Despite the majority of the songs here hitting the spot, the album does underway in a slightly weak fashion in my opinion with Never Forgive, Never Forget which, while decent enough, lacks the power of the tracks that follow. The gentle, melodic guitar intro is a nice touch; and the first proper riff is quite powerful - but I just feel that the hooks here are not strong enough to open an album with. There is no proper chorus to be found, just the song's title repeated a couple of times, and the verses are fairly standard; lacking the appropriate drama that album openers should come with. Despite this however, drummer David Wallin really puts in a shift. It is a shame that his debut with the band was on Built to Last - but the meatier production here really helps him to shine. His double bass drumming really helps keep the song moving, and is a powerful presence throughout the album. It is his energy that elevates Never Forgive, Never Forget somewhat, and gives it a bit of attitude. It is a song that probably should have been placed later in the running order of the album, as in my opinion it is not a strong opener and would have probably benefited from sitting around the middle somewhere. Luckily however the album's opener is one of the few weak moments to be found here, and the album's title track that follows really ups the quality substantially and is a song that could have easily found itself on one of the album's earlier albums. It is a mid-paced track, but the strong groove created throughout and the headbanging pace make it an instant winner. It is songs like this that show what an influence Manowar are on HammerFall - with the heads-down riffing and Cans' melodramatic high-pitched vocals shining through. The verses are extremely catchy, with traditional vocal lines punctuated with barked gang vocal shouts and drawn out guitar chords with a simple bass drum backing. This stop-start nature helps the more-traditional parts of the song hit harder by comparison, and the mid-paced riffing leads to a strong groove that is extremely memorable. The chorus is perhaps not as explosive as it could have been, but it does the job - and in any case it is the numerous uses of gang vocals that are the true hooks here. Testify is similar, with gang vocals again being employed from the off, but the pace is upped somewhat here to inject a bit more energy into the proceedings. HammerFall operate best somewhere between true mid-paced speeds and more traditional power metal gallops - and this song is perhaps a perfect example of their optimum speed! Really fast power metal can sometimes lose some of its power due to the endless flurry of notes and bass drums, but at the speed used throughout Testify HammerFall are still able to whip up some energy while still hitting home with the heaviness. The song is full of the crunch that the band have become known for, but still leaves room for plenty of melody with a powerful chorus a couple of really tasteful guitar solos.
One Against the World returns to the mid-paced feel explored during the album's title track with a rolling drum opening and a chugging riff that keeps the pace while still delivering a decent amount of grit. The verses are typical of the band, although Cans uses the lower end of his vocal range at times which helps to add to the heaviness. Wallin impresses again with some interesting drumming throughout the verses, often deviating from the established beat to lay down some double bass trickery or a tasteful fill. The choruses actually slows things down somewhat, and goes for a theatrical approach that makes great use of a large choir to back Cans up. Wallin's beat here is playful despite the slower pace, and Cans conducts the choir perfectly as the harmonise with his anthemic vocal lines. An instrumental changes things up however, and sees Dronjak and Norgren launch into some twin-guitar riffing that sounds a little too close to Iron Maiden's Fear of the Dark for comfort at times, but the melodies are the sort that are sure to put a smile on the face of any power metal fan! Up next is (We Make) Sweden Rock, one of my favourite pieces here, and one of my favourite HammerFall songs for some time. Wallin opens the piece with a crashing drum roll, before Cans starts up his ode to all the bands that influenced him and helped to put Sweden on the musical map. The pace hits that sweet spot that described earlier, and the guitar riffs have a real Accept-like quality which keeps the song buzzing along. It is the chorus that is the best moment here however. More gang vocals are utilised, but in a somewhat more subtle way this time, and the vocal melodies are some of the album's catchiest. It is a true feel-good chorus, and I can see the song being one that finds a home in the band's setlists for a number of years to come. Second to One is the album's ballad, and is quite a stark change of pace compared to what has come before. Cans and Dronjak wrote the song with Michael, and he is featured throughout here on the piano. His piano playing dominates the early portion of the song, which sees Cans crooning atop the sombre melodies in a surprisingly effective way. HammerFall have written plenty of ballads in the past, but I cannot immediately recall one that sounds quite like this one. Piano is rarely used in the band's sound, but in my opinion it works really well. Michael never hams it up here, instead using fairly simple melodies and runs to set the song's tone perfectly, while Cans sings beautifully. There are heavier moments here, and the rest of the band do kick in occasionally to ramp things up - but in my opinion the song is at its best when it is at its most basic. Scars of a Generation ups the pace again, and opens with probably the most urgent riff on the album and a decent high-pitched scream from Cans. As a piece of fast-paced power metal the song is an enjoyable one, but it lacks some of the defining HammerFall characteristics in my opinion. It is faster than average for the band, so the potency of the riffs are a little lost in the speed which is a shame. That being said however, the chorus is great and is packed full of strong melodies. The rest of the song is a little throwaway for me though, and it is a shame that such a strong chorus is not backed up a song that is up to the same standard.
Dead by Dawn was put together by Cans and Norgren and is another barnstorming mid-paced piece that is another of the album's highlights for me. The riffs are suitable weighty, and Wallin's booming drumming really keeps things moving. It is also one of the few songs where bassist Fredrik Larsson can be heard easily, with his rumbling notes locking in perfectly with Wallin's beats to anchor the headbanging rhythms. Bass is often lost in the mix when it comes to power metal albums, and sadly Dominion is no different. Larsson makes his presence felt here however, and he helps to contribute to the overall power of the piece. The chorus is one of a handful of absolute winners here, with gang vocals once again employed to great effect and some simple vocal melodies to allow Cans to shine with some smooth high notes. He might not hit the highest notes when compared to many other power metal singers, but Cans still has a great voice. His control and tone is great, and his smooth high notes throughout this song are a perfect example of his talents. After the short instrumental piece Battleworn the album moves into Bloodline - a rhythmic piece built on a bed of consistent double bass drum beats and simple chugging guitar riffs. It is a song however that does not do a whole lot for me really, and I think it is one of the weaker offerings here. The melodies do not stand out as much as they perhaps should, and the chorus on the whole does not sound as strong as many of the others here. I do quite like the short section part-way through the piece however that sees the choir and Cans performing a call-and-response-style vocal duet, but on the whole this is a piece that for me is on the weaker side. Chain of Command however is another strong effort that also sees Larsson up in the mix a bit, again contributing to the meaty riffing, and a chorus that hits home the first time you hear it. The Accept-isms are back in full force here, with crunching mid-paced driving everything and a hollow, weighty drum beat from Wallin keeping everything moving without ever moving into fancy territories. The song is incredibly simple, but sometimes that is exactly what is required. HammerFall have built their career off of songs like this, and the gang-vocal led chorus is sure to make the song popular with the fans. It is a true foot-stomper and headbanger of a piece, and it injects some real energy and grit into the album's final moments. The album comes to a close with And Yet I Smile, a slower-paced piece that is a bit of a ballad but also too beefy and full of guitar leads at times to truly be one. It is a song that never really grabbed me at first, but has grown on me over my multiple listens to the album. It is probably the most diverse piece here, with chiming clean guitar-led sections sitting side by side muscular metal riffing perfectly - all while Cans delivers the lyrics in a varied way to suit the song's ever-changing vibe. It is a song that definitely deserves to be stuck with, and I think it is actually a pretty strong closing piece despite initially not warming to it. Overall, Dominion - despite a slightly weak start - is a strong album from HammerFall that sees them back on track after a career low-point. The album does not re-write the rule book, but the songwriting here is on point and showcases the band doing what they do best.
The album was released on 16th August 2019 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Dominion.
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