Berkowitz - Sent To Dominate

'Sent To Dominate' is the second album from one-man-band Berkowitz. Still focusing on the horrors of war and death, this album cuts like a knife with Black Metal crisp authority, but adds lots more doses of melody. Mainman Unas doesn't take the traditional buzz saw approach to his music; instead it feels almost more like Devildriver meets Dead To This World. The riffs on tracks like "Second Class Human Being" focus less on speed and more on a mid paced, very enjoyable rhythm while mixing high pitched snarls with deeper growls- the vocals can be very versatile. During the faster moments some might recognize the music as full on Black Metal but some may wonder whether they are hearing Metalcore at times or Melodic Black Metal concerning the structure of the music. It is a nice way to 'think outside the genre lines.'

Other tracks like "Pathway To The Gods" are slower; almost Doom influenced. It is a huge shift from the blasting and chugging of the guitars with the drums going like machine guns in the background. Here everything seems more relaxed while not losing any of its ferocity. The growls are also more prevalent here. One unfortunate thing about the album is the lack of keyboards; so much could have been done with the atmosphere. However, the main focus seems to be the vocals, guitars, and drums, as demonstrated on "To The Aggressor The Valve," which leads right into "Defects" so there is a bit of a break between songs that might be unexpected. Fortunately "Defects" has a bit of a stronger keyboard use, and listeners will see how much of a difference it makes- more melody, more somber, and overall a much bigger musical impact. Still, the dosage of melody that Berkowitz brings to the Metal world is a nice breath of fresh air from the typical raw Black Metal sound and will be appreciated by those seeking something still harsh, but well orchestrated.

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  1. Endurance
  2. Dictate Destruction
  3. Zehntausenddreihundertfünfzehn
  4. Paveway To The Gods
  5. Second Class Human Being
  6. Fran Helvetet
  7. To The Aggressor The Valve
  8. Defects