Norwegian (with the added Australian element of former Pagan vocalist Nikki Brumen) death pop hip-shakers Blood Command are an incredibly interesting proposition. Not content with releasing Praise Armageddonism in 2022, they soon followed that up with a series of rather enjoyable covers (Heaven is A Place On Earth, originally by Belinda Carlisle being a particular highlight) and early in 2023, began releasing singles that would eventually end up as part of this record. World Domination is the end result of that diligent work ethic, a rollicking, sonically varied album that along its journey features exciting highs and sometimes frustrating lows
The first Blood Command record that Nikki has had full input to musically and vocally, it’s no surprise that there’s more than a splash of inspiration from Pagan in here. She’s a much more punkier, in your face proposition than any of her predecessors, shrieking and crooning her way with wild abandon. However, the fiery Aussie isn’t afraid to let her more vulnerable side come to the fore and slow things down a bit too, which adds a new dimension to the bands sound. With tinges of folk, hardcore punk and pop alongside rap and funk, they draw from a wide range of influences.
As trumpets herald the opener, ‘The Band With The Three Stripes’, we’re treated to the more full throttle side of the band. Nikki’s yelps are backed up by bass driven chunky instrumentals, guaranteed to make you shake your hips. ‘Heavens Hate’ is the first time on the record we begin to see some R’n’B influences on the vocals, and on this track at least, they work. Nikki undeniably has a unique swagger to her delivery, and when she spits, there’s venom in the bars. ‘Forever Soldiers of Esther’ is perhaps one of the best tracks the band have ever done across all their albums. A deeply personal song about guitarist Yngve Andersen’s late mother, it’s a blend of ferocious hardcore punk and an incredibly emotive, tug-at-the-heartstrings chorus that will move even the most stoic of souls. There’s a few dips on this album but when the band land a blow, you really feel it.
“The fiery Aussie isn't afraid to let her more vulnerable side come to the fore and slow things down a bit too, which adds a new dimension to the bands sound”
The barrage of songs of standard length interspersed with shorter, sharp shocks often bears mixed results. The sub-minute blasts sometimes blend together and feel like ideas yet to be fully fleshed out. There’s odd tempo differences and some interesting hooks but you feel that they’d be better as part of an EP and not seemingly dispersed as not-quite-interludes. It’s not until ‘Bare Witness’ and ‘Plague on Both Your Houses” pops up that you really feel the band have really hit their stride, with seething anger really coming through and the band sounding genuinely exciting. ‘Plague on Both Your Houses’ in particular is one of their heaviest efforts to date. Then things take a bit of a turn.
‘Welcome To The Next Level Above Human’ is only 51 seconds long, but it’s a very jarring, abrasive electronic instrumental. The band have used electronics before but not like this. Then we get some rap punk, and this may well be where some people get turned off. While instrumentally it’s solid and Nikki has good flow, sometimes lyrically it gets a little repetitive. The lowest ebb of this is ‘Burn Again’. To put it bluntly, it’s a track that The Lonely Island would reject for being a bit too on the nose. The funky bass heavy beat can’t make up for what amounts to a track that should have been left in the drafts.
Things do pick up though, and the back end of the record has some amazing moments in ‘Decades’ and ‘Losing Faith’, which showcase a massive sonic shift but execute it well. The former is an atmospheric blend of gentle electronics, piano and pop ballad-esque vocals, that have Nikki really showing what her voice can do. The latter is a country/folk tinged semi-acoustic ballad, filled with longing and some beautiful male and female woven melodies. The finale, ‘Tetragram’ is something different entirely. Consisting of purely Yngve’s vocals, it has elements of introspective Europop and raw, emo vocals. It doesn’t even sound like Blood Command, which may result in mixed feelings for longtime fans.
Ultimately, the highs outweigh the lows on this record. A few missteps and perhaps excessive all too similar quick, aggro tracks drag it down a little but it shows bravery, it shows an element of risk taking. It’s the opposite to boring, certainly, but with a few songs left out, the album would perhaps be a bit more cohesive. A mixed bag, but one that will leave you happy and banging your head more times than not.
“Nikki undeniably has a unique swagger to her delivery, and when she spits, there's venom in the bars.”