Date: 2020
Total Time: 26:36
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records
OMINATION is a one-man-project from the exotic Tunisia. The mastermind behind it is Fedor Kovalevsky, who, judging by his portfolio, he is dedicated to music being extremely active, as he has three more bands and he used to participate in seven more, some of them belonging exclusively to him!
OMINATION tread in the fields of funeral Doom/Death Metal, with some Black metal touches. Lyrically, he identifies his art as post-apocalyptic. That means that he draws inspiration from subjects such as apocalypse, death, total disasters, dystopian futures etc. After two very good albums in 2018, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has given him enough fuel to ignite his creativity.
As he confesses, since February, he had felt the need to express himself. Within the next two months (March-April) he finished “The Pale Horseman” EP, giving us his own interpretation and thoughts about the pandemic.
The EP is consisted of one single composition of 27 minutes length, following the familiar OMINATION paths. So, we talk about Funeral Doom/Death Metal, very well performed, with unique character. Although Fedor does not reinvent the wheel, the song has a very nice flow, a great variety of themes and rhythms and is very pleasant to listen to, not becoming boring for a single moment.
Knowing the subject, as it refers to something very recent and familiar, the listener submerges in his own thoughts, letting the music carry him away. At that point, the creator of the music takes the reigns and, with various musical patterns, he alters the mood and the ideas of the listener. Some parts are very depressing, slow and morbid, while anger and rage are predominant in other parts, combined with Death Metal rhythms and growls. Blastbeats are also included here and there. The highlights of the album are some recitations with marching vocals, as well as the organ that scars the memory. There are so many influences here. MY DYING BRIDE SURELY (from the “Like Gods Of The Sun” era, minus the violin), MOURNFUL CONGREGATION in some moments, even the darkest dungeons of DOLORIAN. Also, the sadly missed THORNS OF THE CARRION came to my mind mind at some points.
Now let’s discuss about the technical matters. As a cover of the album it is used the well-known painting “The Vision Of Death” of the famous French artist, Gustave Dore. For the time speaking, “The Pale Horseman” is available only in a downloadable digital form, through the Canadian Hypnotic Dirge Records. It is an independent label, specialized in weird, avant garde releases in the extreme sound and its philosophy is that any material should be freely accessible. So OMINATION’s EP, as well as the full catalogue of Hypnotic Dirge, are available free of charge for streaming/downloading through their bandcamp.
In conclusion, this is a remarkable and terribly up to date release from a very talented musician, coming from a country that does not have a special tradition in the metal genre and, consequently, it will not meet the success it deserves. So, support it!
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Katsakioris Labros
Related Link: OMINATION – Bandcamp Page
