### Instant Suppression: Domain.Nation

#### 31/03/10 || Altmer

Wow, I’ve only just started listening to this – and I am already impressed as hell with these guys. I didn’t even know them, this band is from Russia and this is actually their first album, it seems, but this is almost unheard of quality for a debut album. These guys motherfucking rock with the best of them. This is probably gonna be the only debut album that gets a glowing review ever, but holy shit do these motherfuckers deserve it. This is cooler than winning the Olympics 3 times in a row (and not the Paralympics, motherfuckers). This is cooler than climbing the Mount Everest naked, and surviving to tell the tale. This is cooler than three hot whores begging to give you a blowjob all at the same time. This is what you want from life.

If you want to know what the name of the game here is: think Scar Symmetry, with liberal Dream Theater influences here and there, some fucking excellent growls, a clean voice that is EXACTLY as good as Christian Älvestam (just check out the chorus in “Shapeless threat”, it is exactly what Scar Symmetry would have come up with in their earlier days), riffs out of their fucking ass every minute, completely engaging songwriting… these motherfuckers have it all, together, on their first record. This is progressive metal, yes, but heavier than one usually sees it, with death metal influences (there is a fantastic little bit in “Take the power”) here and there, nice little guitar lines all over the place, drum work is fantastic, but with some amazing catchy melodies just to keep you interested. This is an album that will keep a music lover at the edge of their seat, trying to find out what’s new in this cocktail of metal.

But what makes it so special is the way the keys are integrated into the music. The band uses an overload of keys, in the same way Scar Symmetry does it, but also like that particular band they know how to integrate it without sounding weak. The keyboards set the perfect atmosphere for everything, as they are never solo-y or showy, just the perfect backdrop for the guitars to crush over. This is how you use keys properly. Mad fucking props for a beginner band that gets how to do this. Lots of expert bands still get it wrong, and you guys nail it on your first shot. Holy fucken shit.

Another plus is the production for such a beginner band. The riffs sound extremely fat and groovy, just the way you want them to sound: clear, but heavy as a bulldozer truck running you over. Nothing is mixed too high or too low, with the keyboards getting space to breathe, the vocals clear and soaring over the top of the music, the drum sound slightly synthetic but supporting the whole in a perfect way. It is very reminiscent of the way “Symmetric in Design” sounds, and I can only offer that as a compliment.

What I also like is how inspired the band sounds when they play. They feel, and they sound, like they are going for the throat everytime they play. You can tell it’s a young band enjoying what they do very much. They know they need to rock out, and they have nice bits and pieced where they thrash out with heavy double bass, and do so with conviction, which is something I really didn’t expect. They know when they are inspired to be mellow, and the nice little electronic interludes (did I mention the electronic influences are really fucking cool? They’re really fucking cool) are placed exactly where they should be. There are even female vocals here and there (like on “Regeneration age”), and those female vocals sound exquisite too. There’s even a picture of the gal with the album I got, and she’s pretty hot too. Props for finding this chick.

Another cool element is the guitar solos, which are there (hey, it does sound quite proggy after all), but they are never just there to show off. They are nice, excellently placed and sublimely played solos, just like you want to hear from a band like this. Soloing like this is how everyone should do it. This album is like a masterclass in prog metal given by 20 year old kids. I am more impressed the further I get into this album.

It’s been a long time since I was floored to the ground by a band, and I don’t know how much I will be replaying this in the end, since there are quite a few bands doing this sort of thing as well as they are, but I have a gut feeling none of them sounded as good on their first album. I hope these guys release some more material because even if it’s half as good as this this is one band we should be reckoning with for the coming years. Get these fuckers on a European tour pronto, they deserve it. This is exactly what the music scene needs: a band that knows how to play, how to write songs, how to make them sound good, and has known how to do this immaculately from day one. Excellent. Motherfucking excellent.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: DF Music Organisation
- Website: www.instantsuppression.com
- Band
- Yura: lead guitars, vocals
- Andrew: guitars, backing vocals
- Antony: electronics, clean vocals
- Arthur: bass
- Alexey: drums
- Jana: female vocals

- Tracklist
- 01. Shapeless threat
- 02. Fake
- 03. Domain.Nation
- 04. Mechanical universe
- 05. De|com|pression
- 06. Segment I
- 07. Regeneration age
- 08. Take the power
- 09. Segment II
- 10. Frozen
- 11. To the back of beyond
- 12. Inner entropy
- 13. Lost in light