It’s been a bumpy couple of years for Swedes Tribulation. Their 2020/21 release Where the Gloom Becomes Sound saw the departure of Jonathan Hultén, a key force in the band’s song writing arsenal. Their follow-up single The Dhampir, was also penned by Hultén, so the arrival of the band’s new four-track EP Harmartia is the first opportunity for fans to hear music which has the contribution of new guitarist Joseph Tholl.
First listens are good. The band has continued to cast their gothic darkness, the mystical spell which has evolved over their more recent albums as they moved to the outlands of their origins in the Swedish death metal movement. With Tholl now working with guitarist Adam Zaars as well as bassist/singer Johannes Andersson and drummer Oscar Leander.
The title track starts the EP, and it’s a blisteringly good song that bounces along with the band’s driving style, a sharper, dare I say demonic vibe that has a vicious undercurrent with Andersson snarling, the echoing gothic elements all present but with a nastier touch. The guitar work is fluid, crafted, and spellbinding. There’s a swagger which is addictive, the band clearly back on form and following the recognisable Tribulation sound.
The production is crisp, whilst retaining enough gloom to ensure that there’s a mist of secrecy and shadowy intent. The second track “Axis Mundi” is penned by Tholl, although Zaars is at pains to point out that they worked much closer on the songs than had happened since 2015’s Children of the Night. “Axis Mundi” sits comfortably between the two Zaars penned songs, and whilst there is no little melody, the sinister, evil sound remains. It’s a dramatic and captivating song. That’s clearly how Zaars feels. “I’d say the new songs are a bit more cynical, harsher in a way,” says Zaars. “Because I’ve found some of the material on Where the Gloom Becomes Sound a bit, I don’t know, light, I guess? Hopeful, even? There’s less hope on this one!”
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What does the title even mean though? Well, Zaars explains. “Hamartia is a Greek word, from the Hellenistic times, so it’s from the language the early Bibles were written in. “Literally it means ‘to miss the mark’, but in the New Testament and in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it means ‘sin’. That contradiction and change of use helps to explain the attraction.
The darkness is all enveloping on track three, “Hemoclysm”, a track about the 20th century, the history of ideas and how naïve the century was in many ways. In particular, the foundations of communism, fascism, and the like. Gloom and doom dominate, as one would expect on such a stark subject. It’s also a change of direction, at least lyrically by Tribulation, with some sweeping piano/synths of note in the soundscapes that the band carve.
The EP finishes with a brave and successful version of the Blue Öyster Cult track, “Vengeance (The Pact)”, drawn from the Martin Birch-produced 1981 album Fire of Unknown Origin. It’s a great attempt at a song which sits outside BOC’s more recognised tunes, and although Andersson retains his gruffness, the band inject some harmonies and melody into the song, with backing vocals from Joseph and Robert Pehrsson. It works in almost every way and understandably, Tribulation is pleased with the outcome.
With talk of a new album, this four-track EP is a sign that one of the metal world’s most enigmatic and mysterious bands are now returning to form. A new, exciting chapter awaits.
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Harmartia is out on April 7th
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