VENI DOMINE

"Spiritual Wasteland" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Swedish doom metal act Veni Domine. The album was released by Thunderload Records/Massacre Records in 1998. It´s the successor to "Material Sanctuary" from 1994 and there have been a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor. Bassist Magnus Thorman has been replaced by Gabriel Ingemarson and keyboard player Mattias Cederlund has been added to the lineup (the keyboards on the predecessor were played by session musician Mats Lidbrandt).

The lineup changes have little impact on the band´s sound though and the material on "Spiritual Wasteland" sound very similar in style to the material on "Material Sanctuary (1994)". Epic doom metal with US power metal and progressive metal leanings is the style of music featured on "Spiritual Wasteland". One of the greatest assets of the band´s sound is lead vocalist Fredrik Ohlsson who is a world class singer. He has a voice and delivery which is almost eerily close to the voice and vocal style of Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche) and it´s therefore impossible not to mention Queensrÿche as a major influence on the band´s music. The instrumental part of the material on "Spiritual Wasteland" is much heavier and more gloomy than anything Queensrÿche ever produced though, so there you have the doom metal label on the band´s music. In that respect artists (and fellow countrymen) like Candlemass and Memento Mori are more valid references.

The tempo is slow- to mid-paced, the atmosphere is epic and the riffs and rhythms are heavy. The keyboards are used for atmosphere enchancement and only occasionally have a more dominant role. It´s all about supporting those brilliant vocals and the vocal melodies though, and it is hard to talk about much else on the album, when Ohlsson shines as much as he does here, singing both lead, harmoni, and choir vocals with great power and conviction. The lyrics feature Christian subject matter, but they are not preachy in nature, and they are actually very well written and quite interesting.

"Spiritual Wasteland" features a decent sounding production, although there are certainly elements I would have made different production choices for. The drums for example feature a massive and heavy sound, and to my ears a more subtle and organic tone would have made a positive difference to that part of the soundscape. The album is also slightly too long for its own good, featuring 10 tracks and a total playing time of 61:14 minutes. The tracks simply aren´t memorable enough to support such a long playing time, and they could easily have cut 15-20 minutes and made the album a more conscise and consistently high quality release. As it is "Spiritual Wasteland" is still a quality release though, and the above issues aren´t the worst critique points in the world. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

This album created quite a stir when it was released. Mostly due to it's quality, but a Christian band who releases albums in the middle of a black metal wave, is bound to be ruffle some feathers. Which Veni Domine did with this album.

I am not a fan of power metal at all. The vocals on this album and most of this album is power metal which leans quite heavy on doom metal too. A mix of doom and power, I would call this album. The most annoying thing here is the power metal vocals. The vocals is flawless, but I have lately developed very little tolerance towards power metal vocals. The music is pretty good though with a couple of very good songs. King of the Jews is the highlight on this album. The rest of the album is best when it moves away from power metal and more into a doom metal terrain like the one previously occupied by Trouble. But this is still a good debut album. Fifteen years ago, this would had been a four stars album for me. But these days, it barely deserve three stars. I have simply moved on, anno 2010.

3 stars

Material Sanctuary is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish progressive doom metal act Veni Domine. The album was released in 1994 by Massacre Records.

The music on Material Sanctuary continues the doomy semi-progressive metal style of the debut album Fall Babylon Fall (1992). An album that´s highly praised by many fans of the genre with the 21:21 minute long epic track The Chronicle of the Seven Seals often being mentioned as the highlight of the album. While there is no epic of that proportion on Material Sanctuary the songs are generally very long and epic in style. The basis in the music is doomy yet melodic guitars, a heavy rythm section, melodic keyboards and the fantastic vocals by Fredrik Ohlsson. He is so amazing I´m awe struck every time I listen to Veni Domine. His voice is very similar to the voice of Geoff Tate from Queensrÿche which is also one the strongest influences on the music. I´d mention Candlemass too though because of the doomy approach. The quality of the songs is generally very high and songs like The Meeting, Material Sanctuary and Beyond the Doom are examples of Veni Domine when they are strongest, while some of the other tracks on the album doesn´t stand out enough and quite frankly are a bit too average. But those vocals just blow me away every time.

The production is warmer and more powerful than the production on the debut. It suits the music well.

Material Sanctuary is a great album by Veni Domine and allthough not all tracks are equally exciting, it´s overall a very good album and a 3.5 star rating is warranted. People interested in a combination of progressive metal and melodic doom metal should definitely take a listen here.

Fall Babylon Fall is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish Symphonic and progressive doom metal/ melodic heavy metal act Veni Domine. The album was released in 1991 by Edge Records to much critical acclaim. The album was re-released by Massacre Records in 1992. Veni Domine is a Christian band and the lyrics on Fall Babylon Fall pre-dominantly deal with the content of the Book of Revelation. There were 7 tracks on the original album and an additional 8th instrumental track called Visions on the 2006 Edge Records re-issue of the album. The 1995 R.E.X ( Label specialized in Christian album releases) re-release also featured Visions.

The music is slow to mid-paced semi-progressive doom metal/ heavy metal with references to bands such as Trouble ( eighties), Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Helloween ( the Keeper albums), Fates Warning ( John Arch era), Queensrÿche ( The Warning (1984)) and Iron Maiden. There´s a symphonic and epic edge to the music which gives the music a grand sound. The vocals are the focal point the music and rightly so. ´Cause while the music is good and powerful it´s the vocals by Fredrik Ohlsson that really takes the prize on Fall Babylon Fall. His voice is very similar to that of Geoff Tate ( Queensrÿche) but singers like Michael Kiske ( Helloween), John Arch ( Fates Warning) and Bruce Dickinson ( Iron Maiden) should also be mentioned here. Both because of the vocal style but also because of how the vocal melodies are constructed. And boy can Fredrik Ohlsson sing. This is not one of those weak attempts at trying to sound like your heroes. Fredrik Ohlsson is way up there along side the big ones. What a powerful and skilled vocalist.

The instrumental side of the album is generally good too but not excellent IMO. I could have done with a few faster paced tracks too but Armageddon does come close with its semi-fast double bass drum beat. It´s not really fast though. The guitars are heavy but also melodic. The rythm section is the thing on the album I enjoy the least. Especially drummer Thomas Weinesjö. He is the weak link here. He keeps the beat and not much more and it gets a bit trivial to listen to for almost 70 minutes. A better rythm section would have given the album another dimension.

All songs are rather long which means about 6-8 minutes long but the seventh track is a 21:21 minute long epic track called The Chronicle of Seven Seals which should definitely be considered the most progressive track on the album. A rather impressive song that one. I´m reminded a bit of the epic title track on Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II (1988) by German heavy metal/ power metal act Helloween. Opener Face of the Prosecutor is a powerful and epic song too but all songs are generally well written. They tend to drag on a bit too long for my taste though and most songs could easily have benefitted from being 2 minutes shorter.

The production is not really good. It´s not that I can´t hear what´s going on but the sound is a bit empty. It lacks bottom and warmth.

Fall Babylon Fall is a good album by Veni Domine despite some obvious flaws and a 3.5 star rating is deserved. I´m just sitting here with the feeling that a few changes could have given me an even better experience and I´m sure that the right producer would have done the trick. So much unfulfilled promise. The talent is big though and promises something extraordinaire to come in the future. So the conclusion is that Fall Babylon Fall is an enjoyable album with lots of promise but with some flaws that will need to be corrected on the next album to satisfy my taste.

Forget "Operation Mindcrime II", Queensryche is dead...Long live Veni Domine!!! And it's really hard for me to say that, since Queensryche have for sure been crucial for the "comeback" of progressive since their masterpiece from 1988 (almost 20 years, I can't believe it!!!). Veni Domine 23:59 is a masterpiece anno 2006. The same dark atmosphere, the wonderfull mix of synphonic keyboards and metal guitars, a marvellous voice...Shivers down the spine! This is what every Queensryche fan has been waiting for since "Empire". Veni Domine pay their tribute to the masters, of course, one can't deny it...but it's not a copy, not at all. Only the mood, the colour of the music is the same. New melodies, new balances between real prog and real metal...Everything is there. This album really deserves a chance! It's a pity, EMI didn't sign Veni Domine, instead. Hey, but there's hope!

Honest to God, Veni Domine's lead singer,Fredrik Ohlsson sounds more like Queensryche's Geoff Tate than Geoff Tate does. I don't know if he looks like Geoff Tate but vocally he could put a good Elvis impersonator to shame.

Once you get past the uncanny, what do they sound like? You tell me! They play Progressive Metal not unlike Dream Theater, Threshold or Mastermind so they're in a little less of a commercial vein but dammit, with Ohlsson sounding so much like Tate they sound like a less commercial, more progressive Queensryche.

Well folks, it has been established, Swedens Veni Domine sound an awful lot like a more progressive Queensryche and fans who have been disappointed with their recent releases might want to check out Ohlsson and company.

Spiritual Wasteland

Spiritual Wasteland is Veni Domine's third release and was released in 1998. Previous releases are, Fall Babylon, Fall, 1991 and Material Sanctuary, 1994. It has been five years since their last release but there is a fourth completed album awaiting release. I get the feeling there is some controversy about it.

I began to suspect that Veni Domine is a Christian band. I based this upon it's name which is the title for a Christian song by Mendelssohn and the titles and subject matter of the songs. However, after listening to track 10 which is not a song but the reading of a mythical letter in the future describing the coming of the Anti-Christ and subsequent Armageddon, which I suspect is the subject of the next album, my suspicions were confirmed. This reading is accompanied by a piano and is actually very well done.

Conclusion

The strength of this album is the vocals. The production and musicianship is good but it was limited by the material, which is average. Overall I rate this album a high three or a low four. If this is not much of an enticement to buy the album, remember the other reviewers were more effusive and I wouldn't rate Queensryche's albums for the last ten years this high.