Domhain are a post-black metal band from Northern Ireland and this is their debut album.
I’ve been looking forward to hearing an album from Domhain ever since first catching them at 2024’s Fortress Festival, (and then narrowly missing them with Saor a couple of months later). In Perfect Stillness contains 35 minutes of material, and is a strikingly strong record.
In Perfect Stillness, essentially, is a form of post-black metal that fuses together aspects of the atmospheric, folk, progressive, and blackgaze styles into a compelling whole. These are not all equally distributed, but all get a say to a greater or less extent as to where the music transports the listener to across the album’s running time. In Perfect Stillness offers up a slightly hazy, slightly dream-like journey to the listener, one that’s unexpectedly gorgeously delivered.
The music is expressive and textured, with a full sound that’s layered with strings and clean singing. There’s a great deal of beauty to be found across In Perfect Stillness, although Domhain fuse this with a tempered aggression that’s used effectively. It’s a blend of blackened darkness and rich emotive atmosphere that works very well. The songs feel well-developed and complete, with a depth of feeling that powers them forward that’s greater than the norm.
To give a rough idea of where Domhain are coming from, I’ll tentatively suggest the following. This is music that brings together the emotional potency of Anathema at their cleanest and brightest, with a touch of the progressive tension of Wolverine. This is entwined within a folk-infused atmospheric framework that recalls Saor or Falls of Rauros, with a shade of the presence and stature of Primordial in the heavier moments. Finally, it’s laced with a light sprinkling of blackgaze’s intimate darkness, although this is subservient to most of the rest of the influences that can be heard here.
Ultimately, In Perfect Stillness just needs to be experienced, as it’s a stunning record that’s destined for great things. Or, at least it should be, if there were any justice in the world.
Crafted by experienced hands, (including a member of Imperial Demonic, apparently), the music feels like a high quality release through and through. From the songwriting to the performances to the production values to the album cover, Domhain have created a remarkable first record. I was hoping for good things, but this has surpassed all expectations. In Perfect Stillness is an exquisitely rendered record of feeling-rich worldbuilding, and I urge you to immerse yourself in its evocative soundscapes.
Essential listening.
Wonderbox Metal 