I've been keeping half an eye on Primal Fear's somewhat wobbly career since I discovered them in my younger days as part of my awakening to other bands than Iron Maiden. Except for their first three albums, I've enjoyed every third album or so, so going into Domination I kept expectations low but was still hopeful for some good old, crisp Judas Priest-infused power metal.

Domination starts off strong, with the first five tracks sinking their hooks in immediately. Ralf Scheepers leads the charge with infectious vocal lines and Halford-esque execution. While opener "The Hunter" is undeniably cheesy, it's well done, and tracks like "Far Away" and "Tears of Fire" are especially sharp. From there, they fumble the torch quite a bit. "Heroes and Gods" is downright awful, and things don't really recover until "Scream," which stands out as the best of the second half, with "Crossfire" and "March Boy March" being solid, if unspectacular.

All told, this album is pretty good, with the first half being particularly stellar. While it loses steam toward the end, there's still plenty here for longtime fans of classic, melodic power metal.