Tribvlation - Where The Gloom Becomes Sound

 

Key Facts

Country: 🇸🇪

Genre: Gothic Metal

Release Date: 29th January 2021

Record Label(s): Century Media Records 

Band Members

Johannes Andersson - Bass, Vocals

Jonathan Hultén - Guitars

Adam Zaars - Guitars

Oscar Leander - Drums

Tribvlation - Hour Of The Wolf

Review

Rating (Out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘

Favourite Track(s): In Remembrance, Hour Of The Wolf, Dirge Of A Dying Soul, Daughter Of The Djinn, Funeral Pyre, The Wilderness, Elementals

Sweden's Tribvlation have had a musical evolution like no other, transitioning over time from chaotic death metal into a band that favours the melodic darkness of gothic metal. Even so, the band are doing what is right by them creatively and it is a transition that is paying off. Where The Gloom Becomes Sound fuses a variety of melodic devices and doom metal tendencies to create a deeply atmospheric album shrouded in gloom. The new album definitely presents something less frantic compared to the album's predecessor 2018's Down Below, but still remains just as heavy by Tribvlation's standards. Yet, the album has a of classical and sophisticated influence, with much more refined compositions and arrangements, bringing a new dynamic to that band's sound.  

The album's title certainly lives up to the music, from the very beginning you're cocooned in this strangely comfortable, eerie and oddly romanticised gloom. Each song brings a unique and individual element to the album, various excursions into different types of gothic metal show a myriad of influences yet the album still remains consistent to the theme throughout. While most of the album has a very steady groove, the lead guitar melodies occasionally have a flutter of old school progressive metal brilliance. The variation in the melodies really help bring the songs to life, as they are all richly layered and textured compositions. One song that stands out immediately is Hour Of The Wolf, it has something very Ghost-esque about it's eerily upbeat melodies and grandiose classic 70s feel. The jangly chord rhythms and soaring, catchy leads can be compared to the Meliora era Ghost but heavier, given the lyrics are about demons and darkness it adds some significant contrast to the rest of the album. Either way it all adds to the powerful imagery that the album conjures up in your mind, the most prominent being the stereotypical gothic masquerade ball in a mansion or castle. In the case, you aren't dancing with people, rather surrounded by grand, paranormal characters and your own company. There is a sombre sense of longing in some areas of the album, but it's delivered in a grotesque way that makes the dark romanticism for the shadows even more unnerving as you summon the beasts in the dark. Coupled with atmospheric segments, as demonstrated in Leviathans, the band master dynamics to build tension and anticipation in a finely crafted manner. Sometimes it feels like the album is a compilation of Lovecraftian and Poe infused horror that is shrouded in metaphor to commentate on the world around us, that may be looking too deep into it but there is something that speaks to you in the depths of the album's layers. Dirge Of A Dying Soul is a highlight, as its waltzing intro launches into a solitary march into an endless night, encased in a black coffin, covered in black roses on the back of a Victorian funeral carriage, etc. you get the picture. The piano and organ parts throughout the album add a mournful and sorrowful edge the songs but also empower them, giving the songs that added bit of texture to boost it to the next level. The short interlude Lethe is fine example of this, as it represents a grim calm before the ensuing storm which is unleashed on Daughter Of The Djinn. Overall, the album is a finely balanced work of soaring melody and brooding, gloomy atmosphere, whilst still sounding heavy and powerful.

The production feels very old school, the drums especially have a very 70s sounding production. The whole kit throughout the album sounds tight and cohesive, as nothing glaringly obvious sticks out at you. There is also a very subtle rawness to the album, especially as the guitars cash in on a very rough yet warm and thick sounding valve-y tone. Even the screeching leads have an eerie warmth to them, despite sounding like the 80s guitar tones for the solos, a maelstrom of chorus, reverb and delay, best demonstrated on Elementals. The bass is thick, heavy and robust throughout, laying a strong foundation with the drums so that the guitars can do their thing. Overall, it is easy to fall in love with the retro sound of the album, as it brings back memories to the first time you hear Coven's 1969 epic Witchcraft but in a more modern sphere, you get lost in the dark mysticism. 

If you fancy some gothic metal on these most auspicious freezing winter days to capitalise on the doom and gloom of normal consciousness, check out Tribvlation's Where The Gloom Becomes Sound.

Tribvlation - Where The Gloom Becomes Sound