ALBUM REVIEW: World Domination – Demonical

Death metal juggernauts DEMONICAL have returned with their sixth album World Domination. Marking the return of original drummer Ronnie Bergerstål and the addition of new vocalist Christofer Sätderdal, will enough have changed to mark a new direction for the band or will they continue on their path of familiar, melodic, HM-2 obsessed brutality?

From the opening notes, it’s clear that DEMONICAL do not intend to take any prisoners here. Raging opener Kingdom Done is a thick, weighty wall of noise interspersed with wailing guitar solos which eventually slow to a bone-splintering crunch. The production is rich and clean, which only adds to the overall package, as this record sounds utterly gargantuan from the get-go. As a mission statement, they could have done much worse.

The intensity does not let up as we come to Hellfire Rain, a galloping romp set to thunderous d-beats. The drumming here is awesome, it is deep and provides a strong backbone on which to hang the excessive amount of chainsaw riffs on display. This is a theme that will be explored further, as DEMONICAL‘s faster material throughout the album is total grinding insanity. Tracks like The Thin Darkness and We Stand As One throw out menacing riffs left, right and centre, creating a fantastic sense of maddening intensity and rotten swagger.

There is a great amount of melody to World Domination. While this is still death metal of the grimiest variety, tracks like Aeons Of Death and particularly Victorious showcase that the band does not need to rely on speed and shredding to get their point across. Crunchy riffs, slow chug parts, triumphant melodies and at certain points, glimpses of an almost positive atmosphere can be just as effective and devastating.

That is to say, until DEMONICAL serve up something of a curveball. Slipping Apart, (which can best be described as a death metal ballad) takes the flirtation with melody a little too far. Clean guitar lines and vocals, periodically reinforced with gutturals and sludgy distortion is an ambitious idea, it just doesn’t seem to fit amongst the smouldering brutality of the album and falls flat somewhat, representing a rare and uncharacteristic miss for the Swedes.

Luckily, Calescent Punishment promptly arrives and slams into the listener like a ton of bricks, blowing out the final minutes of the album with a head-splitting death metal cacophony. It’s an absolute rager and sweeps away the memory of what went before it, wrapping everything up in a frenzy of chainsaw riffing and savage drum work.

Overall, World Domination is death metal done in an intelligent and satisfying fashion. They never stick on one riff or composition for too long, and despite their utilisation of Sweden’s favourite guitar pedal, they don’t over-rely on it or on the nostalgia that the Boss HM-2 brings. This is far beyond some Left Hand Path clone, DEMONICAL write fresh and interesting takes on a tried and tested formula. It is this clear love for the old-school death metal formula and willingness to think outside the box in regard to it that is so endearing. It’s a total homage to classic Swedeath refracted through the lens of a modern production job, what’s not to love? Well, maybe the ballad…

Rating: 7/10

World Domination is out now via Agonia Records.

Like DEMONICAL on Facebook.