Interview with DOMINANCE
!!!BLACK/THRASH METAL FROM POLAND!!!
We had a conversation with Impaler (Bass/Vocals). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about DOMINANCE (Members, Starting Year etc).
After RAPED CHRIST, where Hellcult (guitar) and I (Impaler, bass/vocals) used to play, ceased activity in 2018, I joined MÖRTALIST who had released "Hellish glory" demo tape before I joined. We made some new songs but we eventually parted with the guitarist, however Witchfucker (drums) and I had good chemistry so we called Hellcult who we had been thinking of inviting into MÖRTALIST anyway, and the unholy trinity of the Metal Kings was complete. However with new guitarist the style was different so we decided to go on as a new band. That was mid-2019. Witchfucker also plays in GAROTA nowadays.
In 2021 you released your demo ''Sodomize with Steel''. What was the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
We've had great reactions at the 3 gigs we've played so far (as of summer 2022) and some interest in the tape, but I don't really know how it's been received generally. Don't know of any reviews of it in the press, however we just put it out and did fuck all about promotion, we're just focusing on finishing new material for the next release at the moment. Maybe Sign Of Evil Prod., who published the tape, would be more competent to answer this complicated question!
Label or DIY and why?
We're doing a combination of both at the moment, that's just how it happened and it suits as well at this level, whatever future brings we will see.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
As long as I'm interested in the music itself I don't really care, most of the time I listen to digital format as the most convenient these days, but having been getting into generally music in the early 90's and into metal in 1996, I'll always have a soft spot for the tape format. Hellcult is a serious vinyl and CD collector, Witchfucker collects vinyl too, I don't even have a decent turntable at the moment unfortunately.
Your music style is Black Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
I'd say if you take our "Sodomize with steel" demo, bands that we consciously took influence from on that material, would be BATHORY, early SODOM, KREATOR ("Endless pain"), IMMORTAL, IMPALED NAZARENE, WITCHMASTER, HATE FOREST, and probably some GORGOROTH and VLAD TEPES too. Lyrically, I'd say you need to thank BATHORY and IMMORTAL, and that sums it up pretty well.
Which things, do you think, a Band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future of your Band?
Speaking of DOMINANCE, our drummer epitomizes sacrifice for music's sake to me, cause practising his instrument is pretty much everything he does besides working, for better or worse. I sacrifice my throat. And generally? I don't know cause I've never tried to "make it" with a band, but I'm sure a lot of time needs to be sacrificed.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance Band. Have you already experienced that?
We've played three shows so far, getting tighter with each one, I don't think we've experienced an ideal setting for us yet, but what I can say at this point is that if the place isn't empty, we're prepared, and the guy behind the board gets it both in regards to the sound and the lighting (where we live, at small club gigs it's usually double duty by just one guy), then we're good. We don't really put any thought into theatrics of the show, we focus on the energy.
Which attributes, do you think, that a new Black Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
In my humble opinion? Write good songs. Get together in the reh room and create songs that make every member excited to play, then work on playing them in a way that gives justice to their internal meaning so to speak, if the song's supposed to be violent then make it sound violent, if it's supposed to be dark then focus on playing it in a way that makes yourself feel uneasy, if you creeped yourself out then it will work with the listeners too, for fuck's sake. Don't focus on a single element like speed or atmosphere, you need a big picture to really make yourself stand out. If that transition sounds better at a lower tempo then keep it like that, 220 bpm all the time is fucking boring anyway, if you played a "happier" riff that made the whole thing sound creepier then don't reject it just because "black metal needs to be serious all the time", the more you adhere to such restrictions the more comical you sound in most cases anyway. Just be yourself, if it sounds right try it. And from technical standpoint, you don't need to be able to "do everything", include new techniques just because you learned them and shit, you just need to be able enough to transmit the right energy through what you're playing.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Black Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a Band to promote its work?
I have zero idea which one is the best, digital promotion is not my middle name if you know what I mean. As for the first part of your question, I think most of things concerning current music scenes, even underground ones, have been digitalized, so digital platforms are just a natural choice for bands to publish and spread their music.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Poland (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
If there's one convenient thing about being from Poland, it's that when you're asked about our black or death metal scene, you just say... Well, you already know all the significant bands, and probably labels too! Sign Of Evil Prod. who published our tape is a guy from the city Łódź, who's also in some bands like BUTCHERY, we're doing a gig with them in our hometown in October this year and he also organizes gigs in his, so definitely check out both his label and his projects. GAROTA is another band that our drummer is playing in, they're currently mixing their full-length that they recorded with the guy from FURIA as producer. Our guitarist also recommends a new black/speed metal band called SEXMAG. Speaking of classics, we're all heavily into old KAT, WITCHMASTER, old GRAVELAND and INFERNUM when they were the same band. Witchfucker is also heavily into DEUS MORTEM.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Sure, we know a few things about the mighty Hellenic scene. Besides (mostly early) albums by the big three of ROTTING CHRIST, NECROMANTIA and VARATHRON we're into the likes of early THOU ART LORD, RAVENCULT's "Morbid blood" album, NAR MATARON's great "Awakening of the ancient Greece" demo which was our drummer's discovery, and I personally recommend "Lycan twilight sorcery" EP by CULT OF EIBON.
What are your future plans?
To play more gigs, record and release the second demo (or first EP) which we're writing and practising at the moment, it will contain more in both speed and aggression as well as melody and variety, we really like the songs we have so far. Then play live even more and one day record a full length album.
Thank you very much for your time & Keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks a lot for your interest in DOMINANCE, and for all reading this, we hope to get somewhere near you with gigs some day.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
DOMINANCE CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/dominanceblackmetal