Paul Hutchings reviews the new album by Tasmania death metallers Domination Campaign… when Slayer and Bolt Thrower are both mentioned in a review its gotta be worth reading on..

You can do a lot in 29 minutes. You can listen to Reign in Blood. There. Nothing else needed. But, when former Psycroptic vocalist Jason Peppiatt set out with Domination Campaign, initially as a solo project, I’m sure he had little thought about being compared with the undisputed kings of thrash metal.  

With bandmate Joe Haley on drums and engineering, and Peppiatt bringing guitar, bass and vocals, the Tasmanian death metal offshoot has gone full bore, and produced a startlingly good and ferocious debut release. Technicality may not be as front and centre with Domination Campaign but the hammer to the skull brutality remains and Onwards to Glory leaves little space for alternative options. 

Yes, there is a faint whiff of groove and chug reminiscent of Richmond’s Lamb of God at times, but for me that’s no bad thing. The punishment starts with the blistering Death Before Dishonour, a raging thrasher that grabs both ears and rips them firmly off. Devoid of the ability to wear glasses, you crawl forward, aimlessly groping in the air as Domination Campaign hit with some megalodon sized riffs. As Daylight Breaks brings glacial sized riffage, a series of tempo changes enhancing the song as it dips between bludgeoning concrete crushing passages and higher, more intense segments. To summarise it all, it’s like putting the brain in a blender.  

It’s impossible to miss the comparisons with Bolt Thrower, such is the riffage on songs like The Sniper’s Gaze, a track that could quite easily have sat on recent Memoriam albums, such is the sheer heaviness and punishing riffs that change pace. Peppiatt’s savage vocal delivery works impressively with this relentless barrage. It’s an aural bombardment that you won’t want to stop, such is the huge sound of this creative outlet.  

Recorded in summer 2020, Onward to Glory takes lyrical cues from historical battles, this is an album that should appeal to a wider range of fans than just the death metal diehards. It’s certainly a debut to remember and one that is definitely worth devoting those 29 minutes to.   

Domination Campaign – Onward To Glory is out this Friday the 9th July and available via BandCamp