Grave is not quite able to follow up on what they showed on As Rapture Comes. The Swedes seem tired and despite of the band trying a few new things and reusing many others there’s noting stimulating about Dominion VIII. Most of the album is a mediocre affair that doesn’t really grow, no matter how much I listen to it. There are small exceptions like "Bloodpath" and "Annihilated God", but as a whole they don’t make a great difference.

The music is still straight forward old school Swedish death metal with that touch of groove that Grave is known for, but it’s like the music is stuck too long on repeat now and then. No matter how much I love most of Grave’s previous material I have a hard time liking Dominion VIII. The production doesn’t exactly benefit positively either. It’s somewhat dry and lacks some real crunch. The veterans have made an album that doesn’t go over in history as one of their best.