Canadian doom duo Tribunal hail from Vancouver and consist of the two talented multi-instrumentalists Soren Mourne and Etienne Flinn. Both Mourne and Flinn handle vocal duties, blending melancholic and haunting cleans with blackened rasps and deathly inspired screams whilst a symphony of guitar, bass, cello and drums rounds out the sound. Heavily inspired by the titans of the gothic and doom genres; Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Type O Negative, Cathedral, Candlemass, Pentagram etc, Tribunal are set to unleash their debut offering on the world. All that is left is for us to decide how to receive their ruling.

Opening up with the stock staple sound effect of dreary weather; a touch of rain and wind, combined with the tolling of a lone bell, “Initiation” gets the release going. The slow pace helps with the initial atmospheric set-up and it allows the imposing sound to come through in full. With heavy Sabbathian vibes, the riff and bass pounds away and the blackened doom picks up. Heavily distorted screams hold a commanding presence as the track slowly proceeds before it shifts, bringing in the haunting clean vocals. The trade-off between the two vocal styles works well, adding a theatrical touch and increasing the imposing feel of the track. A brief lead section shows near the halfway point. It’s fairly straightforward, driven by the atmosphere and adding a melodic element to the bleak sounding riffing. As an opening track, it works well; nearly 8 minutes of powerful doom and gloom to wet the appetite.

“Of Creeping Moss and Crumbled Stone” comes in next and it’s just as haunting and imposing as the previous track. A huge low end presence reverberates through the pounding drum, guitar and bass, evoking memories of Type O Negative with the huge bass presence. Proceeding on, the pace increases as the growling vocals come in. Raw and sinister, it helps sustain the atmosphere as it rumbles on. Brief melodic flashes of guitar linger between the huge pounding stabs of music and it peaks as a chorus section comes in. Clean vocals, big melodic accenting from the guitar and a brighter edge to the chord stabs helps convey this uplift before it slams back to the lumbering verse segments, this time with a bit more variety from the guitar in the form of melodic fills and licks between stabs of bass and drum. Again, the 7 minute-plus track does its job in delivering the powerful and darkened gothic doom and as a treat, the final run of the track features a bit of a death metal inspired outro before it comes to a close.

A wail of feedback and haunting bass/cello brings in “Apathy’s Keep”. The addition of the string instrument here helps with the sorrowful atmosphere and the slow descending riff loaded with its imposing atmosphere and ominous vibe sounds like it would sit right at home on any Gothic/Doom titan’s album. The gloomy clean vocals have an almost conjuring like feel to them, almost as if they are trying to evoke the spirit of Black Sabbath itself and the raw vocals come in just as the lumbering riff begins to add in the heavy shifting chords. It’s a solid track and it only gets better as it progresses. Towards the final third, it speeds up with a melodic section fuelled by a rolling barrage of double kick and crashing drums before it hits a high point and crashes back down to the heavy and lumbering approach before it gradually winds down and fades out.

“Remembrance” is a haunting atmospheric interlude. The sound of rain provides a backdrop for the bright piano melody. It’s a short and niche sounding piece but due to it fading out, it doesn’t really work as a transition of sorts. A bit of a missed opportunity here as it could have easily been incorporated into one of the tracks either side of it. “A World Beyond Shadow” rolls in with a subtle organ drone and some string before the distorted giant guitar comes in. Once again, its slow and lumbering pace helps give it an imposing stature as the low end comes through solidly. Again, the short fills between chord blasts help give some colour to the lumbering sound and they act as a good melodic counterpoint to the clean vocal sections. The harsh vocals once more get more chord and darker fills between the rhythmic pulses and this structuring has proven to be successful across the release. The expected rise in prominence for the chorus section hits the mark and the imposing melodic section round the middle of the track is fantastic – a commanding undercurrent demands headbanging and melodic descending lines give it that spark to help it shine out. This even persists in the more frenzied transition to the final chorus where things get a lot faster before coming back for the big chorus finale.

“Without Answer” has a tension building feel to its intro. It gradually begins to speed up as the strings provide the melodic foil for the pounding guitar and bass. Harsh vocals take point this time, guided by a heavy chugging attack and the clean vocals have a sinister edge to them, adding a little flair as the two styles blend into each other. Chorus wise, it dials it back slightly, allowing for a vocal and cello led approach, sustaining the tense atmosphere and allowing things to swing back to the heavy verses with a solid impact. The way the composition comes together on this track is simply fantastic and for the melodic lead, it eases off once more, allowing a slow and clear melancholic melody to ring out before the thundering chugs come back once more to ramp up the tension and heaviness, this is demonstrated by the excellently timed pickslide which brings the transition to the chorus back in once more. Honestly, this is arguably the best track of the release and a track I found myself going back to frequently in subsequent listens!

Closing the album is “The Path”, a 12+ minute long epic. Once more, the slow and atmospheric build up is at play. With a heavy air of melancholy, it rumbles on with a steady pace and a haunting guitar/cello melody before the guitar switches to a more chord based approach and the cello takes over the main melodic carrying before the verse hits. The clean haunting vocals give way to the harsh growling and once again they switch lead duties, all whilst the atmosphere slowly begins to build up to a more grandiose one. This doesn’t last long though as around the 4:20 point it begins to take a very dramatic turn to the darker and more intense approach. Pounding rhythms and more occult-like vocals, with the clean and growls working off each other helps drive the melancholy into ominous and foreboding, and soon enough we get a reprieve as it enters a melodic section. The simple hook to the guitar catches you as the growls have an air of desperation about them and soon it begins to lurch forwards. Recapturing the grandiose feel once more, the simple descending melody which is augmented by the strings and piano takes prominence before a hugely heavy section begins the final few minutes of the track. Overarching subtle synths, rolling double kick and growls lead to a more animated run where the drums drive it forwards. A lead guitar line takes over and the track hits probably the fastest paced section of the entire album before a scream brings it to a halt and everything is stripped back to haunting clean vocals and clean guitar arpeggios as the track draws to a close.

Tribunal have delivered a solid release here for their debut full length. Capturing the magic and mystique of the early 90s Gothic Doom, the simple approach to the compositions on the album works well. Heavily atmospheric and melodically driven with great vocal arrangements, “The Weight Of Remembrance” is a great way to start off your year.

(8/10 Fraggle)

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