Tribulation – The Children of the Night (Century Media)
Sunday, 19th April 2015
Tribulation has already proven to many that they aren’t going to stand around and copy the rest of what the rest of the metal world is doing. From humble beginnings pushing towards old school death metal, the band has transformed ever since into a beast that is quite more individual in nature. The Children of the Night is the latest culmination in this process, and a sure-fire keeper that should cause many to take notice.
Tribulation flirts with a number of genres as you take the journey of The Children of the Night from start to finish. Truthfully, there’s not much death metal left to be had at this point but the variety more than compensates for this. The most obvious point of reference for the extreme end is the vocals, with Johannes Andersson sounding quite like the late Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection. Much of the rest of the material takes references from psychedelia, NWOBHM, and some of the fuzz of ‘70s rock (a la Deep Purple) alongside a more ‘black than death’ framework. It’s a winning combination though, with the NWOBHM solo and lead work being a real treat (check out “In the Dreams of the Dead” or “Motherhood of God”). The melodies are no slough either, with catchy bits like those on “Holy Libations” being a real standout. Another thing the band does quite well are instrumentals, for which there are two. “Själaflykt” being the lengthier of them, provides an airy atmosphere of dread that stands out as one of the finest accomplishments of the album.
A band that continues to evolve on its own with seemingly no ceiling in sight, Tribulation have presented their finest moment so far with The Children of the Night. The band has a masterful ability to truly take the listener on a journey, yet keep things succinct and don’t need to rely on 15-minute epics. A grand combination that should bear even stronger fruit as the band continues forward.
