Domination

by Steve Huey
Guitarist Erik Rutan joins the fold on Morbid Angel's Domination and contributes several of his own compositions. The group's sound is better than ever and perhaps a bit more groove-oriented, but this is mostly standard Morbid Angel, with the typical problems: the bass drums are played too fast to be recorded properly and end up sounding like a fast clicking underneath the songs. There is also very little variation on the band's signature sound, and since they rarely give themselves or the audience a rest, their intensity often borders on self-caricature. This will either be just what you want or will strike you as irritating and comically overdone.