âConflict State Design often feels like a greatest hit of ideas, which is not entirely a criticism, but there are times when, despite the incredible execution and sound on the album, it feels like youâre listening to a perfect blend of Godflesh and Fear Factory.â
â The Sleeping Shaman
âFinlandâs Dome Runner offer an hard-industrial bridge between Godflesh at their angriest and earliest Fear Factoryâs mechanized chugging assault. Conflict State Design is the trioâs first full-length, and along with the stated influences, thereâs some pull from sludge and noise as well, shades of Fudge Tunnel in âUnfollowâ met with harsh screaming or the churning riff underscoring the explosions of synth in âThe Undemonizing Process,â like roughed-up Souls at Zero-era Neurosis. With the seven-minute extreme wash of âImpure Utility of Authoritarian Power Structureâ at its center, Conflict State Design harkens back to the dreary industrialism of two decades ago â it very pointedly doesnât sound like Nine Inch Nails â but is given a forward-thinking heft and brutality to match. Amid something of an industrial revival in the heavy underground, Dome Runnerâs debut stands out. More to the point, itâs fucking awesome.â
â The Obelisk
âDome Runner is an utterly outstanding industrial metal unit from Tampere, Finland whose approach boasts one hell of an early-â90s influenceâbringing to mind Pitchshifter, Godflesh, Dead World, etc. Think crushing heaviness, mechanically thudding percussion, and just the right amount of dissonant atmospheric texture or subtle melody that at its bestâwhich is oftenâexhibits similarities to the masterful aesthetic force of scarce Napalm Death tracks such as âContemptuous,â which is a huge compliment as far as Iâm concerned!â
â Aversionline