Grave, the longtime veterans of Swedish death metal, have returned with a new platter of brutality called Dominion VIII. Some bands can just be counted on time and time again to deliver the goods, Grave just happens to be one of them. No desire to fit in with the modern crowd, no progressive leanings, no catchy melodies, just crushing, old school death metal, played with conviction and a severely pissed off attitude. Opening track "A World in Darkness sets the tone for this mammoth beast, a brutal display of monstrous power riffage (I'm talkin' HEAVY here!) and some of the best death metal growls in the business. The distortion here on the guitars is off the charts, almost Sabbath styled yet with speedier riffs. "Fallen (Angel Son)" kicks off with slow, doomy riffs before drums and guitars bash you over the head like a jackhammer, while "Deathstorm" delivers manic intensity much like classic Slayer or even Poland's death metal machine's Vader. Things don't let up there, as "Stained By Hate" and "Bloodpath" take the grueling, fast, and furious approach, letting the world know that the Swedes can pummel with the best of them. The great thing about the songs here is that Grave fill so many different riffs and tempos in each tune, a great example being "Annihilated God", a churning maelstrom of guitar mayhem that just screams 'old school' throughout its 5+ minute length. The band almost dives into classic Celtic Frost territory circa To Mega Therion on the massive "Dark Signs", and end things with the epic death/doom of "8th Dominion", nearly 8-minutes of massive, distorted riff-o-rama and brutal growls.
If you are a death metal fan, this CD absolutely needs to find its way into your collection. Dominion VIII quite possibly contains the most massive, distorted guitar riffs I've heard in quite some time, and the songs built around those riffs are intense and totally representative of what death metal is all about.
Track Listing
1) A World in Darkness
2) Fallen (Angel Son)
3) Deathstorm
4) Stained By Hate
5) Bloodpath
6) Annihilated God
7) Sinners Lust
8) Dark Signs
9) 8th Dominion
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