Femeheim – Dominium Terrae CD Death Continues Records 2014
Femeheim have returned with their second album, following the debut from only a year prior (reviewed here) and whilst it was staunchly a lo-fi death industrial affair, the sonic focus of ‘Dominium Terrae’ has been expanded to combine direct power electronics tracks within a slightly more focused death industrial framework.
Pleasingly Femeheim has maintained a direct approach to classic genre traits where album opener ‘Camera Silens’ features a stilted mechanical thrum with a filth infused analogue tone, before bleeding into the caustically ominous throbbing industrial drone of ‘Ewiger Suhnetod’. The third piece ‘Voluntas… Infamia’ then features a direct and excellent throbbing and squelching analogue tone and garbled/ flanged vocals, noting that if this track were played in isolation without me being told who it is, I would swear it is from the earlier brute force era of Genocide Organ (as a rather direct compliment this track comes across something like an alternate slightly more laidback version of Genocide Organ’s ‘White Power Forces’). For good measure the following piece ‘Absolute Umkehrung’ opts to channel the pummeling mechanical rhythms of Megaptera, before settling down into a tryptic of slightly more subdued death industrial territory, with lone analogue modulations, throbbing/ wavering frequencies etc. Late album track ‘Oppertunistsche Infektion’ pushes back towards power electronics territory with the flanged vocal presentation and singular burrowing mid-toned frequency, while the title track then concludes the album which is structured around heaving mid toned cyclic throb, spoken to yelled vocals and slightly mangled choral singing.
‘Dominium Terrae’ is an album that again demonstrates Femeheim clearly understand the classic base elements of the death industrial and power electronics genre and consequently can deliver a strong, genre specific album, where this album has taken a step up from the debut given its more focused and direct approach. Straightforward graphic presentation rounds out the release, which reflects a simplistic yet stylised visual aesthetic reminiscent of Slaughter Productions.
noise receptor 