Perhaps it was 2015’s The Children Of The Night that was the watershed moment for Tribulation. It was almost the conclusion of their evolution from Death Metal to gothic rock ‘n’ roll with an accessibility that retained the darkness that the band had carefully harnessed. This was certainly cemented in 2018’s Down Below, whilst the 2021 opus When The Gloom Becomes Sound saw the Swedes elevate their quality even further.
Tribulation – Sub Rosa In Æternum (Century Media Records)
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Paul Hutchings
Sub Rosa In Æternum marks the first release without songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Hultén (he left the band before When The Gloom was released) and the first for guitarist Joseph Tholl. Not that this is a band that has been resting, for there have been releases, including the 2023 EP Harmartia. 
But we now enter an even more dynamic era as Tribulation move into an album that draws on psychological horror, Italian cinema, British goth and Art Deco opulence. It’s a heady mix that sees the band retain their heaviness whilst all the time demonstrating a fluidity that flows organically from song to song.
Alongside Tholl, the deep, sinister tones of Johannes Andersson (bass/vocals) lightly flow over the guitar work of Adam Zaars and the drumming of Oscar Leander.
Sub Rosa In Æternum, whilst changing approach, remains emphatically Tribulation. From the ghostly openings of The Unrelenting Choir, which starts this intoxicating album, to the swirling finale of Poison Pages, this is an album that will delight. Part Sisters Of Mercy, part The Cult, and part The Damned, it is a witch’s brew that demands to be drunk.
Single Tainted Skies sees Andersson drifting from demonic growls to echoing Vanian-like vocals across a shimmering guitar-led track that occasionally is almost Ghost-like in its style-not surprising given the band’s touring history.
Second single Saturn Coming Down continues the Gothic stomp, with a definite twang of latter day The Damned. Catchy hooks, yet the band keep that slight edge that has permeated their music for many years. It may not be anything revolutionary, but there is a certain pull that makes this band irresistible.
One might level a little bit of repetition on some of their tracks. Hungry Waters and Drink The Love of God share several similarities, in part due to Andersson’s imposing vocals, but each song brings something a little different to the party.
The tempo is unrelenting throughout, but it is where the growling vocals kick in that the band show their former colours and the grittier side of their sound. Time – The Vivid Ore is one such track where Andersson decides to take the gruffer route. It works on every level, bringing back their nastiness, which has largely been removed from their music.
The western twang of the dual guitars is another element of this album that has developed, although they still retain elements of their earlier roots. When they do slow things down, as they do on Reaping Song, Tribulation retain that horror element. There’s a brooding menace over this track, a devilish shadow that proves it is not all 100mph riffs that give the heaviness to a track.
Here is an example of why Tribulation are masters of their craft, building a dynamic soundtrack which incorporates much more than the usual guitars, bass and drums.
There’s much more I could write about Sub Rosa In Æternum. Instead, I invite you to cross into the darkness and experience another fine album from a band who improve with every release.
Tribulation bring the Sub Rosa Europa Tour to the UK in February 2025. Tickets are available from here.
Last Month, Tribulation dropped a cinematic music video for the single, Murder In Red. “Draped in the velvet of violent cinema, Murder In Red is our operatic homage to the beauty of the macabre,” Guitarist Adam Zaars said. “Haunting and deadly. With a lot of encouragement from the band, Brendan went full Giallo on the video, conjuring up his inner Argento to create this truly memorable music video filled with references and passion. It was a pleasure working both with him and Damon again.”
“There’s no better way to visually embrace Tribulation’s evolution into their new sound,” Brendan McGowan said, “than with a music video heavily inspired by ’80s Giallo classics like Blood And Black Lace, Inferno, and, of course, Suspiria. After hearing the first lyric, ‘I found her by the side of the road/lips still glowing like embers,’ the entire concept immediately revealed itself.
“Murder is terrifying, but what’s more terrifying than the self and the shadow? Our character hasn’t simply died, she’s ‘joined the dead.’ We were fortunate enough to be able to film at a number of old and allegedly haunted locations in West Virginia with tons of cooperation from the folks in town [The video’s bartender at The Troubadour is the owner of the real Troubadour bar].
“Combining the psychedelic colours, nostalgic VHS footage, and Katrina’s hypnotising and dualistic performance with the cinematic language of ’80s Italian horror perfectly supports the eerie atmosphere of this very cool track by Tribulation. Special thanks to Damón Zurawski, who returned to help with band footage, and to Sylvia Poehler from The Troubadour in Berkeley Springs.”
