August’s promo selection gets weird in the swamp, weird enough even for this reviewer’s detritus-sifting sensibilities. But the second album from Rochester, NY Fourth Dominion caught my eye for two reasons. First, a quiet, stunning, beautiful piece of album art. Second, the many genre influences of gothic metal, post-punk, and a strange term that was new to me: “deathwave.” Lead singer and main songwriter Meadow Wyand seems to have coined the term to describe the burgeoning gothic/alt-metal scene, a style epitomized by the popular moniker Chameleons. To others. This comparison, along with a host of other name-droppings that we’ll discuss below, was enough to get me on board the dark, melancholy pagan train Diana’s Day.
The image that the term Deathwave – a mixture of Dark Metal and New Wave – conjures up is fitting for parts of Diana’s Daybut that doesn’t tell the whole picture. There’s a lot of infectious punk and post-punk energy here that reinforces the fuck-you attitude of Hole with the 80s stretch of Siouxsie and the BansheesWhile Wyand has the dry, booming vocal style of The healing and the early 2000s AFIthe rest of the band ploughs along with NWoBHM-enriched riffs (“From Below”, “Hill of Swords”) and more mid-tempo Untoothers Swagger (“Lilim,” “Goetia”). The production here deserves a mention, punching way above its weight class. The bass has a nice, sizzling quality throughout, which adds momentum and texture to the instrumental breaks (“Bloodstains,” “Lilim”). The spacious master with a DR 9 lets all the guitar layers—which are plentiful—sit in their own corner of the soundworld, rewarding repeated listens. What initially sounds like a typical punk garage band record reveals layer after layer, which is something unexpected given the style of music presented.
Fourth Dominion write tight, punchy gothic rock songs that aim to punch you in the face and get out before you can react. The tracks are lean and tailored to radio-friendly proportions, generally consisting of an intro, a verse-chorus pattern, a bridge, and an outro. Stripped-down structures like these tend to rely too heavily on their choruses for memorability, and the band manages to deliver some strong ones (“Burn the Prisons,” “Hill of Swords,” “Casca Dreaming”). The guitar leads, when they do appear, are notable and well-executed, recalling the influences of NWoBHM (“Lilim,” “Her Wings”). A compelling trio of songs closes the album, relying heavily on plucked acoustic guitars and forming a sort of thoughtful, ballad-like triptych. Combined with the raw, unconventional energy at the center of “Her Wings,” this trio shows a completely different side of Fourth Dominionwhich unfortunately leads to a somewhat one-sided listening experience.
There are still huge obstacles on the way Fourth Dominion delivers a great entry into the goth rock pantheon. Honestly, I think Meadow Wyand’s vocals will be the deciding factor for many listeners, and it depends on your tolerance for the punk and post-punk vocal style. Her serious, lyric-driven style is in keeping with the band’s new wave/goth roots, but the combination of an isolated, direct mix and a focus on a mid-range performance weakens many of the tracks. When she ventures into her higher register (the final chorus of “Bloodstains”) or lower (“Lilim,” “Death in Fall”), she delivers her most compelling performances. The aforementioned lean song structures evolve into repetitive forms as the album progresses, and the variety in “From Below” or the very groovy “Tormenta Purgatoria” would pay dividends across the record.
Diana’s Day takes a little getting used to, but once you get used to it and take a closer look, there is a breath of fresh air here. It is clear that Wyand has put her heart and soul into the lyrical content of this album, and the impact of the final tracks speaks volumes about the shared human experience of trauma and liberation. I think with a renewed focus on their strengths (guitar leads, variety of structure) and a better mix/variety for Wyand’s vocals, the band would find a place for themselves among the “darkwave” elite. Until then, I cautiously recommend Fourth Dominion for fans of new gothic metal and punk nostalgia. Something to break up the blasts and brees.
Evaluation: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Verified format: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Fiadh Productions
Sites: Band storage |
Publications worldwide: 1 August 2024
