01. The Abscondant God (Intro)
02. Dominaeon
03. Paradigm Of Chaos
04. Obsidian Dreams
05. The Celestial Alchemist
06. Daylight Dies
07. Blood Of The Son
08. Kenosis
09. Wretched Of The Earth
10. Resurgam

If you've followed our reviews here at Metal Storm closely enough over the past three years and (almost) a half, you may have noticed that this is already the fourth time the Maltese doom band Forsaken gets reviewed. These guys are among the most prolific bands I've seen, they release at least one thing every year - since 2002, they've launched one EP, the re-release of their long out-of-print first album Evermore and two full-lengths, including this one. You could think they would run out of ideas pretty quickly, but hell no, they only get better with time.

Forsaken do what Forsaken know: don't expect a revolution in their sound, this is still this good old heavy doom metal influenced by Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus and all those titans of true doom metal. Though, even if they've not changed the foundations of their music since the creation of the band in 1990, they're not stuck in a rut, as too many bands tend to be when they want to keep it true. In other words, Forsaken are not prisoners of their own genre but they use the traditional basis to help it to evolve and to constantly surprise their fans. Forsaken are evolving, and evolution is a slow but sustained process. So at first you may have the feeling that Dominaeon is similar to the previous album Anima Mundi in every aspect. But after a while you just realize that many things have changed, although they are not essential, immediately obvious things.

First, Forsaken got rid of their keyboards, and that contributes to giving a newfound heaviness to their music. Then, they threw in a few choirs, and that my friends, is an excellent idea when done properly. Forsaken did it properly: the choirs on 'Obsidian Dreams' give an arcane, grandiose side to this song. The title track 'Dominaeon' shows a new melodic aspect of Forsaken, with an opening riff I was not used to hearing in their albums. Yes, some things have changed for the best, yet some have not, and that is good. I am referring to the vocals and also to the musicianship. Hear Leo Stivala and die? This little man might very well be the last hidden pearl as far as clean heavy vocals are concerned. He can pass on an incredible amount of emotion through his vocal performance, and even throws a few growls on 'Obsidian Dreams'. I am a fan. The rest of the band is not to be forgotten, be it the groovy bass playing of Albert Bell, the excellent drumming of Simeon Gatt or the heavy, chunky, doomy, catchy riffing of Sean Vukovic.

You really got to listen to Dominaeon. A band that is so easy with any kind of doom metal (just try the epic closer 'Resurgam') certainly deserves its bit of fame. I would like to say this is the peak of their career but that is already what I though after Anima Mundi and so far they've managed to get better with each album. But honestly it would be criminal to overlook them once more. Definitely one of the best doom albums of 2005.

Highlights: Dominaeon, Obsidian Dreams, Daylight Dies, Resurgam