Sunday 29 November 2009

Review - Dominic - Nord

Dominic - Nord

View The Review

9 out of 10

It’s probably not that unfair to say that the Level Plane screamo genre of the mid 90s kind of peaked some time ago, with bands like Orchid and Saetia. There have been lots of bands playing similar stuff since then, but the problem has been that a lot of it has been a little bit too similar - to all but hardened genre fans, a lot of bands are indistinguishable from all the others. Every now and then though, a band comes along that shifts the boundaries and brings something new to the melting pot. Bands like Kaospilot, early JR Ewing or Lack stand out from the crowd, and so do Dominic.

Musically they slow down the usually manic rhythms associated with the genre, whilst retaining the trademark off kilter time signatures and syncopation. Whilst far from being ponderous this change in pace gives the music space to breathe and the listener time to appreciate what they are hearing, bringing to mind post rock bands such as Don’t Mess With Texas or PG Lost, a sensation heightened by the presence of fairly elongated instrumental passages. The drums are pounding and raw, in stark contrast to the intricate, interwoven guitars. The vocals are suitably charged with emotion, and the lyrics insightful and intelligent.

So does it add up to the sum of its parts? More than, I would say. In fact I’d go as far as to say that I think Dominic have replaced Kaospilot as my screamo band of choice, on record at least - live it remains to be seen, but hopefully I’ll get the chance to find out soon.

Listen: www.myspace.com/dominicdgb

Tracklist:
1. End of Man
2. Idiocracy
3. Incorporated Desert Fields
4. Deep, Deep and Forever
5. Get Rich and Die Trying
6. Railroad of Attraction
7. Red Light
8. Farewell Welfare
9. Loss of Breath
10. Ink for Bullets

No comments: