Interviews About Albums: Dominance - ...But The Thorns Remain (2026)

In this new interview, we sat down with the Italian Death Metal project Dominance to ask questions about their album, "...But The Thorns Remain".

1. What can you say about this new EP/CD?

I can say I'm very satisfied with the outcome: when we reunited after so many years, the idea was to play together without any particular ambitions, just for the pleasure of making music with old friends.

Over time, we began composing new pieces again, and I must say the end result surprised even us, as we managed to recreate the sounds that had distinguished our early days, but with more maturity and balance.

2. What is the meaning of the EP/CD name?

But the Thorns Remain is also the title of one of the album's tracks, the one with perhaps the most intimate and heartfelt lyrics. The lyrics speak of the need to face the battles of one's life with courage. But they also speak of those battles that, even when won, leave behind wounds (the thorns) that remain open forever.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD/EP?

Our musical creation process is always very collaborative because we're lucky to live fairly close to each other and be able to meet in the rehearsal room every week. It usually works like this: I (Massimo, one of the guitarists)bring in some riffs or ideas, and then we all start working on them together, trying out different tempos, phrasing, and melodic lines. The same goes for the songs: we build them directly in the rehearsal room. In our band never happens that one of us works on an entire piece at home, creates it, and then "imposes" it on the others.

For sure, my return, I was the main composer on the first album, contributed to the return to the melodic lines that distinguished the sound of early Dominance, but beyond that, the sound and composition belong to the entire band.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

I think the album has some really beautiful and impactful songs, among which the single 'Revenge of Steel' and the title track certainly stand out. But if I had to present one in particular, however, I'd choose a song called 'Wanderer'. We really like the structure of this piece, because you can find an introduction and a mirrored final that form a sort of framework, and in the middle, there's a long chain of riffs that grow increasingly. It's also a very varied song, and you can find more melodic riffs alongside more aggressive riffs. There's a time signature shift from 4/4to 3/4and then back to 4/4, there are two solos... And then I have to say that Mauro sings it magnificently, almost giving a theatrical charge to what is otherwise very aggressive singing. I think it's a great synthesis of our versatility.

5. Is there a special message in this EP/CD? If there is what it is?

I think that beyond the explicit message of the lyrics, what's important in this album is the desire to get back in the game and to do it through music. Many years have passed since we started making music, many years in which many things have happened on a personal level and during which we've taken some very long breaks (ranging from Davide the drummer's 3-4 year hiatus to my own almost 20 years).

Despite this, at a certain point, we felt the need to reconnect, and we felt this need through music. And not music in general, but original death metal music composed by us. So, beyond the musical or poetic meanings, we believe the special message of this album is precisely the fact that we created it, that is, the fact that 27 years after the release of our first album, we're still here talking about Dominance and that our music still allows us to express ourselves and be together. This makes us very proud.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

I could start by talking about the title track, "...But The Thorns Remain." The song opens with an image of real, concrete war —the field before the battle: the river flowing beside the camp, the clouds gathering and turning black, the flags fluttering. It's a moment of suspended tension. Eyes meet, the axe strikes the shield, the vanguard stands ready. Then comes the leap into the unknown —you throw yourself into the fray "in the cold wind like a sword", with life flashing before your eyes in that moment. But the song takes a sharp turn. The rain falls, the puddles turn red, and beside you are comrades from many battles—and the memory of those who are no longer with us, but still alive within. The external war gives way to the internal one. It is here that the lyrics become both personal and universal. The narrator stands on "a plain of tears and pain"—and the darkest memories resurface "like thorns tormenting the living flesh",piercing her "like scorchingblades". The wound is not visible: there is no blood, yet it hurts more than any blow received in battle. The armor built over the years—the one made with hard work and experience—is shattered in an instant. The wounds are stitched up. But the thorns remain. It is both autobiographical and mythical: it speaks of someone who has built a shield and watches it crumble for something unseen, unnameable. A betrayal, a loss, a profound disappointment. The real battle is only a metaphor for the silent, fiercer one that is fought within. And then, to give you another example, I can talk about "Darkness Within", which is a song with a more narrative, almost cinematic structure. The protagonist is a hunter searching for his prey across mountains and plains, armed with a bow. From the beginning, it's known that it will be "the longest day of his life"—even if fate might contradict him. The heart of the song is the scar on his neck. The hunter traces it with his fingers, and in that physical gesture, the ghostly, furious gaze of the creature that marked him comes to mind—the moment of the clash when their blood mingled. It's that instant that bound his spirit to the bonds of evil. All around, then, was snow and ice. The scar isn't just a physical wound: it's a mark, a bond, something that has changed the hunter from within. The "darkness within" of the title—the inner darkness—is precisely that: something foreign that entered him through that clash and never left. The ongoing hunt isn't just about finding prey: it's also about coming to terms with what that creature has left behind. Patience and perseverance are allies of his bow and his fist—but one gets the sense that the real battle isn't out there, among the mountains, but within, where the darkness has settled and refuses to yield.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

There are so many musical inspirations in this album because each of us has their own musical preferences and has also played other genres (brutal and hardcore, for example). The great thing is that we think all these tendencies come out in some way on the album and blend together in such a way that nothing dominates. Thanks also to the creative process I mentioned earlier, we think we've managed to create a synthesis and a style that is truly our own. If I had to name some influences, I'd definitely name Dissection and Emperor for the more melodic and black metal parts, and At the Gates for the more aggressive ones. All of this, of course, without forgetting the teachings of Death and the influences of Slayer.

8. Something to add?

Yes. First of all, I'd like to highlight the great work done during the recording process, both by our guitarist Alessandro, who handled the entire initial setup, and, of course, by Riccardo Pasini of Studio 73, who, in our opinion, did a very clean and balanced job, exactly in tune with the sound we were looking for.

I'd also like to mention Mark Erskine for the splendid original artwork he created based on our suggestions and input, and finally Duarte Fernandes at Maledict Records, who enthusiastically believed in the project from the very beginning: underground music really needs people like him!

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