All art isn’t for everyone, blah blah. We all know that. But it still bears repeating every time a band comes out and does different shit and, like, Alice Cooper will cry about songs being 3 minutes and probably other ridiculous dated nonsense. Anyway, that’s all to say that Finnish death freaks Ligation likely won’t appeal to everyone.

“After Gods” is the band’s first full-length, and it arrives a jumbled slew of madness and confusion that is a breath of fresh air from all the bands keeping things traditional. Sure, you can hear the death metal foundation laid down by vocalist/drummer/noisemaker MN, guitarist MS, and bassist TI, but the layers that swirl beneath the surface twist and turn beyond any expectations. There is a progressive element as well as experimental tendencies that wrap bizarre bandages over wounds death metal’s body has sustained. Ligation are here to make the psychological torment that much more absurd.

The title track starts with guitars swirling and the growls striking veins, a melodic fire sweeping you up into a strange chaos. Weird gurgles bubble from MN’s throat as the playing gets speedier and thrashier, ending in an industrial melt. “Turmoil in Everest” starts with squeals and driving force, guitars layering thickly, the vocals strangling and chortling, making everything really uncomfortable. Atmosphere swirls as the temps boil, howls and shrieks teaming up to ramp up the psychosis, a synth-driven ending feeling like a noirish film score. “Obscure Flame” punishes, diving deep into a death plunge, trudging as growls and inhuman screams mix to form a ghastly new beast. Humidity increases, as does your dizziness, as guitars chunk, the pace blisters and fires, and noise blasts through walls.

“Eruption” blisters, throaty wails landing blows, muddy, suffocating punishment rising and pulling you underneath. Growls bubble as the pace grows more manic, the playing snarling and permanently crossing brain wires, eventually settling into a misty peace like what you mind find after Armageddon. “Reflection” is the final track on some versions, and it bleeds into focus, doom stomping and quaking, growls lurching as heavy footsteps shake the earth. The smoke billows and chokes, sounds hang in the air, and an alien sax wafts, blasting and conjuring dreams. Demonic growls pick at festering wounds as guitars beam feedback, and the final words choke on droplets of blood. Other versions have three more tracks: “Human Success” (maybe the most straightforward track here, with more sax); “Earthlings” (a doomy bruiser that’s eerie and mangling); and “Seraphic Gluttony” (noisy, disorienting, guttural madness that ends in cosmic storming).

Ligation is the epitome of the “not for everyone” tag, and for good reason as their death and doom can be weird and off-putting if you expect more streamlined sounds. “After Gods” also can be a godsend for anyone seeking music that takes you somewhere else, disturbs you, and challenges you, which this record does often. I’m not even sure my words sum up this collection accurately, so take the adventure yourself, having been forewarned about the commotion and mind-altering turns that lie ahead.

For more on the band, go here: https://ligation.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/product/pre-order-ligation-after-gods-cd/

For more on the label go here: https://www.personal-records.com/

It feels like it’s going to be forever before daylight is back in abundance and the warmth returns, the trek through winter really just beginning. Well, whatever winter actually still exists. But when the thaw happens, and we get into the heart of spring, it feels like it’ll be the ideal time for Temptress’ music to flow freely from speakers.

Not that their second record “Hear” doesn’t sound good now, but it feels like it pines for different scenery. The spark of warmth, the later sunsets all feel like they’d work nicely with these eight tracks that bear strains of doom, stoner rock (especially the ’90s variety), and straight-up metal. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Kelsey Wilson, bassist/vocalist Christian Wright, and drummer/vocalist Andi Cuba, the band digs into sounds that feel like they could find slots in many different areas over the past several decades but also land just fine now. It’s a fun record, one where it feels like they’re still kind of finding themselves as they examine multiple levels of heaviness.

“Into” is an instrumental opener, drums tapping as guitars echo, sounds swimming, the moody thickening and shifting, driving into “Narrows” that opens with the bass taking hold. The playing is dusty before landing blows, Wright on vocals, adding energy to the mix. Guitars char as the sounds smoke, the cry of, “I’m going to be fine,” pushing to a trudging end. “Edge” flutters in heat, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know if this is Wilson or Cuba singing, which will carry over to the rest of the album. Guitars plot the path as the signing glazes, the call of, “I want to take you to the edge,” lingering. “These Walls” has guitars firing up, the pace snaking, a ’90s rock feel taking over the aura. The playing mashes as the emotion floods, everything ending in burly undertones.

“Now or Never” has guitars slinking and speak-singing, the cry of, “Who’s laughing now? Because it’s not me,” digging into ribs. Spacious soloing overwhelms as the cloud coverage increases, blasting into oblivion. “Be Still” starts cleaner, the verses landing lightly before the choruses flood over. The playing smolders before going colder, guitars giving off echo, everything slowly fading into time. “Downfall” gently dawns, the singing bringing a thaw, the playing then chugging and sparking darker energies. Sinister riffs cut through bone, as the doom thickens, everything blackening overhead as the demand, “Sacrifice yourself to me,” haunts. Closer “Out of” completes the instrumental bookend, a dusky sense overtaking as the drums rouse, the bass lands some punches, and the vibe glistens into sunset.

Temptress have that strange ability to feel both modern and timeless, having stretched various sounds from past decades into today’s mind-frame. “Hear” is a strong second effort from this band that, while they have taken a lot of steps forward, still have plenty of room to develop. That’s not a slight; it’s a good thing. They have the ability and energy to keep growing Temptress to something we cannot imagine today.

For more on the band, go here: https://temptressofficial.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://temptressofficial.bandcamp.com/album/hear

For more on the label go here: https://www.bluesfuneral.com/

When the masters and rulers of thrash metal are discussed, everyone goes to the Big Four, understandably, or to bands such as Exodus or Testament. Kreator never seems to appear early enough in those conversations, at least domestically as they never got the same level of exposure here. But they should get even more love than they do.

Their 16^th record “Krushers of the World” is about to land, and while it might not be what really breaks them in the States, it’s another solid entry from a band without a goddamn thing to prove. Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Miland “Mille” Petrozza, guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, bassist Frédéric Leclercq, and drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil, the band delivers what very much sounds like a Kreator record with a few surprises attached. It’s not their heaviest or most acidic work, but it’s still a pretty good piece of business ripe for replaying. Oh, one negative is the band used AI for two of the promo videos for this record, but apparently nothing involving the artwork and music on this album. But still, ugh.

“Seven Serpents” starts and is a classic Kreator opener, even if it isn’t necessarily a total barnstormer. The leads are warmer, and the band takes its time to settle in, Petrozza howling, “Snakes in human form!” Guitars jolt as gothy chorals add ash, feeling atmospheric and blazing as they race to the finish. “Satanic Anarchy” drives with energy, and a great chorus sticks in your head and likely would stand as great call-back fodder live. Verses blister as things even out, the soloing storming and mangling, the call of, “Start the fire!” sparking adrenaline. The title track trudges and burns, a catchy chorus washing over, the thrashiness infused with oxygen. “We are by your side,” Petrozza wails as the playing chugs, creaky speaking freezes your blood, and the final moments melt into the ground. “Tränenpalast” features Britta Görtz (Hiraes/Chaos Rising) howling along with Petrozza, her shrieks feeling deadlier and bloodier. The track itself is inspired by Dario Argento’s 1977 film “Suspiria,” and they pay homage in a mix of fire and ice, the vocals driving deep into your mind, keys trickling away as the fantastical finish enraptures. “Barbarian” opens with added speed and aggression, plastering as the chorus punishes, the speed adding to the attack. The band hits as close to a breakdown as you can expect from them, the screams belting, and the leads powering a heated finish.

“Blood of Our Blood” combusts, pushing with added intensity, the playing feeling punchy and catchy as the chorus jolts. The guitars catch fire as the playing pushes more violently, Petrozza howling, “The eyes are useless when the mind is blind,” as the final shots poke oozing wounds. “Combatants” starts clean before gusting with a blast, the track feeling increasingly anthemic, making energy zap through your brain. “Fight for you life!” Petrozza demands as drums march and the last seconds turn into a total rampage. “Psychotic Imperator” smears with speed and fire, the verses blasting with torment before the choruses further rouse. “Pure! Aggression!” Petrozza belts, the playing liquifying metal and letting a chrome river flow generously. “Deathscream” lets the guitars pace and the vocals energize, the chorus punishing and leaving singed flesh. The soloing engulfs and helps smooth out the brutality, storming to a quaking conclusion. Closer “Loyal to the Grave” is a gem at the end of the record, one that could be a live staple for years. The melodic charge bubbles over and coats with steel, breezier leads electrify, and the pace keeps challenging. “Your soul and mine, they are the same,” Petrozza declares, the classic thrash attack peaking one more time before ending in glory.

Kreator still are creating thrash fire on a consistent basis on “Krushers of the World,” yet another strong record from one of the German scene’s progenitors. While not quite as ferocious as 2022’s “Hate über alles,” this album still explodes with some really strong material that could find permanent slots in their live setlist. This band has been one of thrash’s biggest powers, and their resume more than speaks for itself. So every quality new record we get from them is icing on the heaping thrash cake.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.kreator-terrorzone.de/

To buy the album, go here: https://kreator.bandcamp.com/album/krushers-of-the-world

It’s weird living in America and watching the conversations about Russia change mysteriously. Oh, not about the people who live there. They can’t help it. No, the leadership. We can detest the politics but still want its people to succeed, and that’s the sloppy way I am starting to talk about Void Monuments and their debut record.

“Posthumous Incantation” is the Russian band’s debut album, and it has all the hallmarks of traditional death one might come to expect. It’s heavy, devious, dark, and hits all the right buttons. The band—vocalist/guitarist K. Svart, guitarist P. Doom, bassist Ivan, drummer Bestial Barlog (potentially not his given name)—makes a good case for themselves on these eight tracks and 36 minutes, keeping up the intensity and the bloodshed. There is potential for them to expand what they’re doing and inject more of themselves into the music, so there’s time to branch out as they grow.

“Intro” opens dramatically, winds whipping, synth pulsing as screams lash and organs fade into “Epitome of Fear.” There, guitars fire as the band thrashes away, throaty howls bursting as fires char. Drums rampage while the growls coat the pain, the leads taking off and fading into the night. “Devilish Prophecies” is doomy and barbaric, pummeling with evil intent, beastly howls sending listeners into a vortex of madness. Darkness and filth unite, menacing tones send jolts down your spine, and chilling organs exit with strangeness. “Decapitate the Saints” blasts open, the guitars adding to the heat, the brutality multiplying dangerously as the leads carve paths into flesh. The spatter accumulates as throaty wails peel flesh, and the guitars mount a final attack that ends in fire.

“Ascent to the Crucifixion” dawns in deathly fog, guitars vibrating as doom flows through veins, sweeping into impenetrable gloom. Growls smear as the pace pounds harder, soloing goes off and spits fire, and the screams melt and jostle into carnage. “Invocation” rings out in the air before bringing down the hammer, the guitars knifing their way into your psyche, infernal pressure taking you apart. Drums rupture and blister as the stream builds and rolls, liquifying guts before allowing an ounce of mercy. “The Sign of Blasphemy” has riffs firing and blasting, the pace hulking along, making muscles ache. The guitars stun as the growls maul, spacious melodies adding air to the suffocating aura, exploring to an abrupt end. Closer “Father of Sin” starts in clean, eerie strangeness, and then brutality arrives, growls squeezing arteries. Sludgy elements make this even heavier, the speed pulverizing, howls engorging, the final moments scorched into eternity.

Void Monuments waste little time establishing their entry into hell with “Posthumous Incantation,” a strong first record that leaves the band with some room to develop. This is misery and punishment from front to back, a record that should leave you flattened. They could stand to add a little more of their own personality and musical DNA into future releases, but as a first shot, this is really solid stuff and should leave ample bruising.   

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/voidmonuments/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bloodharvest.se/product-category/blood-harvest-records/preorders/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.bloodharvest.se/

Starting off the year in as sickening a manner possible, let’s welcome back Alabama-based death crushers Ectovoid, who return with “In Unreality’s Coffin,” their first full-length in nine years. It’s a weird mouthful of a title, isn’t it?

Anyway, “Coffin” is their third record, 2012’s “Fractured in the Tireless Abyss” coming first in 2012, followed by “Dark Abstraction” in 2015 (just reissued last year by Boris Records). The band—vocalist/guitarist C.B., guitarist/backing vocalist S.S. (C.S. played on the record), bassist R.S., drummer C.M.—digs into the deeper annals of horrifying, grotesque death metal, clawing as hard at the guts as they do the psyche. It’s brutal and done in a way that will make people who have been around since the beginning feel comfortable.

“Dissonance Corporeum” starts with guitars spilling and the pace charging, growls stirring as the punishment turns rubbery and brutal. Guitars mash as the leads go off and create smoke, the power chewing through bone, ramping up the speed. “Collapsing Spiritual Nebula” sprawls as the growls choke, the pace snarling as the heat increases. The carnage blasts open, leads fluttering, the guitars blazing with intensity, growls mangling before bashing out. “Intrusive Illusions (Echoes From a Distant Plane)” is a bruising storyteller that will warp your senses, fast, punchy strains pushing into your chest cavity, guitars swimming in pools of muck. Acid spirals as the howls bury bodies, guitars conducting trial by fire. “Formless Seeking Form” chugs, a howl/shriek combo suffocating, muddy terrain stomped as brain wiring burns. The gears head into slow-driving fury before speeding up again, trudging and choking on flesh.

“Irradiated Self” brings storming leads and cavernous wails, driving and menacing as the darkness strangles. The pace turns everything to dust, brawling through a blinding fury that threatens safety. The title track blisters as the growls gurgle, guitars thrust, and the devastation turns to decay. The leads erupt and twist necks, ripping as the soloing explores, hitting the gas pedal before disintegrating. “Erroneous Birth” is savage, the vocals smearing with ill intent, the pace gaining speed as the drums smother. Guitars spill over as the growls mangle morbidly, leading to the fire following the fuel path into total annihilation. “It Is Without Shape…” bleeds in darker guitars, airier melodies, and a melodic gust that sprawls. Gothy tones add to the ashen shadows as the instrumental piece bubbles to its end. Closer “In Anguished Levitation” splatters right away, the growls battering, mucky death metal clogging veins. Humidity rises as the guitars surge and growls pummel, ending everything harshly and cloaked in blood.

It may be nine years since Ectovoid delivered a full-length effort, but they haven’t lost an ounce of their violent tendencies and ability to sicken, which “In Unreality’s Coffin” proves. They open a new year with a smoldering, devastating effort that reminds us ugliness is all around, and that inherently lives in their music. This is pure death with a modern filter that still speaks to the foulest of realities imaginable.

For more on the band, go here: https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://everlastingspew.com/21-everlasting-spew-releases

For more on the label, go here: https://everlastingspew.com/

40. CONAN, “Violence Dimension” (Heavy Psych Sounds

39. LIGHTLESS, “A foreseen loss” (Fading Light Studio)

38. LADY BEAST, “The Inner Alchemist” (Dying Victims)

37. ZEICRYDEUS, “Le grande hérésie” (Productions TSO)

36. RETURNING, “Numinous” (Bindrune Recordings)

35. GAAHLS WYRD, “Braiding the Stories” (Season of Mist)

34. RITUAL MASS, “Cascading Misery” (20 Buck Spin)

33. CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, “Children of the Earth” (Cruz del Sur)

32. KAYO DOT, “Every Rock, Every Half-Truth Under Reason” (Prophecy Productions)

31. CORONER, “Dissonance Theory” (Century Media)

30. STARER, “Ancient Monuments and Modern Sadness” (Fiadh/Snow Wolf)

29. MORKE, “To Carry On” (True Cult)

28. WRYMOON, “Wyrmoon II” (Fiadh)

27. GRAYCEON, “Then the Darkness” (Translation Loss)

26. PELICAN, “Flickering Resonance” (Run for Cover)

25. HOODED MENACE, “Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration” (Season of Mist):

24. WITHERER, “Shadow Without a Horizon” (Hypaethral)

23. CASTRATOR, “Coronation of the Grotesque” (Dark Descent)

22. CASTLE RAT, “The Bestiary” (King Volume/Blues Funeral)

21. HELL, “Submersus” (Sentient Ruin)

20. TOWER, Let There Be Dark” (Cruz del Sur)

19. OROMET, “The Sinking Isle” (Hypaethal)

18. WEALD + WOE, “Far From the Light of Heaven” (Fiadh)

17. PHOBOCOSM, “Gateway” (Dark Descent)

16. MESSA, “The Spin” (Metal Blade)

15. AGRICULTURE, “The Spiritual Sound” (The Flenser)

14. ANCIENT DEATH, “Ego Dissolution” (Profound Lore)

13. BLUT AUS NORD, “Ethereal Horizons” (Debemur Morti)

12. CLAIRVOYANCE, “Chasm of Immurement” (Carbonized)

11. RANAGA/DROWSE, “Ash Souvenir” (The Flenser)

10. LUST HAG, “Irrevocably Drubbed” (Fiadh)

9. MARES OF THRACE, “The Loss” (Artoffact)

8. RWAKE, “The Return of Magik” (Relapse)

7. TERZIJ DE HORDE, “Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone” (Church Road/Fiadh/Tartarus)

6. DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT, “Innern” (Season of Mist)

5. WEFT, “The Splintered Oar” (Bindrune Recordings)

4. TRIBUNAL, “In Penitence and Ruin” (20 Buck Spin)

3. FAETOOTH, “Labyrinthine” (The Flenser)

2. HEDONIST, “Scapulimancy” (Southern Lord)

1. YELLOW EYES, “Confusion Gate” (Gilead Media)

I’m starting to really hate surprises considering we wake up to so many bad ones each day. Yet, a few weeks before its Halloween release date, I found an unexpected one in my inbox, one that instantly made me pine for the day and get everything out of the way so I could absorb this album properly: in total seclusion. It was the new Yellow Eyes record, and from the moment I heard it, I knew it would be my record of the year.

“Confusion Gate” is a mesmerizing opus from black metal force Yellow Eyes. To say the album is moving, monstrous, breathtaking, and completely from this band’s artistic DNA would almost go without saying. But there’s more depth, different sounds, and a reinvigorated machine—vocalist/guitarist Will Skarstad, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Sam Skarstad, bassist Alex DeMaria, drummer Michael Rekevics. Inspired heavily by their 2023 release “Master’s Murmur,” this record takes that spirit and electrifies it, making it a full on beast of the woods, stalking and opening strange doorways to realms not before considered. It’s a stunning display, and I still stop listening to it. It put it on in my car and almost instantly think I should give something else some time. Nah, I adore this, the second-to-last in Gilead Media’s storied history, by the way.

“Brush the Frozen Horse” opens with familiar chimes and the gentle arms of nature before everything erupts, keys blaring and guitars bending you into corners. Howls snarl as the steam rises, the guitars taking on a higher tone that noticeably ramps up, the tempo spiraling and crushing, disorienting as the leads soar. Speed strikes as the pace combusts, blasting into a synth scape that melds with the fog. “The Thought of Death” starts with airy sax you would expect from an adult contemporary song, but it’s a misdirect as riffs explode out of that, and the vocals maul. Emotional waves crash down as guitars sparkle and melt, and a strong, violent push jolts every bone. “I Fear the Master’s Murmur” opens with acoustics ringing out and voices swirling, and then everything goes off, fierce growls pounding the way, beastly sentiments making the pressure even more intense. The playing splatters into strange melodies, the guitar lines tingling your spine, confusion overwhelming as you try to find your balance. “The Scent of Black Mud” starts in mesmerizing form. The drums punish as the vocals strengthen their grip, wrenching as the playing plasters and undoes some brain wiring. The leads turn to icy tributaries, and then the spirit rampages forward, wrecking as everything scatters, impulses continuing to fire until the notes fade. This is a record that will live with me in perpetuity along with a bunch of other non-stop classics that made me who I am. A timeless release. (Oct. 31)

For more on the band, go here: https://yelloweyes.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/collections/gilead-media-releases

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

Any time you can put on a death metal record and instantly think it’s a declaration of war, that’s an experience you don’t forget. The power coming at you with a ferocity that explodes from deep in the guts can make your blood boil and motivate you want to pick up arms yourself to fight the good fight.

Canadian death metal horde Hedonist land in death metal’s pantheon with “Scapulimancy,” their flesh-pounding first record that could have slid into place in the early 1990s and been right at home. This record is a destroyer, 10 tracks of raw, feral death metal that can stare down any force in its path and never blink. The band—vocalist/bassist AJ, guitarists JP and AA, drummer CB—wastes no time unleashing hell and pouring it in generous amounts as they scorch flesh and dump napalm in alarming portions.

“Execution Wheel” absolutely obliterates the senses when it dawns, AJ’s howls strangling with a killer’s might, an element that is one of the band’s most arresting. Death ravages as the guitars spill into beastly tones, and everything barrels forward to reckless abandon. “Heresy” is blinding, growls decimating, sounding nearly inhuman, the guitars standing up as a battering force with no mercy. “Parasitic Realm” starts with trickier guitars that mesmerize before scorching earth, deadly growls grasping throats. There’s a total Bolt Thrower worship spot that absolutely destroys, and that pushes into explosive and gutting tension that cuts open bellies. “Engines of War” unloads guitars burning, growls slithering, and primitive pounding caving in rib cages. The playing jars loose as melodies wash over, snaking through and injecting venom before fading to dark. “Cremator” spews chugging bass and a thrashy attack that sends dust flying. The growls maim, the leads navigate through the chaos, and the end gurgles and spits out poison. Closer “Hidden Corpse” is mashing, aggravating flames and delivering abject heaviness. The pace is vicious as hell, riffs immersing themselves into liquified steel and coming out a new machine. A motherfucker of a great death metal album, and our new favorite band in this always morphing sub-genre. (Aug. 1)

For more on the band, go here: https://hedonistdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://southernlord.com/store/hedonist-scapulimancy-pre-order/

For more on the label, go here: https://southernlord.com/

There are those bands that once you indulge in their music, the way your brain processes that particular art form changes a little bit. Somehow, my TikTok algorithm led me a few years ago to Faetooth, a Los Angeles-based doom power that creates heavy, yet enchanting songs, stuff that crawls into your imagination and helps you see new colors. I hear things differently since introduced to them.

“Labyrinthine” is the band’s second record and first for The Flenser, and it’s a 10-track, 55-minute excursion that picks up where 2002’s “Remnants of the Vessel” (our No. 6 album that year) leaves off and then goes into new terrain. Thematically, the band—bassist/vocalist Jenna Garcia, guitarist/vocalist Ari May, drummer Rah Kanan—takes on inner turmoil, personal wounds, and loss, among others, with their heaviness intertwining breath-takingly with softer tones and psychedelic flourishes. This album is one that may take a few visits to truly set in, which was the case for their debut, but it’s easy to instantly be spellbound by the music.

“Iron Gate” bathes in feedback, solemnity and clean singing bubbling, and then the power punches in, adding to the thicker haze. The singing lures while the growls scrape passages beneath, and then voices harmonize. Hypnosis mixes as the energy burns off into the horizon. “Death of Day” has the bass sliding and the guitars trudging, dreamy singing icing over wounds. “White Noise” is muddy at first before cleaner guitars and tingling singing activate emotions, then screams belt, letting lava gust before the temps drop again. “October” is ceremonial and chilly before guitars blaze and churn, a strong chorus pumping blood from a pierced heart. Guitars buzz as the pain permeates the senses, the power surges, and the cosmos swallows everything whole. “Mater Dolorosa” digs in, the singing feeling like a dreamscape, the playing buckling while swimming through tar. Closer “Meet Your Maker” is the longest track at 8:28, and it dissolves into blood, the singing mesmerizing before the fires blast, sweeping with strange speaking and increasingly harrowing shadows. “Labyrinthine” is Faetooth at their most vulnerable, at least to this point, and their ethereal brand of doom remains the type that works best when absorbed in dark silence, with only you and the music there to connect. (Sept. 5)

For more on the band, go here: https://faetooth.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/faetooth

For more on the label, go here: https://nowflensing.com/

What better time to bask in darkness, to snuff out the daylight and exist in the shadows where our sorrows exist and where some of us actually find a semblance of solace not having to face reality for a while? At the same time, having music that also can beckon and even soothe our wounds can be a game changer, knowing we’re not alone in the abyss.

The return of Vancouver’s orchestral doom power Tribunalwas a fitting one, even at the gates of spring and new life when it was unleashed. Their excellent second record “In Penitence and Ruin” is a tour-de-force, an example of a promising band blooming into full beast and exploding from every seam with gothic majesty. This time around, Tribunal are a full unit with original members Soren Mourne (vocals, bass, cello) and Etienne Flinn (vocals, guitar) joined by guitarist Jessica Yang, keyboard player Dallas Alice, and drummer Julia Geaman to form a mightier fist. This record is a concept piece that follows a guilty human who cannot escape the wrong they’ve done and must psychologically weigh the realities of punishment.

“Incarnadine” starts with elegant strings and Mourne’s calling, “I am drowning in tides of guilt,” before Flinn’s shrieks join and bloody faces. The singing and harsh wails intertwine here, as they do often throughout this record, and gothy fury is unleashed, the playing spreading and grows more dramatic, and massive emotion welling as the tides recedes. “A Wound Unhealing” starts similarly, Mourne’s voice gripping you fully before the guttural vocals set in, a spellbinding display that arrests you heart and mind. “Heal these wounds that time forgot,” Mourne pleads, the guitars electrifying their surroundings. “The Penitent” slowly forms, Mourne’s singing awakening as she reaches for the stars, guitars meandering into an ashen aura, growls settling sharply. Leads heat up and melt, Mourne demanding, “Bite my hand and curse my name,” as everything burns off. Closer “Between the Sea and Stars” has drums awakening, strings and keys glimmering, Mourne calling, “The distance cannot make this right,” a sentiment you feel in your bones. You could say that about the whole record, actually. (April 18)

For more on the band, go here: https://tribunaldoom.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/tribunal

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/