Almost a year to the day, theatrical German zombies Dominum return to build on the success of their full-length studio debut Hey Living People. Keeping the corpse costumes, make-up and props close to hand, the undead quartet still look like they’ve escaped from the nearest graveyard but now come armed with a sharpened sense of melody and even more confidence in their delivery.

Somehow managing to sound more serious and focused at the same time as clearly having tons of fun, the band’s second album The Dead Don’t Die (Napalm Records) is basically an extension of the debut while adding a few more little quirks along the way. A thumping mix ensures each undead musician is heard loud and clear, from guitarist Jochen Windisch (aka Tommy Kemp) to the rhythm section of bassist Patient Zero (aka Korbinian Benedict) and drummer Victor Hilltop (aka Marcos Feminella) to the vocals of Dr. Dead (aka Felix Heldt) who also produced the record.

After an ominous, funereal intro riff, the verses to opener “We Are Forlorn” sound like Rob Zombie has stopped by in his Dragula for the evening before the song opens up with a now signature, catchy as hell chorus with frontman Dr. Dead playing to his many strengths.

A wise man once once said, “As we all know, Christmas is that mystical time of year when the ghost of Jesus rises from the grave to feed on the flesh of the living”, and one “One Of Us” sounds like the band took that Family Guy quote and turned it into a song about a resurrected zombie Jesus. The first single “The Dead Don’t Die” follows, taking children’s lullaby “Hush Little Baby” and piling on the hooks before lurching towards you with “Killed By Life” with its Celtic influences and spiralling keyboards. 

“Die For The Devil” sounds like a heavier continuation of “We All Taste the Same” from their debut album while “Don’t Get Bitten By The Wrong Ones,” and “Happy Deadly Ending” possess a sombre and melancholic mood, but once they sink their teeth in you’ll just want to hit the repeat button. Seriously, just try and get these out of your head. I’ll wait.

The same could easily be said for the upbeat and insistent “Can’t Kill a Dead Man” and the thunderous beats of “This Is Not a Game” while penultimate track “The Guardians Of The Night” comes with another familiar hook while still retaining its own identity before a slightly adjusted cover of Scorpions classic “Rock You Like A Hurricane” closes the record with a suitably loud bang.

Thanks to such a late release date, for the second year in a row Dominum is likely leave to a number of meticulously compiled end of year album lists in shreds but The Dead Don’t Die is worth all that last minute juggling. Full of surging rhythms and stomping beats, the hooks come thick and fast and even during its quieter moments, the fiendish fun never stops for a second.

Buy the album here:
https://lnk.to/DOMINUM-TheDeadDontDie

9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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