It’s pretty hard to describe Love is Gone, the Roadrunner Records debut album from Dommin. And in today’s music scene - that’s a good thing. The band gets its name from lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter, Kristofer Dommin. Bassist - Billy James, drummer - Cameron Morris, and keyboardist - Konstantine round out the Los Angeles quartet. Kristofer sums up the band’s message, “It’s about finding love, losing love and personal reflection - universal themes that transcend genre distinctions. The emotional element is more defining than how much keyboards, guitars or drums we have in a song.”
“Gothic-tinged rock” might work best as a description of their sound. There’s a darkness to the music and the lyrics, but not overwhelmingly so. Much of what makes them stand out are the unique vocals of Kristofer Dommin. He has a deep melodic voice which shows hints of rock crooners from the 1950’s (even a little Elvis, perhaps), with shades of Danzig and Type O Negative. Often in the course of one song, his voice ranges from soft and intimate, to soaring and powerful. The vocals alone sound great and make you want to hear what he’s going to do next on each track, but what makes it really fun is the variety of music that they put together. The songs each stick out on their own, which is rare. There’s the keyboard-driven opener, “My Heart, Your Hands” which has a catchy chorus that jumps out over crunching guitars. “Tonight” has a new wave feel, with a driving bass line that punches the high-range of the vocals towards the memorable chorus. “Dark Holiday” conjures the Doors with its quirky keyboard and Jim Morrison style vocals. And “Remember” sounds like a beautiful romantic ballad, although the lyrics belie the hurt that is present. Most of the lyrics have a certain anti-love irony about them, making the title of the album apt.
The more times I listen to this album, the more I like it. The first song, “My Heart, Your Hands,” which I believe has been available as a single for a little while now, jumped out immediately and made me want to hear more just to see what the rest of the album could possibly sound like. I really like the combination of melodic crooning over heavy guitars. And I think the keyboards add a lot. I was reminded at times of a heavier version of The Cure. The band is currently touring with HIM, which might give an idea of the kind of fans Dommin will likely attract. But they’re so interesting, musically, that I’m sure fans of all different kinds of music will be hearing of them soon.
By Matt Milligan
