Issued in a standard jewel case with transparent tray and 8-page booklet.
If moderately polished black metal of the orthodox/depressive variety is not your thing, then there is little point in your tracking down this album. If it is, then you may consider this under-the-radar release one of the overlooked gems of 2007, although I can't say this without reservation for the reasons stated below.
'To Live Again and Dominate' is a thoughtfully produced and carefully-mixed release. Its production is neither fussy nor extravagant, and all its elements are nicely balanced throughout. The guitar tone is raw but clear, the sonorous bass is audible, the drums are just right. The regulation-issue Ted Skjellum-styled vocals are perhaps a little too reverb-drenched, but that's a minor offence; they are generic (this should not be deemed to be a pejorative description) and highly effective.
Compositionally, it has to be said that Finland's Prevalent Resistance are not the most gifted song writers in the genre, and the way their creations lurch from movement to movement may come to bother you. I can see that this album may polarize opinions for precisely this reason, but I didn't find it overly distracting. Whilst the entire release may be deemed to lack any sort of innate, organic understanding of what constitutes the crafting of album that is satisfying to experience sequentially, I don't get the impression that the band gives a rat's ass for the listener's sensibilities. Good for them.
For all of my criticism, what makes 'To Live Again and Dominate' a quality release for me is Prevalent Resistance's unswerving talent for crafting uniformly excellent riffs, interwoven with appealing contrapuntal melodies. At this, they unquestionably excel, particularly on the album's standout track, 'Forever the Pale Flame Burns'. The piece is built around a strong, lyrical riff that packs an emotional punch; it is both arresting and powerful, and became an instant favourite as soon as I heard it. Yes, the structure of the song lacks finesse in the way alluded to above with little in the way of anything that could be described as segues between passages. However, when any given song's individual components are as appealing as this, it doesn't really matter to me that they've been tongue-and-grooved together.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=jU-lXGDB35o
