Heir Corpse One unleash carnage once more with Destination: Domination, their grisly 2026 Zombie Metal concept album that continues the undead saga first spawned in 2021’s Fly The Fiendish Skies. Fuelled by blistering riffs, grotesque storytelling, and apocalyptic atmosphere, this album drips with decay, menace, and masterful musicianship.
Heir Corpse One – Destination: Domination
Release Date: 6 February 2026
Words: Jools Green
“In the year 2021, a select group of wealthy individuals chartered a private jet in order to escape the ongoing worldwide pandemic. Their destination was a reclusive island in the West Indies. However, during the flight, one of the engines broke down, and the plane was forced to crash-land somewhere out in nowhere.
“Finding no one else or nothing to eat, they soon turned to cannibalism. This atrocious act spawned a breed of zombies of previously unseen snobbery. Restoring their crashed plane, they finally managed to escape and fly around the world in search of fresh human meat. Where they land, man will die.”
Five years on, and Rogga Johansson and Peter Svensson return with Heir Corpse One, their Death/Groove Zombie Metal project. Inspired by the pandemic, the latest instalment is titled Destination: Domination.
Picking up the narrative thread from that 2021 release, Fly the Fiendish Skies, as “the undead survivors of the doomed luxury-jet crash, they embark on a grotesque mission toward the heart of power. Their macabre flight sets loose a plague of undeath across the land, transforming farms and towns into slaughter grounds.
“As brutal survival machines rise to resist the onslaught, the dead continue their relentless advance. With humanity collapsing under the weight of the black infection, a blasphemous Undead Nation emerges – an age where death claims absolute rule.”
Once again, the dynamic duo of Rogga and Peter are joined by lead guitarist Kjetil Lynghaug (Mordenial, Vredesblod, Paganizer), who brings some utterly stunning leadwork to the album and drummer Marcus Rosenkvist (Assassin’s Blade, To Descend, Anchorite).
Destination: Domination, like its predecessor, is a full-fledged concept story and one of the many aspects I love about this album, especially how the storyline continues from the previous full-length.
It is worth noting that the zombie plane did make a brief visit to their original intended destination of that reclusive island in the West Indies on the Caribbean Frights EP. But they have now moved on to a greater supply of fresh meat and the opportunity to wreak bigger carnage with Destination: Domination.
The album opens with title track Destination: Domination. An ominous repeat and chugging riff meld overlaid with squealing lead work heralds the arrival of the undead menace. This is a dark and powerful driving beast of a track that oozes peril and fear as well as having a hugely engaging nature, thanks to the selection of fast repeating waves of riff patterns bolstered by the repeating overlay of squealing lead work. Of course, Rogga’s deep, sinister growls deliver the vocal content with unnerving clarity.
None of the urgency is lost as Undeath From Above follows on swiftly, bursting forth with a torrent of sharp, ominous chugs. Again, it drives with brutal menace. Once more, you get squealing leads, but this time spiralling insanely as the zombie plane delivers its undead passengers.
On the next piece, Reaping Human Harvest, the rapidly delivered rise and fall riff pattern maintain the sense of unease and threat. Developing a punch and stomp to the rhythms, the midpoint harrowing screams and squealing lead work build so much threat filled atmosphere it makes you want to glance over your shoulder, just in case they are behind YOU.
And, if that is not enough, the closing lines “Cut down in your prime, reaping human harvest, this is harvest time, reaping human harvest” followed by a blood-curdling scream unsettle you further.
Slower and darker to open, Shelter In The Darkness is, at the start, overlaid with haunting leadwork building to a familiar drive as the lead work squeals and punches through in bursts. With more midpoint lead work that is as flamboyant as it is unnerving, the pace drops back on the vocal repeats throughout of “shelter in the darkness, the nighttime is our friend, shelter in the darkness, when will this nightmare end.” The final time this is overlaid with blood-curdling screams. Hugely impactful listening.
Undoubtedly, my favourite piece of the album is Well Of Blood, which delivers a dark, fuzzy, repeating groove that just makes you go “Oooohhh!!” End to end, it just oozes sinister intent, drawing you gradually helplessly into its midst. The vocals are delivered with sinister protraction, and the squealing, haunting lead work builds on the already superb atmosphere.
Taking the pace up to a frantic driving one initially is Thresher. The repeat builds on the unnerving mood, and the deeper vocals amplify that. The pace drops and develops an ominous, punchy, and somewhat chilling thrashing rhythm before switching again, and the lead work is fast and frantic before returning to the previous mix of riff patterns.
After a sinister, crawling opening, the next piece, Mechanisms Of Mortality, is again a fast-paced offering. There is a real sense of fear of survival in the music. This is compounded in the lyrics, with the searing flamboyant lead work arriving in the first half of the track, building further on the frantic nature of the piece. Lead bursts add to the mood.
Towards the latter part of the second half, it drops back in a breath-catching, fear-instilled moment before assuming that desperate and unnerving pace, and the closing gargling screams are downright unearthly.
Crawling ominous riffs and a plodding rhythm open Motordead, but the pace soon elevates with the arrival of the vocals, revisiting the earlier pace and unleashing an interesting and varied delivery along with some pretty tasty lead work once again.
Penultimate offering The Last Supper brings even darker unease as it opens before bursting forth with a wave of squealing lead work and waves of chugging driving riffs. As the cannibalistic carnage reaches its zenith, Rogga’s deep growls and acidic tormented screams, along with more squealing, soaring leadwork, build on the atmosphere.
The final haunting offering Undead Nation is a slower, punchy chugger that gradually builds pace. It develops a subtle melodic groove but still holds onto that brutal crush. The closing lead work is poignantly haunting, as is the gradual fade out with its semi-spoken lyrics.
Heir Corpse One release Destination: Domination on 6 February 2026 via Emanzipation Productions. It is a gripping listen end to end and is available to preorder on CD from Heir Corpse One – TargetShop (Denmark).
It is also available from Bandcamp on CD and digital – Destination: Domination | Heir Corpse One – where you can also check out one of the tracks. It will also be available as a CD from Plastic Head.
