surprises compared to the other eleven songs.  

The Cataclysm is everything a modern melodic death metal-inspired opus ought to be and then some, and it sees the band firing on all cylinders while continuing their upward trajectory. The future has arrived in more ways than one. Fucking hell, this is some magnificent stuff, folks.