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May 17, 2012 |
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DOMAIN - Last Days Of Utopia
Limb Music (2005) |
7/10 |
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01. Harbour Of Hope
02. A New Beginning
03. On Stormy Seas
04. The Shores Of Utopia
05. Ocean Paradise
06. The Beauty Of Love
07. The Great Rebellion
08. Endless Rain
09. Last Days Of Eutopia
10. Underneath The Blue
11. Left Alone
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"Who are DOMAIN?" you're probably asking. Well, you're asking the wrong person, as I've honestly never heard of these guys before. Allegedly, the band have been putting out albums since 1988. "Last Days Of Utopia" is the band's seventh record, which begs the question: who's been buying the other six? If a tree releases seven albums and no one's around to hear them, what's the point? I haven't heard any of DOMAIN's previous releases. It is possible that they break more ground than an earthquake, but I highly doubt it. All I know is that "The Last Days Of Utopia" doesn't bring anything new to the already cluttered table.
Granted, when I go to the burger joint across the street and order a Big Chubby with fries, I'm not necessarily looking for a meal that's going to change how I think about fast food. I'm just looking for something that's going to fill me up for the time being. On this level, "Last Days Of Utopia" succeeds. It's both enjoyable and transient. If the album is metal, it's the metalized equivalent of easy-listening: background music to have on when you don't want to be too distracted. If your boss doesn't like it when you run around the office playing air guitar, consider leaving the MANOWAR at home, and instead bring some DOMAIN.
Carsten Schulz supplies some great hard rock vocals on the disc. His singing is more under-the-top than over-the-top, and it suits the songs well. Schulz steals the show, and like most skilled thieves, does so in a subtle manner. The choruses are well written, adding backing vocals in the right places, not every place. The guitar solos and technical riffs prove that the Axel Ritt is as, at worst, a capable player. The album has more keys than a locksmith, but for material not trying to pass itself off as metal, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The production is as good as can be expected for a no-name album. I would have preferred a better guitar sound, but I must not have been home when the producer called to ask for my advice. Overall, I find myself impressed by DOMAIN's not quite symphonic, not quite prog, not quite metal approach.
This isn't one of those reviews that says, "If you don't own a copy of "Last Days Of Utopia" you're not a metal-head", "Run, don't walk to the nearest store" or "The rest of 2005 is cancelled. We already have the album of the year." However, with high profile releases like the new DEMONS & WIZARDS being no better (in my opinion), you should consider giving your money to DOMAIN instead: I'm sure they could use it.
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