DOMAIN „Gat Etemmi”

GAT ETEMMI is actually the third recording from Domain, a Black/Thrash metal band lurking in the metal underground, calling Poland their home. Starting out under the name Pandemonium, three demo recordings were released before morphing into Domain, naming the first release PANDEMONIUM. Banging some tribal drums opens GAT ETEMMI on the first song ‘Asaku Marsuti’ before exploding into some twisted guitar and Chuck Schuldiner SPIRITUAL HEALING vocals. There is also a bizarre spoken/whispered chorus that adds some mystique into the song before adding a few seconds of morphed electronic distortions into a short bridge section. ‘Asaku Marsuti’ is an early and prime example of what Domain are capable of, taking a classic death metal sound, updating it slightly without abandoning the original heritage and origins. At over 5 minutes, the opening song preludes the ethereal ‘The Seven Sibbiti’ which once again continues down death alleyways, adding a twist of an operatic background vocal line from a mystical female voice.

‘Ningiszida’ is straight-ahead death metal with no twists leading into a short instrumental ‘The Ancient Ones Monstrous’. The title once again keeps it basic, but heavy at the same time. I have no clue what GAT ETEMMI means, however, but the song has a catchy and disenchanting riff. Even though the song-titles appear odd if you only know the English language, the songs are all performed in English with the exception of when the song-title is chanted during the Chorus. ‘Anzu Storm’ brings back some operatic vocals to open things up before getting heavy in a God Dethroned GRAND GRIMOIRE kind of way. The remainder of GAT ETEMMI continues to crush while adding a slight twist into the mix on occasion. And ‘The Gate Of Pazuzu’ is another neat, but short instrumental. The closing track is what really breaks the ground here, a piano solo with some slight drumming (very soft) opens an instrumental that remains soft and acoustic throughout.

Other than the closer, Domain play brutally, aggressively and punishing. Domain sounds like a band that wants to keep it traditional but also push ahead through new pathways. I think they succeed. If you are a fan of the extreme genres in metal there is no way I would be afraid to recommend adding this into a CD collection. I guess God Dethroned meets Death could sum it up, in my opinion anyway. But even if you don’t agree with the band comparisons, you should agree upon hearing the disc that there is nothing wrong with the overall presentation!