New Metal Review - In Perfect Stillness by Domhain

Album Name - In Perfect Stillness

Band Name - Domhain 

Genre - Atmospheric Black Metal/ Post Metal / Blackgaze

Label - These Hands Melt 

Release Date - February 20, 2026

Line Up -

  Andy Ennis - vocals, bass

  Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan - drums, vocals & cello

  Mete Aker - vocals

  Ashley Irwin - guitars, backing vocals

Black Metal can be the most constrictive genre in the hands of unskilled musicians; it can also be the most diverse genre of extreme metal in the hands of musicians who are passionate and who dare to experiment and broaden their perceptions in terms of creating something evocative and memorable. And in their debut album 'In Perfect Stillness', Domhain once again proves that Black Metal can be one of the most beautifully crafted genres when you set your mind to it.

Any band that reminds me of the likes Agalloch, Primordial and Alcest within five minutes of starting my listen deserves to be appraised carefully. I did spend quite a lot of time listening to this five track album of only 35 minutes, and still I long to return to its landscape of soothing yet aggressive brand of fusion of post metal, atmospheric black, blackgaze/shoegaze and even some doom metal inspiration; that Domhain have created in their first full length release.

Andy Ennis gives a masterclass performance in varied vocals delivery with both melodic clear singing and aggressive black metal growls dispersed throughout the album, which is accompanied and accentuated by Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan creating a sense of duality in singing which helps with the creation of the emotionally drenched atmosphere. 

Nathan Irvine does most of the guitar work with a thick and moody layer of post metal chords, but he is also helped by guitar work of Ashley Irwin who also provides some backing vocals. In addition to her vocals Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan is also responsible for drums and cello, working like a machine. While Andy Ennis also contributes with bass, adding into the background yet another layer creating the soundscape.

The album opens with a sparse and bare opener with a cello infused vocalization. Then begins the first real track 'Talamh lom' which is a piece of well-crafted post black track with haunting vocals and oozing atmosphere. Then comes my favorite track 'Footsteps II' with its beautiful tunes incorporating piano and cello with traditional metal instruments and melancholy dual vocals. 'In Perfect Stillness' is a much more straightforward black metal track reminding me of the later day aggressive Agalloch containing some angry growls and blistering drumming. Then the album closes with majestic 'My Tomb Beneath the Tide', which incorporates everything the band has to offer with calming intro and outro and the band showing their varied skill set all throughout the track.

And immediately after finishing it, I was gripped with listening to it again. Wanting to re-experience some bits or remember a particularly haunting section. This is the greatest strength of any good album, dragging you into its embrace once more after you finished listening to it.

Overall Score - 

                                 9 out of 10.

For more info check out the bands official website and their metal-archives page -

https://domhain-band.bandcamp.com/

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Domhain/3540531779