Domhain hails from Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and they recently released their debut full length, “In Perfect Stillness.” Full length may give you pause when you only see 5 tracks, particularly when the first song is under 2 minutes. But with a run time of 35 minutes and the remaining four songs in the 7 – 9 minutes range each, it definitely plays out like a well edited and thought out full length, with fantastic song writing and flow.

So what genre playground does Domhain play? At the most basic, they deliver a crafty blend of post black metal, though honestly with more focus on the post than the black. Rich textures and thick atmosphere envelopes each track, deft post rock melodies and shoegazey ambiance dominating your ears, occasionally relinquishing control to extreme blackened elements and a doomy trudge. Dreamy female and male vocals are juxtaposed against tortured screams, and the band does a great job layering the cleans with the harsh throughout for accentuating depth. In addition to the expected guitars and drums, cello is a regular participant, adding richness and character, particularly during the softer sections. A good chunk of the album has a dreamy melodic vibe, with impassioned urgency building at key times. When the band goes hard, they hit hard. These moments are often brief, but the aggression serves as a great change of pace to the silky atmosphere, many times encompassing the brutality within its calm. It is possible much of the record won’t be metal enough for some of you, but the songwriting works so well and makes the true metal moments memorable.

“Una Tarra Ci Hé” starts solemnly, rich cello entranced by the bow as an ethereal choir emanates from the shadows. This gorgeous piece serves as a fabulous intro for “Talamh Lom.” It jumps right into post rock goodness, reminding me a lot of Appleseed Cast, a driving drum rhythm with driving melodic guitar and croons soaring atop, a blackened vocal punching through on occasion. A little over two minutes in, it slows down, the cello and ethereal female vocals from the intro track reappearing, light guitar strums acting as the rhythm section. A little over a minute later and the drums return, a tribal rhythm as guitars create atmosphere, with heavy blackened vocals front and center. This builds to a percussive blaze of fury and post rock tinged tremolo picking, a glimpse of the black metal influences without quite realizing the fury. The pace slows, drumming still thunderous, female vocals joining the growls in choir-like fashion, eventually cranking down the guitar lead to a doomier crush, until everything drops but an extended distorted chord, vocals soaring atmospherically.

“Footsteps II” takes its time to develop, reminding some of fabulous Swiss band De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube, starting with a simple guitar melody and ethereal vocals that start as a whisper, growing into choir-like ambiance. One hundred seconds in and the guitar adds distortion while maintaining the same melody, but with drums layered in. The vocals remain entrancing, beautiful harmonies and an airy vibe, with the music alternating between softer drumless guitar melodies and driving sections, all while maintaining the same tempo. One of the final driving sections of the first half goes a bit longer, transitioning into an extended guitar-driven instrumental that builds from a simple set of riffs to a nice lead-driven melody, eventually welcoming the vocals back. A light sampling of growls hearkens the drums to pick up the pace, settling into an almost doom-like trudge with post rock melodies and light growls paired with cleans. As the song enters the final minute, the vocals begin to soar in the shadows while the guitar lead picks back up, eventually fading out.

The title track sends the message that the black metal roots are everpresent, blazing blackened fury storming out of the gates, easily the heaviest on the album to this point. An atmospheric reprieve featuring cello is brief before knocking you over as it speeds ahead once again. Two and half minutes in and the shoegazey entrancing melodies return, female vocals floating over guitar. A minute of dreaminess is interrupted by tormented vocals joining the fray as the music gets dressed in doomy somber, drums thunderously pounding. The somber eventually brightens as the heavier riffs are replaced with tremolo picking, the drums taking on a more driving cadence. The ending is big and majestic, the layered vocals sounding massive as they soar above the guitars and drums, emergent growls adding emphasis. This song is easily a favorite. 

Closer “My Tomb Beneath the Tide” starts with deft atmospheric guitar melodies, and when everything kicks in, the distorted guitars and vocals have a similar vibe to “Talamh Lom,” coming full circle. The melodies and riffing give me strong Appleaeed Cast or even early Brandston vibes. The main guitar melody has an infectious feel, building in urgency as the drums pick up, vocals going from dreamy cleans to impassioned screams of “Take me from this world!” It reaches a pinnacle before dialing back the urgency, letting the guitars take centerstage with simple riffs developing into an emotive guitar solo, vocals floating overhead. The end of the solo unleashes a brief blackened assault that is powerful and impassioned, pulverizing drums joining hands with crushing guitars. A post rock interlude welcomes back the layered cleans, injecting different rhythms while building atmosphere in shoegazey fashion. This reaches a climax, transitioning back to a somber harmonics soaked guitar melody sans drums, with airy vocals lurking in the shadows enroute to a calm finish.

I honestly would have Iiked 1 or 2 more songs, as the album feels like it ends a bit too quickly, but it functions very well as created. It definitely does not overstay its welcome, flowing amazingly well both within and across songs. As mentioned earlier, it may not be metal enough for some listeners, but this album is a fabulous post metal entry worthy of your ears’ attention. I have found myself returning to this one regularly!