I’m gonna start this off by saying that I LOVE this band. Between reviewing their last album, seeing them live and even chatting to the man himself, we’ve done a lot of coverage of them over the last year, and there was no way I wasn’t reviewing this album too. I’ll try to keep it reigned in, but if the singles are anything to go by, this is going to be another incredible power metal album!
Opening on their most recent single, ‘We Are Forelorn’ kicks things off with a bang! The epic, sinister vibe builds up throughout the intro and verse, definitely demonstrating the grittier tone Dr Dead mentioned in the interview. It all builds to a typically massive, catchy chorus, too. The gang vocals add so much and make it so easy to sing along to. Also, some of Dead’s high notes, not just here but on the whole album, are insanely impressive! We also get an awesome guitar solo tucked in the middle of the track, making me feel like the band as a whole are criminally underrated players. Again, what an amazing way to open the album!
Next up is a one-two-punch of the other two singles ‘One of Us’ and the Feurschwanz-featuring title track. Both are absolutely amazing songs and classic-feeling Dominum tracks. I’ve covered both already over on our YouTube channel, I’ll drop the video below. However, I can’t pass up the chance to gush over them even more. The choruses for both are up there with some of their best and the instrumetation overall is incredible. It’s songs like this why I fell in love with not just the band, but the genre in general, and I cannot recommend either enough!
A folkier vibe runs through ‘Killed by Life’, which tracks given that it was penned by guitarist Tommy Kemp, also of Winterstorm fame. Spoiler; it’s another awesome song! It also feels a little more polished than the previous few tracks, more radio-written, not that that is a bad thing! The chorus is huge and massively catchy and the structure is pretty simple. However, the riffing is still amazing, and the overall production is incredible on it! While not my favourite track on the album, it is still awesome and definitely enjoyable!
Honestly, I got the same sort of feelings from ‘Die for the Devil’, outside of the folk element. It reminded me the most of their debut album the most of any song so far. From the steady, low verses building into the HUGE radio-choruses, it’s standard Dominum in the best of ways! It’s simple but awesome and another fantastic power metal offering!
‘Don’t get Bitten by the Wrong Ones’ is a bit steadier, feeling almost ballad-like. It also gives off vibes of Motionless in White’s ‘Werewolf’, which I also love. The synth-led verse is incredible, fitting behind Dead’s vocals perfectly, and the chorus is going to be stuck in my head for days to come at this point! It’s another huge highlight on an album packed full of them, and is another track that easily makes it onto our playlist! It’s another track that I’d definitely recommend!
Pretty much everything I said above also applies to ‘Happy Deadly Ending’. What an absolutely BANGING chorus, goddamn. And don’t get me wrong, the rest of the song is also amazing, but that chorus is truly on another level. I’m going to assume this is the newly single to be released with the album, as it could be an absolutely massive song given the chance. The basic Dominum formula is there again but done to absolute perfection, and is another HUGE album highlight. This is modern power metal at its best!
The other three original tracks on the album are more standard Dominum affairs in the best ways possible. ‘Can’t Kill a Dead Man’, ‘This is not a Game’ and ‘The Gardians of the Night’ are a trio of great power metal tracks that fit so perfectly with thus album and the Dominum sound in general. Dr Dead’s impressive vocals and huge choruses are of course highlights, but all the instrumentation is top notch, too. The only reason they are clumped together here is so I don’t keep repeating myself and coming across as even more of a fangirl! All are fantastic tracks that I’ll certainly be listening to again!
Closing out the main album is the band’s cover of the Scorpions classic ‘Rock you Like a Hurricane’. I love their rendition, heavying up the track and managing to make it sound almost like one of their own. Additionally, for those getting/listening to the special edition, you also get a second disc, this one featuring a recording of their set at Graspop earlier this year. While I haven’t heard the actual recordings yet, having been there to see it in person I can assure you it’ll be awesome!
Overall: I absolutely loved this! I knew I would, but I think it even defied my lofty expectations. Every track is fantastic, while there are some that are easily going to be among their greatest hits in however many years’ time. I can’t recommend this enough, not just to fans of the band or genre, but to any music fan in general; it really is that good. It has mass appeal as well as the heaviness and it is certainly a development on their previous release. Check this out immediately!
The Score: 9.5/10