heavy-metal-darkness: Domhain |In Perfect Stillness |These Hands Melt

Release Date February 20^th, 2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Post Atmospheric Black Metal
Country Northern Ireland, UK

Northern Ireland’s Domhain emerged from the Irish metal scene as a quartet of seasoned musicians who clearly skipped the beginner phase and went straight for the jugular. After dropping their debut EP “Nimue” in 2023 and a split with Ephemeral in 2025, they spent their time building a reputation for live shows that are reportedly massive enough to drown a crowd. They’ve traded the standard four-four grit for a blend of post-black metal and atmospheric layers, dragging a cello into the mix to make sure the misery has some class.

Domhain has finally dropped "In Perfect Stillness", and it’s a massive, soul-crushing journey that actually lives up to the underground hype. This isn't just another generic black metal album. The band fuses that cold, harsh blackgaze aesthetic with rich cello layers and vocal harmonies that actually have some guts. It sounds like they took the raw energy of their live shows, which have been killing it lately, and managed to trap that intensity inside the studio walls without losing the edge.

The guitar work on tracks like "Talamh Lom" and "My Tomb Beneath The Tide" is absolutely relentless. It oscillates between freezing tremolo picking and these massive, open chords that make you feel like you’re standing on a cliffside in a storm. The addition of guest spots on "Footsteps Ii", including piano and extra cello, adds a layer of class that most bands in this genre are too scared to touch. It’s heavy, it’s depressing, and it’s exactly the kind of misery I want to hear.

The production handled by Chris Fielding at Foel Studio is top-tier. It captures the drums with a natural, thumping resonance while letting the bass guitar actually exist in the mix, a rarity in black metal. "In Perfect Stillness" is a grim, beautiful piece of work that proves these guys are ready to dominate. If you want something that sounds like the Irish wilderness turning into a nightmare, this is it.

Score: 8.0