Twenty years already!? That's right - Sweden's Death Metal stalwarts GRAVE have been dominating the scene for twenty years. Sure, there was a short hiatus and a revamped line-up, but even reformed, GRAVE has never lost their might. And just like twenty years ago, GRAVE remains a three-piece.

Sometime since the release of the "Enraptured" DVD, long-time guitarist, songwriter and sometimes bassist Jonas Torndal split with the band. Also gone is drummer Pelle Ekegren, who has been replaced by the oh-so competent Ronnie Bergerståhl (DEMONICAL, ex-CENTINEX). So has vocalist/guitarist and sole original member Ola Lindgren suffered any setbacks? No.

GRAVE's aptly titled eighth album "Dominion VIII" dominates. Where it succeeds is that GRAVE return much more aggressively and play the fastest they have in some time. While GRAVE doesn't flirt with blast beats like they did in the past, "Dominion VIII" is driven by Bergerståhl's ferocious assault. But that's not to say that GRAVE isn't pulverizing concrete with their love for Doom-laden riffs on "Dominion VIII", because there are plenty of satisfying slow spots. It's just that Lindgren and company are moving forward with much more frantic precision this time around. Album opener "A World In Darkness" finds GRAVE opening brutally just like they did on "Into The Grave". "Deathstorm" rips open with jack hammering riffs and drumming while "Stained By Hate" starts off crawling before launching into a temper tantrum.

Things turn great with the rerecording of "Annihilated Gods", which originally appeared on GRAVE's first demo, "Sick Disgust Eternal". The eerie "8th Dominion" is also excellent. Perhaps the slowest, most riff-tastic song on the album, "8th Dominion" sums up what GRAVE has been delivering for the last twenty years, pure Swedish Death Metal dominance. However, the weak spot of "Dominion VIII" is with the renewed focus on ferociously fast songs, things get slightly redundant upon repeat listens.

Lindgren's riffs will easily liquefy skulls on "Dominion VIII", and somehow his vocals have gotten much more guttural, giving GRAVE an almost relentless low-end that can rumble far beyond the depths of any cemetery plot. Even with this recent line-up shuffle and the return of unapologetic speed, GRAVE can't be stopped. "Dominion VIII" doesn't push any boundaries, won't win over any new fans nor alienate any fans of ballsy, unmelodic Swedish Death Metal. Simply put, "Dominion VIII" dominates.