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DOMINIO
Tu ser EP

Sepulcro (2022)
Rating: 6/10

Chilean metal always grabs me by the balls and throws me around the room in whatever guise it takes. There’s always something so organic and authentic about the vibe and so make no exception for Dominio, a talented act that has returned nearly three years after their second demo Cenizas.

There’s something charming about the lo-fi quality of this four-track EP which spends much of its time relying on the clanking bass and the rather off kilter vocal warbles. There is a strong demo quality to Tu ser and the vibe is very much of a mid-80s design, more so in just sounding so obscure and almost punky in its attitude.

It is a shame the mix is a tad rough because the instruments really don’t get to breathe; the guitar feels low in the mix as do the drums, so there’s no real bite or potency. And yet as this 15-minute composition rambles away you feel as if you’ve just been given a fifth generation bootleg from a friend-of-a-friend who sent off for this from Britain and simply forgot all about it until it turned up several months later.

The vocals of Boris Díaz have a snappy nature, but again there’s a cheapened feel suggesting the combo recorded this in a basement, so we never really get to hear the band in full force. With a song such as the title track you get an unexpected swirling guitar solo which brings the EP to life, otherwise you’d be forgiven for thinking this was just a band rehearsing.

However, what is genuinely intriguing about Dominio is that they don’t really sound like anyone. The initial vibe is like a creaky old New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band flirting with that gloominess you’d often hear on those obscure seven-inch singles which fetch an arm and a leg on eBay.

Hear a track such as ‘Ejecución del tiempo’ and you get a peculiar gallop with that bubbling bass and percussion that sort of rattles in the distance like a late night train. Again it’s propelled higher by the axe work but this is just an EP that will appeal to collectors more than those seeking something to shake their foundations. Everything about Dominio feels murky, and as this is their third release I don’t believe they’ll evolve out of that stuffiness.

Neil Arnold

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