Dominion III

Self-dubbed "apocalyptic electronic music,” Dominion III is the industrial counterpart to Dargaard, masterminded by Dargaard’s Tharen (also of Amestigon and Abigor) and features the talents of Dargaard vocalist Elisabeth Toriser. Their second Dominion III release, Life Has Ended Here, is all goth — the occult and dark romance threaded through with electronics and ethereal tones. Harsh vocals thick with effects, slow and grinding guitar chords (courtesy of Tharen’s Amestigon band-mate Jörg Lanz) and heavy synth drums personify all that’s maleficent while in vivid contrast beauty finds its representation in a softer keyboard counterpoint and Toriser’s immaterial voice. Life Has Ended Here treads at a slow, deliberate pace, casting a mesmerising spell, but occasionally several parts move at once — drum loops, synth melodies, guitars and vocals create a whirlpool that intrudes upon the desolation. Dominion III matches their aural and lyrical imagery very carefully, and though they occasionally resort to a goth/industrial cliché or two, Life Has Ended Here succeeds in its hypnotic darkness.