Tribunal - In Penitence And Ruin - review
Tribunal - In Penitence And Ruin - review
Tracklist
01. Incarnadine02. A Wound Unhealing
03. Angel Of Mercy
04. The Sword Of The Slain
05. Ruin
06. The Penitent
07. Armoured In Shadow
08. ...And The Thorn-Choked Flowers Grow
09. Between The Sea And Stars
A review by
AndyMetalFreak April 25, 2025
A Canadian five-piece gothic doom band that formed in 2019, the group released their full-length debut The Weight Of Remembrance in 2023, an album that took inspiration from the likes of Draconian, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, and Saturnus and became one of the most highly praised gothic metal releases that year. Their highly anticipated sophomore record In Penitence And Ruin arrives two years later, and possesses a conceptual theme, with each song forming a cycle that follows a guilty Penitent who cannot escape justice and punishment for what they've done. This time around, Tribunal have expanded on the gothic doom approach of their debut by slowing the tempo right down and drawing out those heavy slogging doom riffs more, to the point that it crosses over into epic doom territory, with only the slightest gothic touch.
From the beginning of the spine-chilling opening song "Incarnadine", frontwoman Soren Mourne immediately draws listeners in by making use of one of the most sorrowful instruments there is, the cello. What follows is very much in the vein of early My Dying Bride, not too different from the approach of their previous release, and certainly nothing out of the ordinary for what this genre offers, except the tempo sets a much doomier mood. The guitar work, courtesy of duo Etienne Flinn and Jessica Yang, mostly consists of duelling epic doom slogs, while Julia Geaman's pummelling drums and Mourne's crushing, pulsating bass keep a consistent mid-tempo rhythm flowing. Mourne initially takes centre stage on the vocal front with her haunting, angelic singing (which she performs on top of her bass and cello playing), but it's not long before she's joined by Flinn's tortuous, agonizing growls. Between them, they form a Beauty and the Beast alliance that give a real sense of loss and utter desperation, nailing the criteria set for this classic gothic doom style.
The style and approach of the opening song is sustained for the album's duration; the album never exceeds a steady tempo, and the riffs maintain the epic doom-influenced approach. There are actually very few leads, but when present they add a sorrowful touch. The vocals, however, remain the strongest feature here, particularly in the latter stages of the album; during songs such as "...And the Thorn-Choked Flowers Grow", despite how far apart the two vocals styles are, they successfully intertwine in a passionate and desperate manner.
At the mid-way point, the short interlude "Ruin" offers listeners a chance to marvel in Mourne's stunning cello work without distraction from other musical elements, but this also acts as an effective intro into the powerful and melancholic "The Penitent". The main highlight for me actually comes at the very end with closing track "A Wound Unhealing"; this song has a powerful and emotional build-up that feels like the album has led to a grand final spectacle, and the melodies from the guitarwork and the haunting twinkling keys of Dallas Alice (which I would really have liked to hear more of over the course of the album) are truly absorbing here. In tandem with this, Mourne's majestic ethereal singing here is where I feel she reaches her peak performance on the record.
I've always fallen for the melancholic majesty of death doom; such raw emotion rings through each element, from the piano keys, melodious strings, and crushing doom riffs, to the passionate vocals (whether clean or harsh). Tribunal offer all these elements in spades on In Penitence And Ruin; however, I don't believe it quite matches the heights of the many great acts that still grace the scene years after emerging. I understand that repetitive structures are typical for the style, but here I found it to be the album's downfall. Every song featured is well crafted, and performed, but I'm still left with the impression that they could have spiced the composition up more; perhaps one or two memorable riff melodies and solos, or tempo changes, could have captured my attention more strongly, but instead the album follows the same pattern throughout, arguably to its detriment. Despite this, I believe In Penitence And Ruin is a worthy follow-up from the debut, and this slight diversion in style could form a successful route for them in the future.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written on 25.04.2025 by
Written on 25.04.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
2
Visited by
10 users
 Posts: 64517 |
Posts: 64517
A bit artistic, much way as doom was when genre was young, album has a lot of things what moder doom and old bands are missing
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
|
| Posts: 6685 |
Posts: 6685 Written by Bad English on 14.05.2025 at 07:35 Slightly less gothic and more doom oriented than their debut this, not sure whether I prefer it though, both equally as good in their own way imo.
Loading...
|
Hits total: 2571 | This month: 51