Dominator

Dominator is a record on which U.D.O. sounds the strength of traditional heavy metal head-on. Hard riffs, a rhythm driving like marching boots and a strongly distinctive voice bind to create an overwhelming pressure true to the title. A clean-handed design that prioritizes the weight of the riffs and the conviction of the choruses over complexity runs throughout. From the drive of the title track “Dominator” and the aggression of “The Bogeyman” to the sing-along of “Heavy Metal Heaven” and the speed of “Infected” and “Speed Demon,” every song carries a hard-edged hook, while a dramatic cut like “Whispers in the Dark” gives the album dynamics. A construction stripped of the excess conveys the pleasure of metal more vividly. That clean-handed making leads to a pleasure of heavy metal that does not waver no matter how many times you listen. A stance of holding the style it does best, unswayed by trends, is reassuring. Uniting Udo Dirkschneider’s unwavering character and the band’s cohesion, it is a powerful, fulfilling record of German heavy metal.