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DOMMIN – “E.P.” Has Me Hooked

Posted in Album Review, alternative rock bands, alternative rock music, alternative rock music albums, collecting rock music, cool album covers, creepy album covers, current alternative rock music, current hard rock albums, current hard rock bands, current hard rock music, current hard rock songs, current heavy metal music, current rock albums 2009, diverse metal music, essential hard rock albums, essential rock albums, gothic hard rock bands, gothic hard rock music, gothic metal bands, gothic metal music, hard rock music, hard rock music 2009, hard rock songs, hard rock vocalists, heavy metal album covers, heavy metal music, heavy metal music 2009, heavy metal vocalists, horror metal, melodic hard rock songs, melodic rock bands, melodic rock songs, metal odyssey, Music, rock & roll, rock album review, rock and roll, rock music, rock music reviews, rock music vocals, rock vocalists, scary album covers, shopping for music, spooky album covers, Vocals with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 19, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

Dommin - Group Photo banner 2009

I picked up the Dommin E.P. at Hot Topic today and man, this band has me hooked. This Dommin E.P. has been available as a Hot Topic exclusive since July 7, 2009. This band caught my attention over the last few months as I scoured the web looking for new and cool albums to potentially buy. Buying this E.P. was a necessity for me, I have already listened to some of Dommin’s songs already and really liked what I heard. Plus this E.P. will make for a cool prelude to my finally picking up the new album from Dommin – Love Is Gone. The price I paid for E.P. is unreal great – $1.99. Uh, again, that’s $1.99! My copy I bought was the last one, (or only one), left in this specific Hot Topic store… that tells me E.P. sold quite well since July 7th. The price and obvious popularity is not too shabby for a brand new CD with four outstanding songs. E.P. contains a track that is not found on the Love Is Gone album – Awake. I have always been open minded to all Rock, Hard Rock and Metal genres, listening to a bountiful mix of bands over the decades has been my Metal way. With that said, this is how I describe the music of Dommin, in my Metal opinion:

Dommin - "Eyes" Banner - 2009

The vocals of Kristofer Dommin are extremely confident and powerful. His vocals alone are what draws me into the music, I am not ashamed to say that they are riveting… for me. When I listen to Kristofer Dommin sing, my ears detect some Glenn Danzig meets David Bowie – really. This is not to say that his vocals are unoriginal, not in the least. Kristofer Dommin’s vocals are very different from what I have been listening to in recent memory. I will confidently state, it is hard to pigeonhole Dommin into one specific music genre. Gothic, Heavy Alternative, Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Goth or Modern Heavy Metal genres are all represented quite amazingly well with the music of Dommin. If that causes a stir, so be it… this band has been a tough Metal cookie for me to pinpoint with accuracy as to their specific placement in genre. Yet this is what makes Dommin so damn cool from the start, does it really matter anyways which genre a band adheres to? Take it from me, (if you want to), that Dommin belongs in the Heavy Music world with their dark, hard and artistic style of music. Heavy Music this outrageously melodic and hard gets me listening. Dommin takes Rock simplicity from decades past and elevates it into their very own Heavy and dark stratosphere of interpretation, exposing it for all to hear in 2009.

DOMMIN is:

Kristofer Dommin on vocals & guitar

Billy James on bass

Konstantine on keyboards

Cameron Morris on drums

** Track Listing For E.P. is:

My Heart, Your Hands

Dark Holiday

Without End

Awake – (only available on E.P., not included on Love Is Gone album)

DOMMIN is on a record label that in my Metal opinion, knows something about Rock and Roll… ROADRUNNER Records.

DOMMIN - "E.P." album pic

MADINA LAKE – “Attics to Eden” is an Alternative Rock detour to take

Posted in Album Review, alternative rock bands, alternative rock music, alternative rock music albums, cool album covers, current alternative rock albums, current alternative rock music, Hard Rock, hard rock music 2009, post punk rock music 2009, Rock, rock music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 13, 2009 by Metal Odyssey

main-150Madina Lake “Attics to Eden” caught my attention upon it’s release, (May 5, 2009), by the front cover artwork.  Anytime a band puts thought and/or creativity to use, with their album cover art, just motivates me to investigate the music inside the album further. I ventured to RoadRunner Records.com to give a listen to a few of the songs from “Attics to Eden”. I knew going in that Madina Lake is not a full throttle Metal band… not a Metal band at all… far from it. Madina Lake are an above decent, Alternative/Post Punk Rock Band with plenty of quality songs, in my Metal opinion. The key to expanding my Heavy Music collection and interests is to just plain research an album before you buy it. I am quite content at picking up Madina Lake’s newest album, both the music and lyrics are well thought out and written. Madina Lake has obviously paid attention to detail, with song structure, on “Attics to Eden”. There are no run ons or whining with these songs either, (again, in my Metal opinion). It seems to me, that Madina Lake was not interested in putting any filler songs on this album, that is always a great move for any band. What I walk away from, each time I listen to Madina Lake, is that they walk that fine line of being both commercially accessible and extremely current sounding, while still grasping and holding onto, enough hardness in their music to satisfy my taste

Madina Lake "Attics to Eden" album promo imageMadina Lake is obviously a younger band, yet the current and/or new textured sound to their songs is what differentiates them from being gobbled up by the status quo. It is 2009, I not only want to stay current with the younger bands… I need to. There is that part of me that does not want to be left behind in this vast world of Heavy Music. Honestly, there are stacks of Heavy bands out there today, that are fresh and new that just don’t do it for me. My not acknowledging on Metal Odyssey the bands that I feel are bland and yawn inducing, saves me from wasting precious time. Madina Lake is no waste of time for my ears. Taking a melodic and harmonious Alternative Rock detour, from the very heavy and Extreme Music that I listen to regularly, is essential for me, doing so keeps me musically grounded and open minded. Madina Lake “Attics to Eden” is one of those Alternative Rock detours I am referring to. To make an analogy, it is like enjoying watching horror movies, I need to watch a comedy and/or suspense thriller every so often as well. (Throw in a History Channel documentary too).

“Never Take Us Alive” is the opening song on this album, the upbeat Rock feel and inspired lyrics makes this album start off on the right note. “Statistics” is a steady rocker for me, along with “Let’s Get Outta Here” if I am to choose a few notables. Madina Lake took some influence from The Offspring, on “Let’s Get Outta Here”, especially with the chorus. “Legends” and “Criminals” are strong contenders for being my favorite songs on the entire album, both examples of the fortified confidence level that Madina Lake plays at musically. “Through The Pain” has “that hit” sound and feel seeping from it’s every nook and cranny. “Attics to Eden” is without question, a melodic and musically sound song trip. Madina Lake touching on the human spirit lyrically only pronounces more relevance with each listen, even for this middle aged Metalhead.

Madina Lake, as they appear on “Attics to Eden”: Nathan Leone on vocals, Matthew Leone on bass, Mateo Camargo on guitars & programming and Dan Torelli on drums.

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