DEMONICAL - World Domination - [2020] - Album Review by NPH - Rate 10/10

DEMONICAL
COUNTRY: SWEDEN
GENRE: DEATH METAL
ALBUM TITLE: WORLD DOMINATION : 2020
LABEL: AGONIA RECORDS


[ Cover artwork created by Susan Wicher ]

Tracklist:
1. My Kingdom Done
2. Hellfire Rain
3. Aeons of Death
4. The Thin Darkness
5. We Stand as One
6. Victorious
7. Slipping Apart*
8. Calescent Punishment

[Release Date: 2020-10-23]

ORDER NOW:
Orders & formats are available at: https://agoniarecords.com/demonical


RECORDING LINEUP:
Christofer Säterdal - Vocals
Martin Schulman - Bass
Johan Haglund - Guitars
Eki Kumpulainen - Guitars
Ronnie Bergerstål - Drums

PRODUCTION/RECORDING:
"World Domination" was recorded in June 2020 at Glashuset and Sellnoise studios by Johan Hjelm and Jonas Arnberg, with production by DEMONICAL. Mixing and mastering was handled by award winning producer Karl Daniel Lidén Produktion (Bloodbath, Katatonia) at Tri-Lamb Studios.



DEMONICAL - World Domination - 2020 - Agonia Records
Genre: Brutal / Melodic / Swedish Death Metal

"(...) Perished in flames
My kingdom will be done
A black sun unfolds
Your life down here is gone

Off I ride through the world
By glory dawn the weak shall fall
With blood and pain the proud will rise
I head onwards to victory (...)" DEMONICAL | Song: My Kingdom Done | Album: World Domination |

THE BAND AND THE NEW ALBUM:

Swedish death metal militia Demonical have returned with their sixth full-length album entitled "World Domination" that is in my opinion one of the best offers of it's genre for 2020. This album marks the return of the bands original drummer Ronnie Bergerstål (2006-2011, 2019-present) and the debut album with their vocalist Christofer Sätderdal who has done an remarkable work on this piece of old-school death metal art!
Demonical are already an institution of death metal over Swedish lands and not only, the band has unleashed old fashioned death metal since 2006, founded by members of the legendary band Centinex. Ever since they have been unleashing their ferocious Swedish HM-2 driven annihilation anthems on a vicious mix of addictive melodies, dark atmosphere and brutal sound, all of this in a top-quality malignant recipe!
Demonical has been discharging their aggressive death metal artillery in the past over several hundred shows all over Europe, North America, Brazil and  Russia. Demonical have take part of countless festivals and tours both as headline and support... in all, the band is a reference of excellence within their genre, I dare to say that Demonical are one of the best Swedish Death Metal bands out there, even knowing the concurrence is fierce and strong!
With "World Domination" Demonical rises with full-force and are ready conquer your ears with one of their best pieces ever, combining both new and old elements that forged the essence of the band sound!
This new album will surely please adepts of bands such as Grave, Hypocrisy, Centinex, Firespawn, Dismember among others!


ALBUM DETAILS:
"World Domination" follows the path from the band previous release "Chaos Manifesto" [2018 Agonia Records], yet with a renewed merciless formula, including extra dynamics as well as new enriching and addicting elements like the blend of other metal genres beyond the usual death metal definition, drinking inspiration from doom or heavy metal music among other metal genres and creating with it an enriching metal experience across the whole album length! The final result is one of the most vivid creations done by the band so far, the sound is organic and has a whole new energy on it, the sound of each creation of this new album breathes naturally and has an energetic vibe attached to it. The final result of the band sound has the genius touch of the award winning producer Karl Daniel Lidén (Bloodbath, Katatonia) at Tri-Lamb Studios, he was responsible once again for the mix and mastering! A perfect match for Demonical new creations, never too clean nor polished but sounding powerful and brutal as hell, always loyal to the bands sound and dark creations!
The sinister and decadent artwork by Susan Wicher and photos by the well known master of arts Jens Ryden (Marduk, Necrophobic, Diabolical, etc.) give the best matching image to the band intentions and get back that simple, but effective art vibe on a typical death metal piece... something that should be direct and uncomplicated!
On "World Domination", Demonical have enhanced their impressive sound into a whole new level, exploring with this new album some new elements never attempted before that enrich each track across this intense piece of old-fashioned death metal art!

TRACK-BY-TRACK:
- "World Domination" shall make you travel back in time to the end of the 80's and start of the 90's metal music, a journey back to times of old-fashioned metal glory, this across eight scorching tracks of death and destruction. I must say I can't find a lesser great song on this whole piece, one death metal anthem after another... impressive how the band manages to keep the intensity levels at their peak, hooking the listeners to the whole album from the beginning to it's end.
- "My Kingdom Done" is the ravaging opening track and one of the best tracks on the album if you ask me, this is a fast and voracious song where "all hell breaks loose"! An intense typical death metal song with all the best Swedish old-fashioned vibe. The vicious melody shall keep you hooked at the very first listening! Impressive how Demonical keep on discharging such amazing sound and reinventing their own brutal music! Just like a raging storm, Demonical should be ruling your ears by now!
- "Hellfire Rain" is another merciless and typical death metal anthem, an amazing brutal and powerful track. Frenetic and addicting this song will make your head bang from the beginning to it's end, impossible to be indifferent to such ferocious fast track that is one of my favourites of the whole piece! Impressive to say the very least!
- "Aeons of Death" is another of my favourite tracks of this whole album, an authentic epic death metal monument! "Aeons of Death" is a slower but very strong track with a very own sinister and apocalyptic vibe, this time Demonical present a deeper and more epic version of their own sound! Watch as we all march towards our own end... the death of mankind is near!
- "The Thin Darkness" is another demolishing song, fast and brutal it devastates your ears with such sonic blast, but wait, Demonical have given a smashing doom metal oriented twist at the middle of this song that takes their sound dynamics to an absolute amazing level... yet never abandoning the band essential sound, revealing in this way that the band has allot to offer once it comes to extreme metal music diversity!
- "We Stand as One" follows and without losing even a bit of intensity the band invades your ears with another malignant first-raising piece of death metal. Sheer brutality towards your ears that will make your head bang without an end! "We stand as One, United as a Horde!"
- "Victorious" brings back that great epic vibe, this time in a more dominant way. A victorious march towards ancient glory! This is a slower track that gives once again an impressive balance to the whole album, keeping in this way the listeners captive to such enriching musical experience!
- "Slipping Apart" shall take you back in time, back to the 80's and those years of metal music glory! Can you imagine Demonical meeting up with DIO and creating a memorable metal ballad as if we where back on those heavy metal glory days? Well, Demonical still don't have the powers to resurrect the legendary Ronnie J. Dio, but the participation and vocals on this song by the guest musician Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors, ex- Civil War, Calescent Punishment) are not lesser amazing than those of the metal icon himself. This track is a true "outsider" but for me it's one of the best and most addicting tracks of the whole album, I simply love the way they combined this traditional Heavy Metal ballad that sticks in your ears with their own death metal sound. A delightful mix of both worlds who never been so close... yet so very often apart!
- "Calescent Punishment" is the scorching ending track that finishes the album as it has started... a pure hell-fire Armageddon in a clear display that this is an old-school death metal piece of art, done by a band that is on top of what is being done in this genre. Demonical has given with this album a clear display that they have what it takes to dominate this world of death metal!

THE CONCLUSION:
"World Domination" consolidates Demonical as one of the best expressions of Swedish old-school death metal out there. This new album is a distinct proof of dominance over today's days death metal world! A sound amazingly brutal and melodic, able to bring you back to the old days of metal music glory with their old-fashioned creations! Demonical will always sound like Demonical, undoubtedly they are one of those bands that are true to their sound and I can only say that traditional Swedish death metal can't sound much better than this!
Demonical have all to rise triumphant upon this repetitive extreme metal world where death metal has become some sort of fashion, hard to find a band with notorious quality through the years able to reinvent their sound release after release, making each of their creations to sound fresh, fierce and grandiose! Demonical have all of that and much more, the older, the better, this in a clear mark of musical perseverance and dominance!
"World Domination" is in my opinion one of the best classic death metal albums I heard in years and by far the best album ever created by the band to the date! Intensive, aggressive and so damn addictive!
With all this said, I think that the band couldn't pick a better title for this amazing piece. "World Domination" is the perfect title for this amazing new album, just listen to it and witness Demonical taking this Metal World by storm! "World Domination" has all what it takes to be the best death metal album of this cursed 2020 year!

RüPä - NeKronos Promotion HELL

RATE: 10/10


VIDEOS:

"My Kingdom Done" : Videoclip : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_IN_CR5SGM



"Aeons of Death" : Lyric Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZzFzdzgUno



"Slipping Apart" : Videoclip : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y594osXv8Js



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