Bloody Flag is the solo endeavour of Chris Ulsh, who has deployed his battering ram drumming on behalf of everyone from Innumerable Forms to Kinetic Orbital Strike, and from Power Trip to Hatred Surge.

Crushing Dominion is the project’s second five track demo, following on from its 2023 self-titled debut, and it continues to forge a pulverising invocation to the legacy of Disclose.  The foundations of this raw d-beat onslaught can appear misleadingly straightforward at first glance.  Take an utterly spiteful buzzsaw riff, lock in a relentless rhythm, spit the malevolently barked vocals, and throw in just a dash of texture by way of a flare of dissonant melody or a fleeting squall of a solo.

However, what elevates the battery well beyond impassioned homage is the sheer velocity of the delivery, an emphasis on crushing power and subtle rhythmic shifts over unrelenting speed alone.  Every element is absolutely dialled in, ruthlessly honed to hit home without pity or distraction.  The atonal electronic instrumental track, He Walks On All Fours, provides a welcome palate cleanser amid the merciless intensity, with the viciously flexing Stark Black Coffin and the searing menace of the title track landing with a particular potency.