The direction Tribulation heads on Sub Rosa In Æternum (Century Media Records) has been a long time coming. You can’t call a band goth without them eventually turning to the dark side. The Swedes started as a Death Metal band that flirted with the shadowy atmosphere, but never bore the Sisters of Mercy Halloween trappings they were credited with. Until this album. The sung vocals that open the first song solidify this; this may be the final step over this threshold for them. Johannes Andersson has sung on their previous albums in smaller doses, but this album finds him committed to it.

The growled vocals do not surface until the second song. “Saturn Coming Down” makes it clear that one of the key benefits of including sung vocals is it helps distinguish them as their Swedish metal entity, and they no longer sound like a mellower version of Watain. However, In doing so the compromise here is melody supersedes the last vestiges of aggression needed to still consider these guys a death metal band. They have been growing away from that for the past couple of albums. 

It doesn’t matter if they are Death Metal as they are writing good songs. The vocals allow the songs to go in places where growling would limit them. This is growth but still might require a few listens for it to sink in. If they wanted to they could have played some of these riffs more heavily, but this is where they were when it came down to writing songs. “Drink the Love of God” carries a more post-Punk feel. There is a cool breakdown where the guitar solo lands, and a great deal of killer guitar work on this album. It often takes them in a more rock-n-roll direction. So much so, that they even mellow out into a 69 Eyes-like power ballad for “Murder In Red.” They are still harder than most Goth Rock bands as heard on the punchy riff it builds up into. 

The growling returns on “Time.” It is enough to give their older fan base a taste, though this is not an angry album. If you think of their past work they never would have been thought of as the heaviest or angriest death metal band even back in the days when harsher vocals were the song’s only narrative. Their strength as a band has always focused on writing songs with emotional, depth. They are still doing this even with the last vestiges of death metal stripped away. 

Perhaps they push too far from their sweet spot on “Reaping Song” and “Poison Rages” offers little rage, but is well constructed with its more Sisters of Mercy feel. This album is going to be divisive, but it’s a logical progression for them as songwriters. If you liked the dark side of their previous work, then this step further into those shadows will make sense. Fans of dark metal who have not yet checked these guys out should check this one out, as they are ready to embrace a new audience who smells of clove cigarettes. 

Buy the album here:
https://tribulation.lnk.to/SubRosaInAeternum

9 / 10 
WIL CIFER
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