Light Within the Darkness

Hailing from Pordenone, Italy, Dominhate attempts to innovate within a genre that defies innovation. With their debut LP, Towards the Light, this death metal four-piece mixes up tempo changes, melodies and vocal rhythms in a way that sets them apart from their brethren. They do not pretend to cross over into any other genres, though, which will ensure they do not alienate any potential fans coming their way expecting to be aurally assaulted.

Following the obligatory wind-and-thunder introduction, “The Light of the Last Legion” begins with a sludge-like riff, but the guitar tone is unmistakenly death metal. When frontman/bassist “Steve’s” vocals come in, the growl is deep and dominating, his ability to carry a tune in the chorus is not only impressive but refreshing.  “In the Principle the Great Sleep” has some Slayer-eqsue thrash moments, and “The New Wave of Domination” promotes glorious energy with its mix of slower and faster bits.

“The First Seed” starts off with a couple of minutes of eerie cacophony aided by a wall of fuzz (and gutter vocals) as it builds to a proper death metal song.  “King Without Crown” proves that Dominhate can play as fast as anyone else with “Slippy”‘s drums pounding every which way.

The strength of Towards the Light is also its flaw. Dominhate have the chops and the skills to break apart from the pack, but they are shackled by the genre to be sure to include certain elements. Ill-placed double-kick drums distract rather than enhance some moments. Prolonged screams come off as endurance tests rather than enhancing the moments. Some instrumental interludes and repeated riffs overstay their welcome, continuing a few bars after they made their point. Still, this newcomer shows that they have taste and talent in a genre not known for subtlety.