Grave - Dominion VIII Review
by Matt Hensch
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Grave? What Grave? Isn't Grave some death metal band from Sweden that somehow missed all the exposure groups like Dismember obtained way back when? Yes, yes, and double-yes. In fact, these guys are hardly known by most newcomers and are typically shoved with more obscure bands. After Dominion VIII, I am left wondering why. Ironically, they have become both a household name to their fans and an under-the-radar sensation since 1988 while leaving no trail of pure retardation behind. Acting upon consistency, Dominion VIII demolishes anything looking weak, as it appropriately accepts intelligence and originality; a combo one hardly sees anymore. There is no pussy-footing here; just child-murdering death metal that sounds violent, forces a sore neck, and scares non-metal individuals terminally.
Like an ice cream truck, Grave slowly approaches hungry mortals until their van stops suddenly; the tension soon turns into a window opening very leisurely. While standing in shock, these chaotic Swedes begin dumping fatal amounts of rapid riffs, stabbing drumming, and growls lower than Paris Hilton's intelligence quotient upon one's flaccid eardrums, not to mention in accurate excellence. Grave also expels their icy contents under rampaging speed, as seen by those inhuman riffs and mind-f*cking percussion played at extreme intervals of face-peeling madness; that's how I like my death metal. It is so fast, that I have actually aged back to an adolescent. No joke.
However, I'm very motivated to clarify this release hardly walks with death metal's supposed rules; indeed, Grave is only doing things the way they want to. For example, nobody put a gun to some a**hole's head and demanded slow musical sections and haunting distortion that reeks of doom influences, but it is still wonderfully active on all these tracks anyway. Also, most of these anthems reach into longer durations while nodding toward clean guitars and experimental soloing among other atypical notions, making variety a common resident above all else. Not to mention they perform such functions dangerously well, so where's the problem? Simple answer: there is none.
Dominion VIII was the first record I have ever heard from Grave, and its impression led me to spend several dollars on their remaining discography; it has got a charm that ironically drains your money! Seriously though, there is nothing negative to be said here at any perspective, and these unique offerings are flowing with originality and unstoppable force, even after two decades of corpse-raping madness sprouting from the same Swedish fountain, which shows these guys are one of death metal's finest elites to ever carry its axes. This annihilating montage can buzz any death metal addiction, so grab a shovel and dig up the eighth victim in Grave's graveyard without hesitation.
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Grave - Dominion VIII Rating:9.0
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