"The Chronicles Of Love, Hate And Sorrow", DOMAIN's newest and ninth studio album, is no exception. The band, behind guitar wizard Axel Ritt, cranks itself up a notch, even after the brilliant 2006 predecessor "Stardawn". "The Chronicles Of Love, Hate And Sorrow" binds all of the elementary aspects together that are so characteristic of DOMAIN's style, placing them on an even higher level. Powerful, fresh, without the need to kowtow to any musical compulsions, and strengthened by a new line-up, DOMAIN rocks as though its life depended on it. Stylish melody lines combined with voluminous riff backdrops are impressively supported by tactful but decisive keyboards. The new material will blow the socks off of both fans and members of the press, because DOMAIN has never sounded so direct or consequential.

When an unknown band called KINGDOM first entered the scene in the mid-eighties with their debut album "Lost In The City", no one would have believed that those young lads would be one of the cornerstones of European Melodic Metal twenty years later. No matter that the band had to rename itself DOMAIN only a short time after the release of its debut; the visitor’s card that the band members had left behind them was stupendous and they were hungry for more. Follow-up albums such as "Before The Storm" and "Crack In The Wall" cemented DOMAIN's reputation.

Internal problems placed the talented band on ice for several years before they swept back onto the scene in 2001 with "One Million Lightyears From Home". This was followed by the albums "The Artefact" (2002), "The Sixth Dimension" (2003), and tours with Joe Lynn Turner and Glenn Hughes (HTP), all of which secured for DOMAIN a firm slot in the Champions League of European Melodic Metal.

The band began to add epic and increasingly progressive and symphonic elements to its style which led to the album "Last Days Of Utopia" in 2005. The brainchild of this conceptual album was the group's vocalist during that period, Carsten "Lizard" Schulz, who, beside mastermind Axel Ritt (guitar), and together with his band mates at the time, (Erdmann Lange (keyboards), Jochen Mayer (bass) and drummer Stefan Köllner), recorded a tremendous album.

At the same time DOMAIN found a new partner in Limb Music Products, who was to accompany and support the band’s ambitious future projects.

In order to present the new album live, DOMAIN went on the road with the Melodic Metal Alliance Tour which took the band not only through Europe, but also to Asia. In the meantime, the album "The Sixth Dimension" as well as a limited edition Best-Of album titled "The Essence Of Glory" (for Asia only) had been released. The highlights of the Korean Tour included a series of shows as well as the band's performance at the Busan Festival in front of 25,000 Fans. Additionally, the band made a live appearance at Korea's biggest Saturday night TV show in front of millions of viewers.

The tremendous boost of such success helped the band pull a stroke of genius out of its communal sleeve for the soon-to-be 20th Anniversary. "Stardawn" was the name of the 2006 album which heaved the band to even greater heights of musicality. It wasn't enough to have mastermind Axel Ritt again holding all the strings of the production. This time they also gave the keys of the studio to a number of well-known musicians from their circle of friends, such as Michael Voss (Casanova), Tarek Maghary (Majesty), Fredy Doernberg (Axel Rudi Pell, Uli Jon Roth) and Connie Andreszka (Circle Of Pain).

DOMAIN’s musicality became extremely versatile. For example, a phenomenal cover version of Chris De Burgh's hit "Don't Pay The Ferryman", pleased Chris De Burgh himself so much, that he invited the band to meet him in Frankfurt during his 2006 World Tour.

"Stardawn" documented the versatility of the symphonic Melodic Rockers in a very impressive way. Limb Music Products found the album so exciting that instead of just releasing it as a normal album, the decision was made to release it as a special version; a high-quality, limited edition 2CD/DVD Digipak. Surely, there was no better way to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of an equally high quality band.

However, 2006 also had something a little less positive in store. At the end of the year, bass player Jochen Mayer and singer Carsten Schulz left the band at their own accord. The first vacancy was quickly filled by Shylock bass player Steven Wussow; the ex-Avalon, Firewind, Faro singer Chity Somapala took over the job as DOMAIN's lead vocalist.

Throughout 2007 the band members had differences of opinion about the band's future path resulting in another line-up change; which resulted in the line-up that is still together today. DOMAIN 2009 comprises of Axel Ritt (guitars), Jens Baar (drums), Steven Wussow (bass), Erdmann Lange (keys) and Nicolaj Ruhnow (vox).

The first tour for the new line-up was a hugely successful club tour in October 2007. The line-up also recorded the new opus "The Chronicles Of Love, Hate And Sorrow".

Singer Nicolaj Ruhnow (Irony, Nick Hellfort) has written a ten chapter drama based on the legendary book, "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The rest of the band has forged the drama into songs between hard and hymn-like metal, forming them by using an epic-orchestral hammer. One could certainly define the concept album as a Metal Opera - a fitting term to describe a story adapted into the band's own words about living against all known conventions and all forms of resistance.

"The Chronicles Of Love, Hate And Sorrow", produced by Axel Ritt, clearly shows that it is still possible to breathe a new breath of life into epic Melodic Metal.

Today, the typical DOMAIN sound which has been nurtured over two decades is given a new dimension thanks to the expressive voice of Nicolaj Ruhnow. Consequently, it is no surprise to hear the power and force of metal hymns such as “He Is Back", "Inner Rage" and "Sweeping Scars" thundering through the loudspeakers.

The focal point of the majority of the new songs is set to the very edge of powerful melodic Power Metal without neglecting either the epic or symphonic aspects. The DOMAIN trademark of the multi-vocal parts adds to the overall atmosphere, thereby adding a very pleasant melodic component to the carefully prepared songs.

The eleven tracks of "The Chronicles Of Love, Hate And Sorrow" spark with the sheer joy of playing, high musicality, and exceptional instrumental talent, enchanting DOMAIN fans and lovers of high class melodic metal alike.

The limited edition version of the album contains a bonus track, "Two Brothers & The Sinners Chess", which is entirely separate from the overall concept of the album, but nonetheless serves to respectably round off an excellent work. DOMAIN has succeeded in producing an overall positive metal album which shines with pure energy and shows no weaknesses whatsoever.  

Current Lineup:

Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt – Guitar

Nicolaj Ruhnow – Vocals

Erdmann Lange – Keyboards

Steven Wussow – Bass

Jens Baar – Drums