Songs: 11 Time: 56:31
Songs: 11 Time: 56:31
In the past the sound of Dominion never
really did anything for me. I was surprised that Andrew was still making music
under this moniker because the last thing I saw from him was way back when this
project was on KK Records. Only the Strong Survive is a brand new
release of dark electronics blended with deep orchestral movements. It took me
quite a few listens before I began to appreciate what Andrew is doing here. At
first I thought his sound was bland and not too creative, but after further
listens I found myself drawn into some of the pieces, such as the title track.
An array of drum patterns, gloomy vocals, and screeching, minimalistic
electronics carry this piece. The vocals are caught in limbo between gothic and
retro electro (i.e. old Front 242, Chris and Cosey, et. al.) I’ve
deduced that the vocals are what take the longest to get use to, due to their
somewhat dated nature. The coupling of the rhythmic style and vocal delivery on
Anti-Mantra give it a slight galloping militaristic feel. Unfortunately
there isn’t much musical diversity on this piece. Exodus From Rwanda has
some smart programming complete with melodic sequences, deep / bassy rhythms,
and varied beats. Leaning towards goth, The Fugitive Kind is a vocal
driven piece with aquatic percussion elements and a laid back rhythm. Bringing
back the musical style of early EBM, Supply and Demand is a lively instrumental
with nicely layered, woodwind styled sequences and a great ‘cyber’ sounding
beat. Requiem is a slower instrumental with angelic voices, cascading
electronic sequences, and melodic piano elements. I am quite impressed with this
CD, especially since it is the opposite of what I had expected. Only the Strong
Survive is a lighter electronic CD with some masterful programming and excellent
production.
METROPOLIS RECORDS
Dominion
is:
P.O. Box 54307
Andrew Szava-KovatsM
Philadelphia, PA 19105
e-mail: metropol@voicenet.com
METROPOLIS
homepage:
http://www.voicenet.com/~metropol