Limited edition of 100 pieces of transparent red 12" vinyl with gatefold sleeve.
Originally released on LP by Necroeucharist Production on 31.3.2020
Slovakia has slowly but surely become one of my favorite countries when it comes to metal. A lot of top quality releases has been produced over the past few years. Another name to add to the list is Dominion of Suffering. From what I understood founder and drummer Neptun has found some new band members in Switzerland and after more than a decade has been finally able to finish the debut full length “The Birth of Hateful Existence”. While being a bit on the short side with under 27 minutes this is a fierce example of crushing black/death of the highest order.
What this album may lack in musical innovation it more than makes up for in sheer, bloody-minded intensity and evil, malevolent melody, all of which makes this band more than capable of leaving their mark. After a short intro opening title track sees Dominion of Suffering galloping out of the gates. These lads mean business, attacking with fire and brimstone and taking no prisoners. They do not waste any time, going for the listener’s throat from the get-go. The rest of the album follows suit, constantly shifting and changing, with actual, proper riffs finding their way to the surface amongst the assault, coupled with tasteful leads that add a sense of traditional second wave melodies to the whole affair.
Dismal and desperate, moody and mystical - despite all its rawness and primitive origin this is black/death metal with a strong melodic component that’s enthralling, and a rhythm section that eschew blasting and battering, creating a nuanced and compelling momentum for all the sinister and penetrating, yet stunningly layered guitar work and the vicious, roaring vocals. Hard hitting trademark chords are pitched against mesmerizing and at first glance slightly disharmonic-sounding melodies, creating an unholy force of destruction. The classic tremolo lines are in full force, and the rhythm section provides the crushing backbone, with the drumming being especially insane in places.
The song-writing is spot on and while mostly acting in full-speed mode the tracks offer enough variation. There are some great build-ups, and well-placed tempo and rhythm changes are used for splitting the songs into separate parts. My favorite of the bunch might be “A Starborn Overlord” which comes with a lengthy playing time of 6:47 minutes and some really fantastic atmospheric and groovy parts woven into the hefty hefty riff attacks.
The production is more or less flawless. The guitars are crunchy and the drums have a very nice punch. The lead melodies are sitting on top of the mix and are not buried under the heavy instrumentation. The cover artwork is also nicely done, making “The Birth of Hateful Existence” a must listen in my books.
After a dark, captivating intro with some gruesome vocals it’s time for some Black/Death Metal! Dominion of Suffering are a Slovakian/Swiss project. Founded in 2008, the band only released a demo in 2011 called “Served to the Worms”. 9 years later they resurrect with the full length “The Birth of Hateful Existence”. The cover art looks like some kind of Virus (did they know?). The band now consists of founder Neptune (Asag, ex-Nomenmortis, ex-Thunderdeath..), Dr. Channard, Odia and Quasar (both Antiversum). The music is mostly fast and furious, combined with some nice slower to mid-tempo grooves including D-Beats as well. The slower and mid-tempo sections remind me a lot of Necrophagia meets Ancient somehow. The vocal performances are crazy twisted mindfucking, using wide ranges and sometimes going crossed in lines…sick, and I like it. Spacey Keyboard elements are used pretty well and let you breath for a moment before darkness descends again. The tunes a dark, the riffs hard, the leads beautiful and a nice counterpart to the dark core of the songs. The song writing is excellent, accelerations when needed, grooves when heads got to roll and atmosphere by slowing down when dynamics should be used. Props to all the musicians, killer job here. Dark Death/Black Metal (feels more appropriate), really interesting with its own drive and ideas, feels ugly, feels fresh somehow and let me press the play button again (don’t forget to bang your head to the crusty parts!). The suffering will be legendary, even in hell!
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