On March 31, 2020, DOMINION OF SUFFERING released "The Birth Of Hateful Existence." DOMINION OF SUFFERING started in 2008 as a project of drummer Neptun and guitarist Miroslav. In 2011, they released their demo "Served to the Worms." Soon after, the band went into hiatus in 2012. It wasn't until 2018 that the band reformed with members of other bands ANTIVERSUM, DEATHCULT, ex-TRAUMALICE, and CRUENT.

Rarely do I comment on album covers, but rarely does a cover so strikingly convey the music within. From the beginning, the band wanted to play death/black metal. After listening to the album, it is clear they have done that. Every track is furiously fast-paced and a darkly swirling maelstrom of cold riffs. There isn't much melody, just pure malice. The bleak atmosphere comes from the music. Production is clean, not raw like the old school death/black metal that inspired their sound.

"Intro" is merely an instrumental intro track, though a decent one, as it is short and includes unsettling voices snarling in the background. "The Birth Of Hateful Existence" is the titular track and the first track of substance. It is unrelentingly fast and hateful. "Silentium Mortis" is just as fast, though there are slower passages, made evil by the low growl of the guitars and the ominous vocals.

"A Starborn Overlord" is the first track of Side B, so the first minute is instrumental, sinister and full of foreboding thuds. It starts off fast, but quickly leads to a slow but insistent pace that builds back to a hateful ferocity. "Trapped By The Event Horizon" starts with a clip from the 1997 science fiction horror movie Event Horizon. The cult classic film was horribly disturbing. This album does recall the existential dread and horror from the movie.

If you like intense and fast blackened death metal with clean production, then I recommend this album. DOMINION OF SUFFERING creates a dark atmosphere full of hate that simultaneously captivates and frightens the listener.