Destroying Divinity: Hollow Dominion

I was recently looking at some photographs from World War I, the kind that make it pretty clear that war is most often about death—and little else. That war, as people know, marked a moment when killing became even more impersonal that it would normally have been. Listening to this album reminded me of those pictures and of the overall mood of reading about war. No, the connection isn't very strong, but my point is that the music here captures a mood of death and despair and doubt. I don't have the lyrics in front of me, but the song titles suggest that the words aren't trying to bring some sort of cheer into one's life.

I liked this album pretty well. The lyrics are, for lack of better descriptions, dark, yet crisp. They sometimes even feel like they are emerging from the music, as if trying to sneak up a bit on the listener. The backing music is hard-driving and heavy; I was especially impressed with the speed and power I heard on tracks like "Scent of Death" and "Defleshed Skeleton."

My main criticism of this album is that it doesn't have much variety. Sure, the riffs are different and there are some individualized guitar leads, but the cumulative effect of the music makes it all blend together. Nevertheless, the band plays hard and never relents in its quest to capture an apocalyptic, despairing, mood. Fans of extreme death metal should find something here to enjoy.

Track Listing:
1. The Eternity Guardians
2. Burning Divine Domination
3. Scent of Death
4. Empire of Emptiness
5. Suffering Redemption
6. Defleshed Skeleton
7. Sinful Omens
8. Inner Slavery

Added: June 14th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1791
Language: english

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