Dogma – Dogma
Release Date: 17th November 2023
Label: MNRK Heavy
Stream
Genre: Heavy Rock, Glam Rock, Power Metal, Heavy Metal, Gothic Metal, Jazz.
FFO: Kiss, Alice Cooper, In This Moment, The Pretty Reckless, Heart, Burning Witches.
Review By: Mark Waight
If Dogma were playing live at your local house of worship, then it’s pretty much guaranteed there wouldn’t be an empty seat in the congregation, as people would flock to hear them play. These hard rocking nuns belt out their self-titled Dogma sermon with so much fire and brimstone that you won’t be able to help yourself from climbing out of the naive and into the isle whilst strumming along on your favourite air guitar and singing to the pulpit.
Dressed as nuns to represent repression and abstinence, Dogma preach that true blasphemy is to deny oneself by taking a hefty swipe at religious hypocrites and oppressive systems. Dogma are openly encouraging joyous rebellion and the casting off of the shackles that bind us.
Dogma is a complete mystery – is it a band, is it a cult, is it a way of life? Whatever it is, Dogma is a fine bunch of musicians with an uncanny habit to rock hard with the best of them.
Dogma is four powerful female entities known by their sisterhood names of Lilith (vocals), Lamia (guitar), Nixe (bass) and Abrahel (drums).
We start by entering the Forbidden Zone, this hard-hitting song introduces us to Dogma with an absolute blaster of a tune that just begs for you to turn up the volume to max. This one certainly blows all the cobwebs away! By the time you Feel the Zeal you are already cooking, and this 80s retro sounding track slowly cranks up this pressure cooker of an album. I dare you not to sing-along!
Previously released as a single, My First Peak has a bit of a darker feel to it, with a pulsating riff designed to send shivers down your spine. Mighty fine metal with a spooky twisted edge.
The pace and fury of Made Her Mine races along from start to finish and wow what a journey. Relentless power metal, so sweet on the ears!
Carnal Liberation beats out a heart damaging and thumping rhythm that will pass right through your body, leaving you in total awe. A scorching guitar solo, rapid kick drums and choral touch add further to the intensity.
Sounding like something out of the Omen film, the beginning of Free Yourself picks itself up and develops into an infusion of jazz and metal that will entertain as well as intrigue you. Let’s get down to the Bare to the Bones of it! Dogma is an excellent album by an excellent band, and leave it there!
Dogma do indeed Make Us Proud with this slower and pure heavy metal song with a tad of the gothic about it. Church bells, a choir and doomy vocals add to the gloom! Pleasure From Pain continues in the same black vain but this time with much more vigour in this fist-pumping, horns-raising homage to the old school. Impressed, you should be!
From the moment I first heard Father, I Have Sinned, I just knew Dogma were a band with potential flowing right through them. Hard Rocking nuns are the next big thing, so make sure you get in early and sign up now. This is an absolutely banging song that deserves plenty of attention.
Closing track, The Dark Messiah, finishes off the album superbly with a classy performance full of emotion and beautiful darkness that just oozes quality. With Dogma now permanently on my playlist, and I already can’t wait for the next album.
I am really hoping to get hold of a physical copy of Dogma, if they release one, because it is a late addition to my favourite albums of 2023, which so far has been a magnificent year for the Metal/Rock genre. I had a smile all over my face when I was given Dogma to review as I have been following their progress this year and have no doubt whatsoever that Dogma the album is going to be a huge success for them. I am a definite convert to the Dogma cult, so it’s a Hail Mary, I mean Hell Yes from me!
(5 / 5)
