Review Summary: Death Metal that incorporates prayer calls, war chants, Gregorian chant, and folk melodies.
I was introduced to Hollenthon about a year ago by a friend. Domus Mundi has since been one of favorite albums due to its endless replay value and unique style that no other metal band can replicate. All the more amazing since it was all created and arranged by one man, namely Martin Shirenc, known best for his work in Pungent Stench.
This album would be best described as Orchestral Metal, though epic, folky, and medieval are all also adequate adjectives for this work. Schirenc proves that he is not only a great riff-writer, but also a brilliant arranger, integrating Gregorian Chants, Spoken Word, Middle Eastern ethnic music, native New Zealand war chants, cand heaps of classical music into his music. All these elements are sampled, yet the music the music uses them so sparingly that it would be inaccurate to call the band a rip off. Samples range from Rimsky-Korsakoffs "Sheherezade" to a bagpipe film from the film Braveheart, to spoken samples from Ridley Scott's Legend, and a whole lot more. These samples add such a unique touch to the album and make it extremely diverse.
The riffing is also top. Schirenc uses simple song structures, and employs hooks in his guitar work (best seen in Eclipse "Vita Nova") to keep long songs and repetitive structures interesting. Variation often also occur, with harmonies being employed often as well. The guitar tone is very low end oriented, and the dropped tuning helps reinforce the very heavy feel that the guitar brings to the table. The guitar is often also incorporated into segments of samples, adding to the harmony and often creating long droning chords to fill space. Basically, Schirenc employs the guitar in almost every way possible for a metal band, even adding a great solo at the end of Eclipse "Vita Nova" which serves as a 2 minute ending to the epic song.
Drumming is also top notch, done by Moke Groegor of Raventhrone. It is technical to grab interest on its own, yet it doesnt get in the way at all. The production is great considering the drumming was done on electronic V-Drums. Fills are very nice, creating smooth transitions, and the simple time and dynamics, as well as Groegors consistency are remarkable.
In addition to Schirencs harsh vocals, similar to his Pungent Stench work, there are also femal vocals done by his wife. They add nice diversity to the music, creating even more interest and variation to the already unique sound. The keyboards also add a nice touch and are used sparingly as well. Mostly during sampled orchestral parts, or chants, Schirenc employs layers of keyboards to reinforce polyphony, and at first it is very likely you won't even notice all of the keybaoard melodies on the CD.
In all, this is one of the most unique and creative cds I have heard, and anyone seeking a unique metal sound best likened to a band like Therion shouldn't hesitate in getting this album. The sheer depth of the album and its endless variance make it an album no one should be without in their collection.
