Champion Eternal

Even though I have to attest Domine a lot of charme, spirit and dedication throughout their whole career, they did not always deliver such incredible smashers like Stormbringer Ruler. The albums after that masterpiece where lacking in substance and felt often kinda cheap when it came to everlasting chorus melodies. Things were catchy, but not always of high quality. The chorus of "Tempest Calling" was smashing headfirst into a wall with its watery multilayered whining after establishing a really sharp speed metal tenor massacre. God damn it, Domine. Rhapsody you are not. Even in your classic phase, you ocassionally sucked ass.

And the debut is not the eternal underground cult masterpiece that some people want it to be. The drum sound is weak and therefore annoying as fuck, the lead guitars are actually absent most of the time and leave the rhythm guitars completely alone with their weird tremolo-almost-melodic-still-introverted epic metal theatricality. Fates Warning were a big influence for this album but the Italians were only copying and not praising their idols at this point. The album goes on for a looooooong time and I never really found the sum of the parts that was more than everything. Champion Eternal goes on and on and very often I found myself in a state of impatience because all the time and energy seems to be wasted on rather mediocre rock music architecture that has not much to offer in terms of excitement. Things aren't worth the wait at all. The speedy numbers feel forced and unnatural as well and I can see myself blaming it all on the drums. Man, these things should not be.

The bass is very audible and not achieving much leniency with that because I always miss the great epic heavy metal riffs and lead guitars that were promised to me by the cover. The same verdict is in store for the vocals, Domine's definitive trademark. They do not really shine for me because they have no traditional Italian power metal riffing as a supporting base and wail over a collection of rather cheap "Awaken the Guardian" knock off melodies. Fuck, Morby suffers the same fate as Fabio from Rhapsody. Without some really great Italian power metal melodies in the back, that guy can get on your nerves a bit. It's not a great album and I can't see myself changing my view in the future. Not every epic is epic, my friends!

To the surprise of absolutely no one who has spoken to me, I far prefer the United States brand of power metal. I crave strong riffs and aggression when it comes to power metal. It’s not that I don’t like the more melodic and keyboard driven style of the Europeans, but even when I am in the mood for EUPM I tend default to more riff oriented German bands like Blind Guardian, Scanner, and Helloween. It’s rare for me to wander beyond that. However, there are a select few European power metal albums that don’t neatly conform to the style. It’s this small selection of albums that I find myself listening to regularly and Domine’s Champion Eternal is at the very top of this list.

In fact, Champion Eternal doesn’t conform to any style of metal, let alone just EUPM. Stylistically, it’s undoubtedly power metal, but absolutely nothing else sounds like it in any genre. I think to understand how Domine arrived at such a unique sound it’s important to have the context and history behind this album. Domine were formed all the way back in 1983, but this album didn’t see the light of day until 1997 – a full fourteen years later! Prior to this debut album, Domine toiled away and released four demos spread across the late 80s and early 90s. Champion Eternal contains material from 3/4 of these demos and represents the culmination of over a decade of meticulous songwriting and refinement. The songs here are more influenced by traditional heavy metal than later Domine material, which makes sense given when they were written. It took them a while to arrive here, but all the struggles they went through were well worth it because Champion Eternal is something very special indeed.

What makes this album really special is the emphasis on songwriting and storytelling. There’s plenty of melody here, but the songs are longer and the song structures are bigger than most of their power metal peers. Instead of cheesy choruses, Domine focus on world building and creating an epic atmosphere with riffs that are heavily rooted in traditional metal. Much like the album’s subject matter, Michael Moorcock’s Elric series, Champion Eternal is dark and foreboding, but gloriously epic. This dark masterpiece clocks in at almost exactly one hour, yet never does it feel too long. Each song is different from the next and there are plenty of stark tempo changes midway through tracks like “Freedom Flight” and “The Eternal Champion”, but instead of feeling disjointed it feels like different chapters of an epic saga. Domine use this album as a vessel to act as their own Chronicle of the Black Sword, vividly recounting Elric’s tales and by the end, even an hour doesn’t feel like enough time for them to finish the enthralling and ambitious musical journey they embark on.

Strong, rhythm-driven instrumentation lies at the heart of this grim epic. Champion Eternal is bass heavy. In fact, simply calling this album bass heavy doesn’t really do justice to just how prominent the bass is here. There is enough bass on Champion Eternal to make up for the lack of bass in the entirety of EUPM. There are plenty of moments on this album where the music seems to be entirely centered around Riccardo Paoli’s bass lines, such as on “Army of the Dead”, and it’s in moments like these that the bass becomes arguably just as important as the guitars. The bottom heavy instrumentation intertwines with light keyboard touches to accentuate Morby’s rich baritone and it brings out the best in his charismatic vocals. Morby is given opportunity to shine and show his strengths on Champion Eternal – some of his absolute best and most impactful vocal lines are found here.

I struggle to identify any fatal flaws with this record. I find myself coming back to Champion Eternal regularly and being just as in love with it on each listen as I was the very first. However, the album is a little front loaded with slightly stronger tracks on the A side than the B side. I will also say that I’m only able to truly enjoy this album when I’m in a particular mood. Even by epic heavy metal standards, Champion Eternal is grand and difficult to digest – it’s an album that demands your full and undivided attention. If you just put it on as background music while you’re focusing intently on something else then it won’t be an enjoyable listen and you won’t get the most you can out of this album.

Champion Eternal is an oddity. It sticks out like a sore thumb even amongst Domine’s discography. Its dark and epic undertones fill a very particular niche in my listening and it has me coming back to it regularly. Champion Eternal is so spectacular that it played a pivotal role for me extending beyond just music. Alongside American torchbearers Eternal Champion, it inspired me to hunt down Michael Moorcock’s Elric Saga and experience the magic behind the lyrics myself.

Favorite Track: The Mass of Chaos

Album Rating: 95/100

Originally written for RideIntoGlory.com

At the beginning of the 90’s the metal scene of Italy was limited to only a few bands worth mentioning. But suddenly an explosion occurred and many good bands came forth releasing interesting albums. Domine was one of them. Until 1997 they had some demos recorded and luckily for us their debut album was finally out to kill us! Its’ title was Champion Eternal and it was truly majestic!

The founding members, Paoli brothers with Enrico on the guitars and Ricardo on the bass were accompanied by the well-known Morby of Time Machine on the vocals and ex-Death SS drummer Palmiotta. Though they were not the best musicians around and not particularly skillful, they managed to deliver us some epic, brilliant war hymns with tremendous power and epic feeling. Bands like Manowar, Manilla Road and the prime Fates Warning have given their best elements for the birth of this metal masterpiece. The raging, steel guitar riffs, magnificent melodies, powerful singing, everything is combined so harmonically here and a unique journey begins in lands that only Tolkien or Moorcock could invent.

From where can one start describing the path of this fantastic journey? Starting from the opening intro called Hymn to the following Mass of Chaos this super band creates a war atmosphere with pounding drums that break bones and shutter skulls. The riffs are heavy as fuck all the way penetrating your mind and crushing all the pitiful posers who claim to play heavy metal. Forget cheap substitutes and new tendencies because the pure epic metal has found its new gods. I have not heard such an epic album since Hail To England. The duration of the songs vary from five to twelve minutes but even the long tracks do not become boring at any moment.

The best one in the album is The Freedom Flight. It’s a very fast, dynamic song leaving you no time to breath with its killing guitars and smashing drums that flirt with thrash metal if I may say. Thrash epic metal, will many wonder? Yes, indeed I will answer. The speed of this song doesn’t slow down until it has finished and if you are lucky enough to survive it you will place it among your metal favorites for sure.

Another awesome track, (but then again which one isn’t?), is Army of The Dead. It is divided in five smaller parts and it features many beautiful, inspired changes in rhythm and tension. It truly is a blaster. After a small keyboard theme and a narration by the one and only Richard Burton (!!), the battle goes on with the ultimate war song, Dark Emperor. The intro gives its place to exploding, pounding rhythms with sharp guitars and lethal drumming that blasts your unaware sorry ass. The keyboards give a special tone to this song making it even more interesting and wonderful.

And while others spend their time in writing some supposed thirty-minute songs, you know who I am speaking of, Domine give us the self-titled twelve-minute epic that closes the album. You will find no bass or drum solos that waste your time, nor stupid show-offs of how good or skilful a bassist may be! It is only true heavy metal played from the heart and aiming for your soul. It is also divided in seven parts and each one makes the perfect atmosphere, powerful, dark and melodic. It’s a battle that no Achilles… can win!

If I have left out some songs, it doesn’t mean that they fall back, no way. It’s just that I fear I will run out of words trying to describe the size and magnitude of Champion Eternal, an album doomed to become an everlasting epic metal monument. And now I wonder, who the hell will dare to question the absolute heavy metal, the thing that makes us feel so special? Those who once believed in the black sword of Elrick have met another victory. The title of the eternal champions is theirs. HAIL!!

During the mid 90’s, a new and strange trend made its appearance within the realms of heavy metal music. Many groups (with Hammerfall being the most famous) attempted to replicate the classic sound of the ’80s, hoping to revive a - seemingly unforgotten -golden era of heavy metal. Because of its direct and sincere approach, this new trend quickly adopted the name “true metal”. Eventually, however, true metal offered little to the metal community, as true metal bands ended up sounding obsolete or childish. This occured mainly because they focused solely on chords and music, ignoring the spirit or the atmosphere that their “ancestors” encompassed.



Despite the fact that the success of true metal turned out to be short - lived and dubious, there have been true metal bands that did manage to produce memorable records. Domine’s debut album, “Champion Eternal”, falls within this category. Its major advantage rests on its power to reproduce the spirit of the ’80s directly and accurately, without having to imitate. In fact, most of the songs included here were written between the period from 1985 to 1991, even though Domine did not manage to release a full - length album until 1997.


“Champion Eternal” starts off with “Hymn”, a short introduction that perfectly sets up the atmosphere. Epic guitar riffs, solid drums and a rolling bass line are mixed with violent battle cries, the clash of swords and the panting groans of the desperate. The listener is hardly restrained from grabbing a sword and charging into battle themselves. This epic feeling, present throughout the entire duration of all the songs, constitutes the main strength of the record. The music of Domine seems to possess exactly what it takes in order to successfully narrate tales of mystery, doomed heroes and magnificent battles. Especially “The Chronicles Of The Back Sword”, “Army Of The Dead” and “The Eternal Champion”, with their long durations, nostalgically bring memories of the glorious days of the ’80s to the ear and mind of any ardent fan.


Musically, Domine achieve their distinctive sound and atmosphere with the use of marching, war - like guitar riffs and the employment of a mystical, nearly occult touch on the keyboards (check out “Dark Emperor”). There are also frequent riff changes, where a noble - sounding lead guitar becomes the centre of attention. However, “Champion Eternal” owes its uniqueness mainly to two elements: the vocals of Morby and the drums of Mimmio Palmiotta. On the one hand, Morby is certainly not the greatest singer there ever existed, yet his passionate and characteristic voice seems to be the perfect means of expressing the epic feeling that Domine attempt to create. On the other hand, Palmiotta is famous for his work with Death SS, a band whose approach is totally different than Domine’s. Thus, he develops a style that is more or less akin to black metal groups, thing that adds to the distinctiveness of Domine’s sound.


Lyrically, “Champion Eternal” seems to be the ultimate tribute to Michael Moorcock and his work. Elric, the doomed dragon lord of Melnimboné, stands proud at the cover artwork of the album, and his cursed fate becomes the inspiration for the song named “The Chronicles Of The Black Sword”. “The Eternal Champion” is also based on Moorcock’s books. The rest of the songs center on traditional sword & sorcery themes, with Enrico Paoli (the band’s lyricist) proving that he has an excellent command of the English language, as well as a fine ability to manipulate it in a poetic manner.


Overall, Domine’s debut is undoubtedly the band’s finest moment to date, an album that true metal should be proud of. Unfortunately, these guys from Italy have not yet succeeded in providing us with a noteworthy successor. Their next albums, even though not totally worthless, sound annoyingly repetitive at times, like the majority of true metal releases. Nevertheless, we can only hope that the band will regain their Midas’ touch and once again compose songs that truly capture the spirit of the ’80s.