Dominance Resurrected
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
You hear the terms “cult classic” and “underground sensation” pretty often, especially in the metal world, but if ever those tags were appropriate, it would be to describe Dominance, a thrash metal band that set the Philadelphia scene afire as the 1980s were winding down.
Dominance was formed from the ashes of another cult favorite – Anvil Bitch. Fueled by a mutual love of Slayer, Anvil Bitch guitarist John Plumley, bassist Dave Carr and drummer Chuck Stadulis recruited a new singer and an additional guitarist and jumped into the thrash metal scene. Slayer is obviously the base of Dominance’s sound, but there are also elements of Testament, Overkill and especially Forbidden. There was no shortage of bands trying to capitalize on thrash metal’s mainstream success at the time, but Dominance was far from the average thrash band. Their forward-thinking approach to songwriting and the use of samples (from Gregorian chants to bits of The Exorcist and Planet of the Apes) throughout their music set them apart from the rest of the pack. Had they been given a chance and enough exposure, Dominance could have been as highly regarded as Anacrusis or Believer. They were poised to break through to a wider audience with the inclusion of the song “Resurrected” on Metal Blade’s 1991 Metal Massacre XI sampler, but nothing ever materialized and thrash soon fell out of favor.
Now, thanks to Divebomb Records (a subsidiary of Tribunal Records), all of the available Dominance material has been collected on CD for the first time ever. Resurrected contains both Dominance demos – 1988’s Dominance and 1990’s Look Where We Worship – as well as the version of “Resurrected” from Metal Massacre XI. All the songs have been digitally remastered, and the sound quality is pretty damned impressive when you consider the source material. You’ll pick up a few audio imperfections, but by and large Resurrected sounds as good as anything released today. The enhanced CD also includes bonus live video material and the liner notes feature an interview with the band conducted by Kevin Stewart-Panko of Decibel Magazine.
For fans of old school thrash metal, a collection like Resurrected is a gift from the metal gods. If you’re one of the few who actually knew about Dominance back in the day, you’ll finally get to hear their music on CD. If you’re new to the band, you’ll finally get to discover one of classic thrash’s best kept secrets. Only 1000 copies of Resurrected were pressed, and it’s not available in MP3 format, so catch it while you can.
Label: Divebomb Records
Track Listing:
1. Resurrected
2. Father Paranoia
3. Disabled
4. This Is Only a Test
5. Dreams of Supremacy
6. Explicit Termination
7. New Annihilation
8. Liquid Remains
9. Feeding Frenzy
10. Resurrected (Metal Massacre XI version)
Lineup:
Chuck Miles – Vocals
John Plumley – Guitar
John Hebert – Guitar
Dave Carr – Bass
Chuck Stadulis – Drums
Online: www.tribunalrecords.net
HRH Rating: 8/10