Wait, don't they have a new album that just came out a few months ago? Shouldn't you be reviewing that? Nope. Why? Reasons. Also, this blast from the past comes at the request of one of our fans: dedicated underground metalhead, Mauricio. This one's for you, you crazy kid.
Speaking of the latest album, I was not familiar with Tribulation until this year. I know that many critics are heaping praise on said album, but I personally found it to be an apathetic snore. So imagine my surprise cranking this on a youtube link from Mauricio. I can't believe this is the same group. When did they replace the testosterone with eye-liner?
Everything about The horror is right up my alley. In High School I was worshiping the likes of At the Gates, and this fits right into that style of thrashy melodeath goodness. Under-appreciated indeed. This came out in 2009, but it could just as easily have been from 99 or 2000. The gritty but balanced production, The Slayer solos, the unrelenting aggression. To put it in perspective, this came out right around the new school's release of Stone's Reach by Be'lakor and the radio was blaring Muse's The Resistance.
And yet this could have been released side by side with Heartwork, right down to the old school take on the vocals. Early 2000's Arch Enemy wouldn't be a foregone comparison either. The kit work is astounding. "Seduced by the Smell of Rotten Flesh" is a drumming massacre of d-beats and double bass. Shifting riff patterns are relentless throughtout, with only the occasional, brief interlude ("Graveyard Ghouls") to break up the torrent of hook after hook. Proving that the littlest things count, the little horror movie string screech in "Beyond the Horror" makes me smirk every time. Great use of extra percussion on that outro as well.
There is one caveat to all of this that is disappointing: I can't find the dang album anywhere. It's probably on iTunes, but forget them. Amazon does not carry a digital copy and on Bandcamp it is strangely absent from the discography. No luck on importcds or FYE either. You can grab one off of ebay, but you know this site is all about giving back to the artists. If anyone finds a reasonably priced way to pick it up, feel free to hit us up on Facebook. In the meantime, you can stream this beast below. Cheers.