Some albums aim for subtlety. DOMINUM's latest offering, Night Is Calling, doesn't even pretend.
Instead, the German zombie-metal outfit throws open the gates to a theatrical horror carnival packed with monstrous riffs, arena-sized choruses, tongue-in-cheek storytelling and enough undead swagger to raise the dead twice over. It's gloriously overblown—and that's precisely why it works.
Formed in Nuremberg by vocalist and producer Dr. Dead (Felix Heldt) in 2022, DOMINUM have rapidly carved out a niche by combining melodic power metal with horror aesthetics, theatrical stagecraft and an unapologetic love of catchy hooks. Think somewhere between the theatrical spectacle of Ghost and the anthemic bombast of modern European power metal, all wrapped in a zombie apocalypse narrative. Their rise has been equally impressive, with 2024's The Dead Don't Die breaking into the German Top 10 before the band embarked on major European tours and festival appearances.
Released through Napalm Records on 3 July 2026, Night Is Calling feels like the logical next chapter in DOMINUM's undead universe. Right from explosive opener "The Circus Is In Town", the album embraces its horror-carnival concept with infectious enthusiasm, before charging through memorable cuts like "Doctor Doctor", "Children of the Night", "Dark Melodies", and the soaring title track featuring Marina La Torraca. Even a full-blooded cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" somehow fits perfectly into the band's gleefully macabre world.
Image credit: "Dominum Rockharz 2024 09.jpg" by S. Bollmann, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons.
The real triumph here is the balance between heaviness and accessibility. Yes, there are chunky riffs, pounding drums and plenty of metallic muscle, but DOMINUM clearly understand that memorable choruses win hearts. Nearly every track arrives with a hook that demands to be shouted back by festival crowds, making Night Is Calling feel tailor-made for massive live singalongs.
Production is equally polished. Produced by Felix Heldt and mixed by the ever-reliable Jacob Hansen, the record sounds enormous without sacrificing clarity. Every orchestral flourish, guitar lead and vocal melody has room to breathe, adding cinematic scale to the band's already theatrical presentation.
What makes DOMINUM especially refreshing is that they never seem embarrassed by having fun. In an era where so much metal strives for crushing seriousness, the band lean headfirst into horror movie camp, comic-book storytelling and larger-than-life spectacle. It's theatrical, it's knowingly cheesy, and it's impossible not to smile along with.
Ultimately, Night Is Calling isn't trying to reinvent heavy metal. Instead, it reminds us why we fell in love with the genre in the first place: unforgettable choruses, outrageous concepts, fist-pumping energy and enough theatrical excess to make every song feel like the grand finale.
DOMINUM may be singing from beyond the grave, but judging by Night Is Calling, the future of this undead metal collective has never looked more alive.