{"id":769601,"date":"2026-09-13T18:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T18:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/769601\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T18:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T18:38:16","slug":"dominum-the-german-lunatics-bringing-zombie-metal-to-the-masses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/769601\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominum: the German lunatics bringing zombie metal to the masses"},"content":{"rendered":"

“For fook\u2019s sake!\u201d blurts the figure to our left in a passable northern English accent. His one good, crystal-blue eye roves frantically across the pipes and vents just out of reach through the bars of the cage we\u2019re currently locked in. The other eye is milky white, with a vicious-looking scar crossing the socket. To the other side, a tattooed and dreadlocked entity with a face like the Devil\u2019s scrotum is trying to decipher a clue left on a scroll by the dastardly puppeteer who has us trapped in this dismal steampunk dungeon.<\/p>\n

We were informed on entering that we only had an hour to make it out or we\u2019d join the Puppet Master\u2019s show forever. A quarter of that allotted time has already ticked away and we\u2019re still stuck in the part of the room we were first ushered into.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, once your blood is removed and your veins filled with oil, it won\u2019t hurt anymore,\u201d giggles the disembodied voice of our unseen guide, who introduces himself as \u2018Pinocchio\u2019.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos From Louder<\/p>\n

\u201cFor fook\u2019s sake,\u201d shouts the one-eyed figure again. \u201cNow you\u2019re just threatening us!\u201d His name is Dr. Dead and you might hope that a self-proclaimed mad scientist would have the perfect cracked-yet-methodical mindset to guide us through the fiendish puzzles blocking our way to freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d think so wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d he grins, with a gleam in his eye. \u201cBut no, it turns out we\u2019re just really bad at this.\u201d<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Thankfully, we haven\u2019t fallen into an unlikely Saw-style scenario and we certainly hope that no one is actually going to replace our blood with oil if we fail to get out in time.<\/p>\n

There are no other zombie bands because it\u2019s a complete nightmare.<\/p>\n

Dr. Dead<\/p>\n

Instead, Metal Hammer is at Finest Escape, an escape room in Nuremberg, along with Dr. Dead and his undead minion, Tommy Kemp \u2013 vocalist and guitarist respectively in rising zombie-metal band Dominum. Neither have done an escape room before, but when we meet at the impressively atmospheric venue on an otherwise ordinary weekday morning, they\u2019re more than up for the challenge.<\/p>\n

Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always good to try something new,\u201d smiles Tommy, or Jochen Windisch as he\u2019s known to his flesh-and-blood parents. He\u2019s not yet ensconced in his dead skin mask but does have swathes of black and white makeup covering his face and neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll wear that all the time,\u201d shrugs Felix Heldt, the man behind the Dr. Dead persona and the mastermind behind Dominum. \u201cThe rest of us will scrub ourselves clean and he\u2019ll be scurrying round a festival like a raccoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

DOMINUM – Doctor Doctor (Official Video) | Napalm Records – YouTube
\n\"DOMINUM<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Dominum may not be A-list famous outside their native Germany just yet, but that could well change with their just-released fourth album, Night Is Calling. It\u2019s the kind of classic Euro-metal with a killer conceptual gimmick that has served the likes of Sabaton<\/a> and Powerwolf so well. The transformation of Felix and Jochen into Dr. Dead and Tommy Kemp is a reasonably involved process but the pair whip through it in about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

\u201cI know why there are no other zombie bands \u2013 it\u2019s because it\u2019s a complete nightmare,\u201d the singer laughs. \u201cTo get the look, and to find a way that you can take it on tour and not look cheap. And be quick with it too. Like when you have to do social media stuff and you get asked \u2018Can we do this thing real quick?\u2019 And Tommy was like, \u2018Sure, give me three hours so I can do the make-up.\u2019 We had to speed it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the pair are fully transfigured, Ralf, Finest Escape\u2019s manager, nods in approval. \u201cYou could be scary actors in our escape rooms,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a little worried about them overheating in their full horror regalia but the pair are used to performing in sweltering conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we played [Belgian metal fest] Graspop we had masks that weren\u2019t as tight as the ones we have now. It was so hot that sweat was just pooling in the chin,\u201d nods Tommy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only the mask but the costumes and layers,\u201d adds Dr. Dead. \u201cAnd we\u2019re all sweaters. Some people come offstage and you\u2019re like, \u2018Did you even play?\u2019 We look like we just got in a washing machine. But you don\u2019t realise that too much when you\u2019re into the game. It\u2019s just the eyes of the boys are getting redder and redder, because I can only see their eyes during the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in the escape room we now have the additional worry that we\u2019re locked in quite a small space with two self-confessed heavy sweaters.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s pirate bands, there\u2019s werewolf bands, there\u2019s a lot of Viking bands, why is there no zombie band?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Dead<\/p>\n

Fortunately, we finally make it out of the cage when Dr. Dead hurls a missile into a target at the other side of the room with impressive accuracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never had you pegged as one-hit wonders,\u201d cackles Pinocchio, as a pneumatic tube delivers a key with a jump-scare clatter.<\/p>\n

Even while their plans for world domination were still being drawn up, Dominum\u2019s last album, 2024\u2019s The Dead Don\u2019t Die, was a Top 10 hit in their homeland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very happy because having a Top 10 record as a band that had existed just two years back then, that\u2019s a wild thing. We\u2019re very grateful that people seem to like this crazy thing we do, so this is what drives us,\u201d smiles Dr. Dead.<\/p>\n

The mad scientist\u2019s talkative if somewhat less madcap alter-ego Felix and his quiet compatriot Jochen have played together for years, but Top 10 albums and huge festival crowds were not previously on the cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re just happy that you have a gig, and then you drive 1,200 kilometres and play in front of 30 people. That was our band, but we loved it,\u201d Dr. Dead recalls as we enter the escape room proper.<\/p>\n

The germ of Dominum came from Felix\u2019s role as a producer. He\u2019s worked with the likes of German power metal band Warkings and folk rockers Dartagnan, but it was when he set sail with Austrian pirate metallers Visions Of Atlantis that something clicked into place.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou drive to the studio and you feel like a pirate and go \u2018Yarrgh!\u2019 all the time, and then you drive home and think about everything. I watched The Walking Dead and I was thinking, \u2018OK, so there\u2019s pirate bands, there\u2019s werewolf bands, there\u2019s a lot of Viking bands, why is there no zombie band?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Lots of reasons really, but at the same time none at all. Leeds thrash<\/a> lunatics Send More Paramedics actually got there first, but the nascent Dominum had spotted a gap in the market that they sank their rotting gnashers into. With the zombified Patient Zero installed on bass and Victor Hiltop on drums, their infection started to spread.<\/p>\n

Appearances at Graspop and the main stage at Wacken followed, as well as a couple of UK jaunts that resulted in Dr. Dead picking up his frequent \u2018For fook\u2019s sake\u2019 expulsion. The zombie metal idea had legs as well as teeth, it seems. Their popularity continues to grow like an undead plague but there will always be those quick to dismiss them as nothing more than a gimmick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe committed to this zombie thing but I think a band can only be persistent and last longer if the backbone is good,\u201d Dr. Dead says as he and Tommy work their way through the puzzles of the next two rooms.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been asked not to give too many of the escape room\u2019s secrets away, but suffice to say there are secret panels and hidden devices and \u2013 naturally \u2013 a terrifying metallic doll.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease take me with you,\u201d it wails, causing the good doctor to hastily thrust it at his reanimated companion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that the quality of the music and art helps us to not get drowned by the \u2018whatever-metal\u2019 tag,\u201d the Doctor continues. \u201cGhost don\u2019t say that they\u2019re ghoul metal or Pope metal, it\u2019s just Ghost. The bands that are successful, it\u2019s not really about the masks. It\u2019s just a way to tell the lore and to entertain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 2<\/p>\n

\"Dominum<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Holger Fichtner)<\/p>\n

\"Dominum<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Holger Fichtner)<\/p>\n

\"Dominum<\/p>\n

\"Dominum<\/p>\n

As we pass the halfway mark the tension genuinely starts to grow. Metal Hammer is here primarily as an observer, but we\u2019re also roped into searching the rooms and helping to decipher the odd clue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can put my stick in but I can\u2019t do anything with it,\u201d Dr. Dead states at one point, as he kneels by a chair occupied by his bandmate. Before anything smutty can pass our lips,<\/p>\n

Pinocchio gets there first. \u201cIt\u2019s not only about putting it in, it\u2019s also about pulling it out,\u201d he giggles.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the hint they need to unlock the final room and at last meet our sinister guide, Pinocchio, who turns out to be a two-foot-tall metallic figure of the puppet of the same name.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like the circus must be in town!\u201d he shrieks as we enter.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s obviously done a bit of research, The Circus Is In Town being both the lead single and opening track on the aforementioned Night Is Calling. It\u2019s a twisting, shouting Grand Guignol fanfare of a song and the perfect teaser for an album filled with theatrical excess.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you combine Ghost and Sabaton, that\u2019s an idea of where it\u2019s going, because it always has a dramatic component to it. It\u2019s emotional but it also wants to be epic all the time,\u201d says Dr. Death.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you see the masks you think this must be a brutal death metal band, but we\u2019re not death metal guys. We like melodies and he likes Taylor Swift,\u201d he adds, pointing to his guitarist.<\/p>\n

Everywhere I go, I get mangoes<\/p>\n

Tommy Kemp<\/p>\n

Dominum\u2019s most hardcore fans, the Doctor explains, are known as the Living Dead Squad and their ranks are growing all the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we play a headline show, the front row is all in make-up; it reminds me of The Rocky Horror Show. They bring us strange gifts sometimes. I\u2019ve had a few Dr. Death voodoo puppets and I\u2019m glad I have them so no one can stick a pin in. Tommy gets lots of mangoes,\u201d he chuckles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mentioned it on an Instagram Q&A and now everywhere I go I get mangoes.\u201d Tommy elaborates. \u201cIt\u2019s cool though, because they\u2019re expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now isn\u2019t the time for fruit-based discussions. Time is ticking, and there\u2019s still one last puzzle to solve. It involves Tommy setting a series of dials while Dr. Dead deciphers instructions via a vintage screen and set of steampunk goggles. The pair suddenly become increasingly frantic, speaking in panicked German. Eventually there\u2019s a heavy clunk and the last door swings open. Freedom!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good job Dr. Dead and Tommy made it out of the escape room in the nick of time, given that Dominum are due to play their biggest UK headlining shows later this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be good for the world because there\u2019s a lot of crazy stuff going on with very crazy people in high positions,\u201d Dr. Dead says. \u201cThis is where we come in, because once a zombie bites you, you\u2019re infected. And you know what? We all taste the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Night Is Calling is out now via Napalm. Dominum’s UK tour begins on December 12.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“For fook\u2019s sake!\u201d blurts the figure to our left in a passable northern English accent. His one good,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":769602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-769601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/769602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}