{"id":17669,"date":"2014-01-05T00:00:47","date_gmt":"2014-01-05T00:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=17669"},"modified":"2014-02-22T22:19:10","modified_gmt":"2014-02-22T22:19:10","slug":"album-review-domains-sinister-ceremonies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-domains-sinister-ceremonies\/","title":{"rendered":"DOMAINS – Sinister Ceremonies (2014) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

DOMAINS
Sinister Ceremonies<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nThe Sinister Flame (2014)<\/span>
Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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This ungodly combination of death and thrash metal comes courtesy of Spaniards Domains. This is their debut record and one that should please plenty. This trio are somewhat of a cult act \u2013 having been around for almost a decade \u2013 so it\u2019s a surprise that Sinister Ceremonies<\/em> is their first outing, but it\u2019s one that has an old school flavour that doesn\u2019t bore with its mimicry. <\/p>\n

Firstly there\u2019s the sneering vocal attack of bassist David \u201cAggressor\u201d who has a real unearthly tone about his style, adding further darkness to this rather nostalgic vibe. Secondly, the guitar sound is extremely primitive, reminding me of old Morbid Angel \u2013 finding a tidy combination between speedier bursts and dank, slower passages. The drums are dirty in their approach, hinting at old Darkthrone<\/a> and these influences should no doubt cause much entertainment for fans of metal that nods to the dark side.<\/p>\n

Sinister Ceremonies<\/em> brings us ten superb tracks, opening with \u2018Domains\u2019 which knocks the door down with an unholy guitar sound that hints at Morbid Angel with its depth and pace. Like Morbid Angel, Domains remain accessible too, carving out concise passages within their devilish framework. \u2018Mastery\u2019 lives up to its name, sounding like a band who have been doing this sort of metal for decades, and the more the album progresses the stronger the songs get. <\/p>\n

\u2018Through Infernal Damnation\u2019 builds on a stabbing guitar and simmering clash of cymbals, before taking its time to build the menace suddenly altering to a brooding pace. Of course, the reflection doesn\u2019t last as the pace soon quickens, taking us into the barrage of \u2018Raped By Darkness\u2019 which features the album\u2019s most battering drum assault and again that mix of pace to enhance atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hopeless\u2019 is eerie in its stark opening, a mere tinkering instrumental before lashing out at the listener with a fever of \u2018Eucharist Of Relevance\u2019 and the catchy \u2018Crowned At Dusk\u2019 with its lumbering, classic metal streak and thrashy connotations.<\/p>\n

Sinister Ceremonies<\/em> is top notch throughout, remaining consistent in its weight and mood and sounding way out of time in the sense that if this had been recorded back in 1991, it would surely have taken the band to great heights. I love the vocals, the complex arrangements of the likes of \u2018Towards Pleroma\u2019 and of course, the efficient brutality of \u2018Labyrinth Of Incense\u2019 with its dirty guitar sound which opens the track.<\/p>\n

Overall, this is a formidable album that is so self-assured and mature that I expect truly great things from these guys in the future. As debut albums go, in today\u2019s climate, Sinister Ceremonies<\/em> is actually a minor masterpiece of old school death metal.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DOMAINSSinister Ceremonies The Sinister Flame (2014)Rating: 8.5\/10 This ungodly combination of death and thrash metal comes courtesy of Spaniards Domains. This is their debut record and one that should please plenty. This trio are somewhat of a cult act \u2013 having been around for almost a decade \u2013 so it\u2019s a surprise that Sinister Ceremonies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1089],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-domains"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17669"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17672,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17669\/revisions\/17672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}