We all have preconceived notions about a band even before we’ve heard them; in my case, I judged a book by its cover and figured that DOMINATION BLACK had to be some kind of Finnish Goth Metal band, based on their band name and the album cover for “Haunting.” However, upon giving the EP a proper spin in the ol’ disc-player, I realized that the true sound of DOMINATION BLACK could not be any further from what I had originally supposed. Instead of depressing Goth rhythms, I found…happiness.

Well, not happiness exactly, but rather catchiness; DOMINATION BLACK follow in the vein of such campy horror-inspired Rock as Alice Cooper (circa “Welcome To My Nightmare”) and modern-day Rock monsters LORDI. I know the genre up there is labelled as “Heavy Metal,” but I must stress that while this is stripped-down and barebones enough to be considered Heavy Metal, it’s not raw in the slightest. Not a single guitar riff is out of place; everything is very neatly polished, which is even further evidence of DOMINATION BLACK’s debt to Cooper and camaraderie with LORDI. 

The first track, “The House Of 1000 Eyes,” even sounds like it could be a lost LORDI cut, with its distinctive ‘80s-inspired riffage and melodic keyboard work. However, in contrast to LORDI, everything is much more subtle; while the ‘80s are obviously a large part of DOMINATION BLACK’s sound, the Metal tendencies are very prominent, the keyboards aren’t “cheesy keys” but rather haunting piano melodies, and the overall sound is darker. Still, the similarities are noticeable, especially considering Mr. Lordi himself is a guest vocalist on the track.

After the opener, all similarities to LORDI are thrown by the wayside. The next track, “Shadow King,” is a pseudo-power-ballad that is actually quite enjoyable. Singer Kari “The Sentinel” Killgast (it’s actually just one “L” in “Kilgast,” but something tells me he desperately wishes it were two) puts his smooth voice to good work on the track. Amazingly, he can also inject a fair amount of venom into his voice when necessary, as evidenced by the harsh vocals on “No More Again.”On other songs, like the casually epic “A World Without Heroes,” Killgast uses a combination of both silky smooth and gratingly rough vocals to great effect. 

Overall, “Haunting” is a fine EP from a band that caught me off guard by presenting me with something I totally didn’t expect. Fans of LORDI will absolutely love DOMINATION BLACK, and fans of KISS and Alice Cooper will probably dig DOMINATION BLACK’s thick riffs and dark undertones. All in all, it’s good stuff, and I can’t wait to hear more from these guys.

(Online April 29, 2008)