An interesting collection of songs which may attract a few new fans.

Dommin were formed in LA in the late nineties by vocalist and guitarist Kristofer Dommin and they've supported Volbeat, Lacuna Coil, HIM and Black Veil Brides amongst others. Record label disputes meant that their second album was delayed and also resulted in the band launching a PledgeMusic campaign for this, their third album. The band have a loyal fan base and hit the target eleven times over

'Beautiful Crutch' is a moody album so don't expect upbeat tunes. Kristofer Dommin appears to have been in a dark place when he was writing the lyrics for his latest opus. Lyrics from 'This World' has Kristofer Dommin wearing his heart on his sleeve – "This world was never meant for us, we don't belong here" he sings, and it actually sounds akin to The Smiths. Kristofer Dommin adds some nice guitar work, especially with the riff. 'Show Me' is a Rocky tune with the chorus reminding me of AC/DC's 'Touch Too Much'; there's also some fine drumming from Cameron Morris. 'Desire' comes across like a Doom-laden song by The Cult while 'The Scene' has haunting keyboards from Konstantine and an interesting bass line from Billy James.

The title track is another moody song which, at times, comes across like Depeche Mode. It features some fine guitar work from Kristofer Dommin and more atmospheric keyboards which leads to the piano led intro of 'I Die', during which Kristofer Dommin gets very introspective and lays down an emotional guitar solo; there is also much angst in his voice. 'Vulnerable' is a slower number, however, during the chorus it picks up pace and is quite catchy.

'The Flame' is full of orchestration and is quite different to what has gone on before, but at the same time it has similar elements with Kristofer Dommin laying down another fine solo. 'Madly' is toe tappingly infectious with a chorus that wouldn't sound out of place in The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'. 'The Saddest Dream' starts off with an Electronica vibe, à la DM, and is a brooding number interrupted by crashing guitars, before heading back into the morose side of things. 'Outer Space' again starts off slowly but picks up during the bridge and chorus.

'Beautiful Crutch' is an album which is difficult to categorise given the influences. However, it is an interesting collection of songs which may attract a few new fans.

Az Chaudhry