Entombed by dutiful judgement and left gasping beneath the slow-falling pillars of consequence Vancouver, British Columbia-based gothic orchestral death/doom metal quintet TRIBUNAL transmute a second series of elegiac hymns for the self, returning with a broadened scope parlayed under greater duress. ‘In Penitence and Ruin‘ naturally fits a certain reality for a sophomore full-length album wherein a personal standard must not only be met but surpassed as the ambitions of their forlorn craft escalate beyond a warmly welcomed debut. The strength of this work rests within potential grasped readily, in fact their exuberance almost too eagerly wrangles the tension of doomed-in-place solemnity away as they fashion a mountain of detail from a burial mound’s worth of stone and soil. Their toiling away succeeds for its many-brambled structure, a coiled iron kudzu which enforces its path with a blend of epic doom metal classicism, their own amalgam of gothic metal dramatism applied to works written to make use of their most signature features.

Tribunal formed circa 2019 between the co-songwriting duo of cellist, bassist, vocalist Soren Mourne and guitarist/vocalist Etienne Flinn alongside at least one other guitarist and a drummer in those most formative stages. Without significant compositional credits to either name to speak of and no preliminary or promotional releases beforehand the band’s debut LP (‘The Weight of Remembrance‘, 2023) necessitated some context in terms of its style and their formation, it was far too “pro” not the usual quickly machined amateur fluke/impersonation. The way the band described it in interviews they’d simply gotten to work before they’d officially been defined (ca. ~2018) intending some manner of slow and heavy metal music written for a quartet. In review of their debut LP I’d praised the traditional doom metal ideation feeding the structure of their work, not an umpteenth imitation of “Peaceville three” inspired stuff exactly but that type of sound ebbing closer to the Candlemass “epic” doom vein and its influence upon early gothic doom metal to follow in the early-to-mid 90’s U.K. arena and beyond (re: My Dying Bride.)

In hindsight Tribunal‘s confident, stylized debut album appears tentative in many aspects especially per the additional context of this follow-up wherein the production values and vocals have been tuned and tweaked for a more robust sound which makes room for a full (bigger) band beyond the core duo’s direction and, more importantly, showcases the vocal talents of Mourne and company in bigger, better light. If anything some might find ‘In Penitence and Ruin‘ over-active because they’ve made equitable room for each voice and increased the note-count considerably to the point of some pieces lacking the chilly transfixion of typified gothic melodic metal as they go on brimming over the edge.

For my own taste that heavier layered machinery only adds to the appeal, a whirring malaise to catch the ear beyond Mourne‘s brilliant Messiah Marcolin-esque outbursts on a few key pieces. Album opener “Incarnadine“, kicks off the album in feature of the singer’s more robustly delivered station but also brings in additional layers atop Flinn‘s rasped growls. The piano braced lilt of the song and its trampling pace will eventually key the keener listener into this sense of many voices detangling themselves in real time, especially as the cello and violin clash at the conclusion of the piece. From that point the joy and the despair of this album lies in the details for the most part though there are bigger gestures to be found in some of the more involved/developed pieces such as “A Wound Unhealing”. The wrathful characterization of the harsher vocals alongside some meaner grooves in the first couple minutes of the song land heavily upon their target yet it was the melody traded between keys and then lead guitars (~3:13 minutes in) that’d inspired some return visits per the thorny knot tied around that core voicing being traded between hands and harmonized with others.

Beyond a fine duo of opening pieces “The Sword of the Slain” caught my ear via its bitter whip of death/doom menace and the opening feature of the cello, creating a mournful tension which carries through the song’s chunkier set of riffs and the shuffle between clean vocal sparks and gnashing lows otherwise. This song was the main track where elements from classic doom, gothic death/doom metal, and Tribunal‘s own core traits most successfully melded for my taste, overshadowing the simpler profundity of the previous album with a more evocative voice. Over on Side B I’ve similar thoughts on the exceptional dread-dramatism pouring from the toppling spiritus of “Armoured in Shadow” a return to the Candlemass-level of gloria the album opened with, steadied and soaring without interruption. While the second half of this album is all solid work for my own taste this’d been the key song to convince, to keep me wheeling back around and soaking up ‘In Penitence and Ruin‘.

Making sense of Tribunal‘s busier avenues toward melody here on this album lies in the lyrics which read all the more severe this time around, relaying serious interpersonal curses alongside the weight of those passing judgement themselves. There is a more complex thought there which hasn’t yet detangled in mind but the suggestion is that this is a full concept album in terms of consistent subject beyond the spread of different topics considered on the differently built debut. The album itself is more cohesive, more coherent in this way and yes, despite my repeated suggestion that the compositions themselves tend toward convolution much of the time. The grand finale, “Between the Sea and Stars”, could only have worked as well as it does with this cohesion of forms in mind, a tragedian opus and perhaps the most varied, dramatic and active song on the record. The main lead that hits around ~1:39 is admittedly familiar as it worms throughout the song, a simple melody which lingered in mind after each listen.

The performative and stylized vision of doom metal achieved here is again all-pro, a finely curated creation that invokes some palpable fandom for the greater sub-genre and adds Tribunal‘s own neatly orchestrated touch while also showcasing some clear vocal talent. All of the right bases are covered and once again Mourne‘s own painting acts as an excellent personal touch to the whole undertaking. Where I find myself searching for the real “fangs” of the experience is moreso in its emotional resonance, again there is no question of style and creativity dripping from ‘In Penitence and Ruin‘ though it never quite slapped me down to earth with emotive ruination. I’d found the movements herein neither stabbed at a huge riff nor a wild hook all that often, making for a few soul-grabbing moments within the greater flexion of forms happening all around. The listening experience is pristine, and find this second album a grand improvement upon the band’s shot in the dark debut, but at times it’d almost felt like an exercise in complicating what’d already had some simple enough appeal. Whether that is a detractor or a great boon will come down to your own personal taste but either way it’ll no doubt be engaging and evocative enough to inspire most anyone interested in gothic, epic, and melodic death/doom metal spheres. A high recommendation.

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