Album Review: Tribunal – In Penitence and Ruin (20 Buck Spin)
Prepare for a slab of Canadian misery as Tribunal return with their sophomore album, In Penitence and Ruin.
In Penitence and Ruin will be released on the 18th of April, via 20 Buck Spin and is the follow up to their excellent debut, 2023’s The Weight of Remembrance. An album that set a high bar, early on for Tribunal and became one of my favourite releases of 2023. Back then, Tribunal were a duo but now with In Penitence and Ruin, the band is fully fleshed put with 5 members. With the fully evolved form of the band in place, and the influence of those additional artists, Tribunal have looked to craft a cohesive and mature opus bringing the listener on the journey with them through abandoned halls where funereal melodies play.
In Penitence and Ruin is given further depth then by being a conceptual piece. Each song forming a cycle that studies justice and punishment centering on a guilty Penitent who cannot escape what they have done.An exploration of human flaws delivered like a scripture of loss.
In Penitence and Ruin is produced by Tribunal and Jesse Gander, mixed by Jesse Gander at Rain City Recorders and mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios. The album cover painting and lettering is created by the band’s own Soren Mourne.
Tribunal is Soren Mourne on bass, cello and vocals, Etienne Flinn on guitar and vocals, Jessica Yang on guitar, Dallas Alice on keys and Julia Geaman on drums.
Let’s get our gloom on then, starting with the opener Incarnadine. A silky start with a deep tone and smooth cello leads us nicely in. A switch to heavier doom, with meaty drums and filthy riffs adds to the atmosphere before Tribunal move into a lot of what their new formation delivers. Contrast. Powerful and intensely listenable cleans from Soren Mourne backed my the more classical instruments switch to dark and filthy growls from Etienne Flinn backed by punchy doom riffs and drums. It works well, the back and forth really bedding you in and adding an oppressive feel to the track. The riffs will get that slow headbang on, the backing keys and orchestral touches elevate the darkness when Soren’s vocals suddenly pierce through, then, just as quickly, the growls and rasps drag you back in. It’s all encompassing, atmospheric and exciting.
A Wound Unhealing and Angel of Mercy comes next with the former really hypnotising through it’s meandering melodies. The dual vocal styles come together to create an interesting harmony and I love the keys sitting behind the doom and gloom, offering a little twinkling, almost mystical melody. Big guitars lead the track forward with a slow, winding melody that is superbly effective. As the cleans powerfully pierce the veil, there is a darkness to their delivery, that when combined with the keys has a touch of modern Cradle of Filth to it.
The latter, Angel of Mercy keeps the darkness flowing with another strong song where the vocal contrasts capture your imagination before we head into heavier territory. Strong riffs, powerful drums and devilish vocals add layers of darkness, while bursts of cello, keys and melody really raise the bar adding depth and “moments” to the song making sure it is one, another one, that demands repeat listens.
In Penitence and Ruin continues with The Sword of the Slain and it’s brilliant – structurally it flows so well and is wonderfully written. The back and forth in vocals, the riffs, the quicker drum beat – it literally captured me within the first 5 or 6 seconds and I knew I was going to be blown away by this one. Dark doom styled breakdowns add even more weight and heaviness as we hit a slower section but then we transition so smoothly back into music and beats that are as catchy as they are miserable.
With that high bar set, Tribunal have their work cut out for them living up to it and they start trying with Ruin up next. In a very intelligent move, almost like they knew they hit it out of the park with the previous track, Ruin is a moment to catch your breath. A 70 second long cello based instrumental that is beautiful, and sorrowful to listen to.
It nicely refreshes you as we head into The Penitent. We get down into seriously slowed down and dark territory here with the cleans, delivered almost like a sung speech, being quite breathtaking. Musically, it cuts between sections of riffing and an extended section where the guitars drop a gorgeous melody alongside the cello to wow and hypnotise equally. The drums, so adept at switching masterfully between the gentler and heavier parts, really impress. It’s yet another very engaging piece of music.
Armoured in Shadow is another track on In Penitence and Ruin that really grabs you very quickly, helped by the cool lead guitars in the intro. The transition into the cleans alongside those guitars works a treat as does the move into harsh vocals. The flow of the song, of many of the songs here is also really cool. Whether its through the contrasts, the transitions, or on this one, the repeating guitar melody that just glues everything together, there is never a second where you find your mind drifting or wandering. You are fully engrossed and engaged.
All good things must come to an end though and we near that time, starting with the penultimate track, ….And the Thorn-Choked Flowers Grow. I really like that title too – if someone asked you to guess the genre from that song title, you would guess correctly I think. The start gets really nasty and dark with thumping beats and very blackened vocals. Lead guitar melody drops in and the clean vocals come in to act as backing for the filthy growls adding nice depth and layering. A nice instrumental middle keeps you bedded in to the atmosphere and the overall concept. The final third really going to town with the contrasts. The heaviest of vocals contrasting to the clean backing, light guitar melody contrasting to the miserable darkness of the riffs and drums.
In Penitence and Ruin closes with Between the Sea and Stars and Tribunal make sure you are left gasping for more with an absolute stunner of a track. The extended intro is gorgeous combining catchy drums, atmospheric cello and keys, catchy guitar melodies to just grab your imagination and hold it firm. Led through the verses by the stunning clean vocals and a repeating melodic line, you feel engrossed and hypnotised. It’s so easy to just close your eyes, shut out the world and become completely lost in the stunning sounds. A slow and miserable affair seems fitting to close the album out too though there are moments of light in the dark, mainly through the subtle use of keys, or elevations in the guitar melody.
In Penitence and Ruin is a really impressive album. I was a big fan of the band’s debut, but the growth from that album to here is quite astonishing. The contributions from the additional members ensure Tribunal are a real force to be reckoned with. The album is superbly written and the band have been extremely clever in not structuring everything around as single focal point. If you have a talented harsh vocalist, and a talented clean vocalist, if you have a cello player, keyboardist, drummer, guitarists, the traditional make up of a band would be to pick one of those vocalists as the lead and structure everything around that. Tribunal instead use every single one of their talents differently across songs, and across the album.
Songs led by harsh vocals, backed by cleans, then the reverse. Songs with prominent cello, and some without. Others where the keys are more dynamic and leading, others where everything works together. It really means that you listen to the album and find creativity and variety across it’s whole runtime and it allows Tribunal to take a multitude of different paths with each song. It means you stay fully engaged throughout. I love that and I think it shows maturity and class with song writing that will put these guys in a great position to go on and conquer this genre.
In Penitence and Ruin is a very impressive release from a band of exceptional talent. You probably won’t come out of this feeling optimistic and bouncy after listening, but you will “feel”.
Preorder In Penitence and Ruin from Tribunal/20 Buck Spin on Bandcamp, here.
Tracklist:
1. Incarnadine
2. A Wound Unhealing
3. Angel of Mercy
4. The Sword of the Slain
5. Ruin
6. The Penitent
7. Armoured in Shadow
8. …And the Thorn-Choked Flowers Grow
9. Between the Sea and Stars
Tribunal Links
Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – 20 Buck Spin Website – YouTube
Author
Tribunal - In Penitence and Ruin (20 Buck Spin)
By Artist: Tribunal
Album name: In Penitence and Ruin
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The Final Score - 10/10
10/10
