Released by Century Media Records on January 29th, 2021
Quick Background
Tribulation are a Swedish heavy metal band formed in 2005. In early 2009, the band released its debut studio album. In 2015, they released their third full-length studio album Children of the Night which showed a departure from the death metal sound of their first two albums, drawing significantly on traditional heavy metal, black metal, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, as well as the occult and supernatural mythology. This album caught a lot of attention and it was a turning point for the band. Then in 2018 Down Below received worldwide critical acclaim and also won a Grammis award in the group's home country.
Where the Gloom Becomes Sound
The fifth studio album release, Where the Gloom Becomes Sound isn't representative of a monumental change. It follows the path from the last two albums and it's immersed in the world of myth and magic. A dark and melancholic collection of ten tracks in 49 minutes. The album's elegant cover artwork features a statue by Fernand Khnopff from the 19th century.
Musically, the almost 7-min "In Remembrance" perfectly opens the album. It borrows a lof from black n' roll but it's also epic, moody, haunting and featuring a super catchy chorus. I can picture in my head this song opening their live set. Most of the album sustain the expectation set by the opening track. For example the singles "Hour of the Wolf" and "Funeral Pyre" display the same intensity and both are groovy uptempo headbangers. "Funeral Pyre" specifically features a more intricate guitarwork that catches the attention. "Leviathans" which was the first single off the album, while on the same lines is also mixing well melancholy with up tempo beat. It's more of a Goth Rock song on the lines of what Sisters of Mercy would sound with a black metal singer. Other deep cuts feature the same vibe such as the short and direct "Elementals".
The short instrumental on piano "Lethe" splits the album in two and serves as a breath catcher before we dive into the NWOBHM inspired "Daughter of the Djinn" which features some cool drumming and guitarwork. "The Wilderness" closes the album with almost 7 minutes of a proggier track with a nice build-up.
Overall, I like the haunting production with just enough reverb while still sounding modern. All instruments clear in the mix, so that's another plus. Johannes Andersson's voice is the perfect match for their music. The guitarwork while not stunning is very wel-done with some very nice moments.
The Picky Guy
One criticism could be the lack of differentiation or evolutions from the previous two album. But why changing a winning team? Well more on that later. For me specifically "Dirge of a Dying Soul" and "Lethe" sequence while not bad, always makes me drift away from the album. Maybe because the songs before and after are much more upbeat and heavier, this slow sequence is not working for me. Then "Inanna" feels like part two of "Dirge of a Dying Soul" and also doesn't stack up to the rest of the album.
Wrap Up Opinion
Jonathan Hultén did the bulk of the songwriting on this album, and surprisingly in December the guitarist left the band he started after 16 years. That leaves us with a big question mark where the band is going. Maybe this will force Tribulation to evolve their sound and incorporate other influences. For now, if you enjoyed their last two albums, Where the Gloom Becomes Sound is just a big pleasure to listen to. Tribulation makes Black Metal without blast beats and highly influenced by gothic rock in a way that's quite unique and satisfying. So I'm giving it 82/100, a very good effort from an ascending band that deserves our attention.
Genre: Gothic Metal
Released by Century Media Records on January 29th, 2021
Rating System
99 - 100 Perfect
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad
wordcount = 625
94 - 98 Excellent
87 - 93 Great
82 - 86 Very Good
77 - 81 Good
66 - 76 Mixed
58 - 65 Bad
wordcount = 625
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