Swedish death metalers Tribulation have been relatively under the radar since their 2009 debut release
The Horror. Their unique hybrid of thrash, death, and black metal set them apart from their competitors, and now they’re back on
The Formulas of Death with a dose of prog metal added to the mix. Not guitar noodling prog either – Tribulation try a more melodic approach to death metal, focusing more on interesting chord changes to formulate songs as opposed to a constant barrage of brutal riffage. Opener ‘Vagina Dentata’ immediately sets this apart from
The Horror with its added emphasis on atmosphere. The album doesn’t really get started until the second track, where Tribulation really show their maturation in sound. Thrash metal isn’t nearly as present on
The Formulas of Death; in fact, the production is about the thrashiest part of the album, and although musically some moments of thrash shine through, for the most part its presence is overshadowed by the largely increased progressive influence. Black metal overtones are also more apparent here than on
The Horror. Tremolo picked riffs and hauntingly dark progressions are plentiful, and this heavy emphasis on atmosphere really brings out the bleak passages in songs such as ‘Wanderer in the Outer Darkness’ and ‘Through the Velvet Black.’
The true weakness of
The Formulas of Death is its length. At 72 minutes, it’s not exactly the ideal length of a death metal record and although each track is solid in its own right, most could’ve had a couple minutes shaved off with no real damage done. לילה (Hebrew for “night”) is one of the few exceptions. It’s a piano and clean guitar driven interlude with gorgeous backing synths, strings, and glockenspiel, and is one of the few songs that doesn’t overstay its runtime; on the contrary, it leaves you wanting more. On the opposite side of the spectrum is 13 minute closer ‘Apparitions,’ which admittedly has some brilliant moments and could’ve been the best track here had they trimmed the fat. The formula Tribulation used on
The Formulas of Death is a successful one. By combining grim melodies, hopeless atmospheres, and equal parts death, black, and prog influences, they were able to create an excellent sophomore release and superb followup to
The Horror. They truly push genre boundaries to the limit and also improve on the ever-present potential from their debut. To call this a milestone metal release would be misleading, but when it comes to genre-fusing and overall consistency in quality, not many can compare.
Recommended Tracks:
➢ Wanderer in the Outer Darkness
➢ Spectres
➢ Through the Velvet Black
➢ Rånda
➢ When the Sky Is Black with Devils
