“Endless entrenchment with no relief.”
In recent years, old-school death metal has experienced a transformative revival, with a redefinition and reimagination of the sub-genre that combines the nostalgic essence of 90s OSDM with contemporary production qualities. This blend of old-school sounds and modern engineering creates a style filled with visceral intensity and edge, yet a substantial amount of precision and clarity that elevates the sub-genre’s sonic atmosphere.
A noteworthy contributor to death metal’s resurgence is Domination Campaign. Originally created as a solo venture by Psycroptic vocalist Jason Peppiatt, Domination Campaign proudly stand as a Tasmanian death metal duo, with fellow Psycroptic member, Joe Haley, taking charge of their drums and engineering. In contrast to Psycroptic’s technical attributes, Domination Campaign distinguish themselves with an old-school inspired sound – a distinctive departure that was first displayed in 2021 with the release of their inaugural album, Onward to Glory.
Now in 2024, Domination Campaign have broadened their discography with the release of their sophomore album A Storm of Steel. Much like their established hard-hitting sound, solidified on their previous album, A Storm of Steel takes you on a sonic and lyrical journey of the atrocities witnessed in war and the sheer chaos with which it creates. With each track, it proceeds to drag you through the gritty trenches of slamming riffs, explosive drumming, and violent screams of battle. It’s truly an accurate embodiment of modern death metal, with many unique aspects that set it apart from other releases.
One of the most significant tracks, “The Iron Beast“, was released as the leading single for this album, and rightfully so. The overall tonality of the song is aggressively abrasive from the beginning, with a build-up that creates an impending sense of brutality, as reinforced by the track’s lyrical content. There’s a great sense of movement throughout, with cohesive riffs and melodic phrases that create smooth transitions between sections of the song. Additionally, Jason’s vocals are very Obituary-esque, with a perfect old-school sound and filled with grit. This is paired with double tracking to add depth and a richness in tonality that does not go unappreciated.
A particular characteristic that consistently stands out throughout this album is Joe Haley’s drum work. In every track, drum patterns and fills that are synonymous with extreme metal are also paired with experimental choices that work “outside of the box”, such as the syncopated calypso-style groove used in “Winds Of Death“. Furthermore, the drum sound is punchy and accurately captures its dynamic frequency range without bleeding into the spaces at which other instruments lie. The double kick sits especially beautifully in the mix, absent of an overbearing click or a suffocating low-end. The drums undeniably provide a solid foundation for each song, as well as the movement and grinding energy that every track needs.
Throughout A Storm of Steel, it is evident that the duo have had full creative control over their sonic attributes as they have been able to shape a sound that has the perfect balance of raw grittiness and clean editing – far from being overproduced. This allows for the authentic sound of Domination Campaign to radiate through the speakers, with an upfront production style that values real instrument tones and genre characteristics. A distinct mixing choice implemented in each track is the use of a narrow stereo field and a sense of space that is heavily focused on the width of the drums. This is effective in adding confrontational intensity, and also providing stereo-space for diverse vocal mixes, as well as the hard-panned and double tracked guitar riffs. Moreover, this album features amazingly fuzzy tones – particularly heard in the bass. It has a thick, crunchy tone that is bouncy and bright enough to cut through the distortion of the guitars, and the relentless beating of the drums.
In terms of negatives, the guitar parts are written well and do not back away from some arm-breaking tremolo picking; however, some of the riffs can get repetitive and tend to focus on the low to mid-range of the guitar, whereas some ear-piercing pinch harmonics or trebly leads/solos would add some contrast and individuality to song sections or an entire track. Additionally, certain experimental aspects could be received as crossing the sub-genres lines, as opposed to expanding its boundaries.
Regardless, A Storm of Steel does not disappoint as a death metal album, and I believe that it is a great follow up from their debut. It is extremely impressive that they have been able to not only write and record on their own, but also entirely produce an album as a duo, with tracks that have the instrumental thickness and energy of a live band. Although I do think that there is some room for improvement with their songwriting and instrumentation, A Storm of Steel delivers the right amount of corrosivity, chaos, and brutality that any extreme metal release should have, and I appreciate their attempts with experimentation.
In conclusion, Domination Campaign have every reason to take pride in this release. Given the evident potential that they possess, I am confident that their sound will develop alongside the band’s evolution.
7.5/10
A Storm of Steel releases through Prosthetic Records on the 12th of January, and can be pre-ordered here (Bandcamp/UK).