TRIBULATION

It didn't take TRIBULATION too long to focus in on their most effective means of expression. 2009's "The Horror" was a riveting first effort, but its haunted house death metal was merely a contrivance, as the true spirit of the band began to emerge. For the last decade, the Swedes have been in a state of perpetual evolution, heading ever further down the left-hand path, but increasingly impervious to extreme metal's narrow vision. Instead, albums like "The Children of the Night" (2015) and 2021's "Where the Gloom Becomes Sound" have edged purposefully towards an inspirational blend of gothic metal and classic rock, with the scowling aura of spooky post-punk omnipresent in the background. As hinted at by the cover of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's "Vengeance (The Pact)" that appeared on 2023's "Hamartia" EP, TRIBULATION are taking a more direct musical approach these days, but "Sub Rosa In Æternum" is still neck deep in macabre atmosphere. The perfect accompaniment to Spooky Season, this is the Swedes' most evocative and sophisticated record by some distance.

A major part of TRIBULATION's appeal, at least since 2013's scenery-shifting "The Formulas of Death", has been their ability to revel in gothic mystique while still delivering the adrenalin rush that great rock 'n' roll bands demand as a matter of self-respect. "Sub Rosa In Æternum" has many moments that stray from the prosaic path, but these songs are at their most effective when at their most accessible. While losing nothing in terms of heaviness, the likes of "The Unrelenting Choir" and "Tainted Skies" are fueled by big rock energy and a newfound sense of sonic space. Riffs rage forward, vocalist/bassist Johannes Andersson spits supernatural threats, and a myriad, dark ambient touches pulse and shiver like some benign ghostly presence.

Vastly more unsettling than any number of self-consciously evil black metal records, these are insidious missives from the dark, executed with elegance. "Time and the Vivid One" is an opulent melodrama with a horror flick soundtrack fetish. "Reaping Song" is a glowering tale of devastation, with echoes of Nick Cave at his ultra-gothic best, and a miraculous guitar solo that has seems to have been kidnapped from the arcane, analogue past. Elsewhere, "Poison Pages" is an out-and-out gothic rock boot stomper, with spidery punk guitars, a booming, theatrical vocal from Andersson, and a chorus that inadvertently owes its hairspray and mascara to THE DAMNED's goth phase of the mid '80s. In contrast, "Murder in Red" assimilates black-hearted synth-pop into the Swedes' refined hybrid, with bubbling electronics and faux-medieval guitar histrionics.

Most gripping of all is "Hungry Waters": a deliciously overwrought anti-ballad with a mischievous streak, it makes no bones about its debt to THE CURE circa "Disintegration" but takes that inspiration deep into the woods on a moonless night and slits its throat in the name of nefarious heavy metal. TRIBULATION are growing stronger with each successive album. "Sub Rosa In Æternum" is a ghoulish and potentially career-defining triumph.