DOMINATION CAMPAIGN

Domination Campaign is Jason Peppiatt and Joe Haley from Psycroptic. The band is a passion project that salutes to old school Death Metal like Incantation, Sinister, Dismember and Bolt Thrower. Domination Campaign has released two albums, Onward to Glory (2021), and A Storm of Steel (2024).

The idea for the band had been brewing with Jason for years prior to its release. Jason has played in a lot of Tasmanian bands within many genres, but has not played in a Death Metal band sounding like the prior mentioned bands. Like many artists, the COVID lockdowns allowed for more time to begin or finish albums or passion projects, and it allowed Jason to complete Onward to Glory and then quickly write and record A Storm of Steel in 2024.

Domination Campaign play old school Death Metal that sounds like it was recorded in 2025 rather than a band purposefully trying to create an aesthetic by dumbing down the recording techniques, which is very common today. Compared to Onward to Glory, A Storm of Steel is a more confident release and probably the place to start if you don’t have the time and patience to listen to both. The songwriting evolved quickly with A Storm of Steel adding more hooks, melody and textures. A Storm of Steel is by no means a softer release; it just uses key moments to add variation, and the guys are experienced songwriters and know when those moments need to happen – the timing is always perfection. That timing cannot be taught.

Ernst Junger was a German officer who fought on the Western front during the First World War. He wrote a memoir titled Storm of Steel that depicted his experiences during the War. Storm of Steel is regarded as one of the first personal accounts to be published on the war. The memoir is graphic and it is an account of trench warfare. Junger was wounded 14 times during his time at War, including five bullet wounds, one of which was a serious shot through the chest in 1918.

7:20am: The communication trench erupted in sound as the explosion happened. It rang in my ears for what seemed like forever. We were prepared for the sound, but not for the horror.

7:30am: I heard the General call the order. I watched as the men climbed over the top of the trench. I smelt the rotting flesh I tasted the horror.

Much like Junger’s memoir, A Storm of Steel depicts the horrors of war, specifically trench warfare in World War 1. This is not war metal in the slightest - there are no samples used to flesh out the mix. Although it is not displaying anything ground breaking, it is still difficult to compare the sum of its parts to any contemporary death metal band. Yes, the band sight Sinister as markers, yet Jason’s vocals are not your typical guttural growled vocals and the production is modern sounding but not too polished. The strongest comparison by far is a band like Bolt Thrower, and the album they released in 1994 titled …For Victory.

Jason’s lyrics do not glorify the battles and stories of War. Instead, he uses his lyrics to detail some of the horrors and personal stories associated with these trench battles:

“Time to storm these trenches.”

“Time to fill the trenches with blood.”

“Blown to hell while tangled in barbed wire.”

“Endless entrenchment with no relief.”

“10 months living in a ditch.”

With A Storm of Steel, Domination Campaign did not just create a metal album with some lyrics about war - the music also fits the themes. The drums often sound like gunfire and the battle-hardened riffs sounds like marching troops. “141 Days of Terror” tells of the Battle of the Somme, one of the costliest campaigns of the first world war and “Winds of Death” marches along with pace, pummelling all comers, relentless like the raining shells. “D-Day” showcases Peppiatt’s insane ability with his vocal cadence – he is one of the best going around at being able to phrase a line, or even a whole version and make it not only decipherable, but the way in which he sings it adds to the track and does not diminish it in the same way that many other extreme metal bands do. “D-Day” itself, tells the story of the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 and is known as the largest seaborne invasion in history. 

There are intros and breakdown like sections that truly sound like enemy lines colliding, bones cracking, smashing machinery and artillery. Everything is tight and switched on – nothing sounds rushed or out of place, nor does anything outstay it’s welcome, the album is constantly moving, much like war and it all progresses towards death. “The Iron Beast” in particular is a masterclass in modern Death Metal, they use everything very well and know how to tap into the balance between groove and extremity. Domination Campaign do not take any risks, but that works with the concept of the band and its approach. There is no need to stray from the menu.

Domination Campaign has a very promising future. Killer stuff!

7:20-7:30 section From 141 Days of Battle by Orla Jackson