Back when I was a teenager, the Swedish power metal scene interested me greatly. There were quite a few bands that were just as influenced by Helloween as their German counterparts, but put a different spin on it that, while not exactly progressive, was definitely inspired by the more crunchy riffing of prog metal bands. Morifade started out as a full-on power metal, but found a very interesting middle ground on their third album ‘Domination’, enhancing the relatively interesting dynamics of their first two albums by darkening their sound, somehow keeping the overall positive vibe they had before.

While I would describe the earliest work of Morifade as the perfect music for people who wished Stratovarius was less keyboard-focused, ‘Domination’ ups the ante in terms of songwriting by aiming for something a bit more unique. Sure, all the elements are familiar: there are the melodic sensibilities of mid-nineties Helloween, the neoclassical prog leanings of early Symphony X and the somewhat gothic overtones of Evergrey. And yet, ‘Domination’ doesn’t sound like any of those bands because Morifade’s songwriting is fully geared towards creating something of their own with those elements. All with memorable hooks in the vocal melodies, as well as the guitar and keyboard parts.

Morifade seems very aware that they were taking their sound in a slightly different direction, as they sort of ease the listeners into it with the tracklisting. Before they hit you with a gorgeously dynamic midtempo track like ‘A Silent Revolution’, you have to get through the energetic uptempo opener ‘Parallels’ first. The crunchy riffs of the song already hint at something slightly different, but it has all the element a good power metal song needs: soaring vocals, powerful guitar work and a cathartic chorus. The excellent rhythm guitar sound of Jesper Johansson and Robin Arnell definitely helps set the mood for the album.

From there, ‘Domination’ takes as much from the darker side of progressive metal without sacrificing their streamlined songwriting. That is exactly what makes tracks like the intense ‘Erase’, the semi-epic closer ‘Memory’s End’ and the moving masterpiece that is ‘The Second Coming’ as good as they are. The relatively simple, but brutally effective mid-tempo stomper ‘Words I Never Speak’ could teach multiple bands attempting a similar approach a lesson or two, and I suspect the guitar production is at least partly to blame for that. That also goes for ‘Clarity’, which could have easily turned into an AOR snoozefest in the hands of a lesser band with rhythms that aren’t as dense.

Although ‘Domination’ takes a bit of a dip with ‘Panopticon’ and ‘The Rising’, which rely too much on choruses that lack punch, the rest of the album is simply really good. Surprisingly so for a band that more or less lived in the margins of the Swedish power metal scene. There is a chance that as a power metal album, ‘Domination’ simply wasn’t traditional enough to please older fans, but this music has a much more lasting appeal than the umpteenth watered-down Helloween clone. If any of the bands mentioned in this review suit your fancy, please do yourself a favor and give ‘Domination’ a shot.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Second Coming’, ‘Memory’s End’, ‘Parallels’, ‘Erase’