Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, ‘Hamartia‘ (a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine), is nothing short of spellbinding.
From the opening moments of the opening title track, ‘Hamartia‘ is a perfect example of how utterly compelling Tribulation are as songwriters. Expect layers of melody, dressed in rich sonic attire that are fed from a dark and sinister embryo, buried very deep in the blackened heart of the bands DNA.
With the surprising (and very unexpected) departure of Jonathan Hultén (who wanted to focus on his solo career), the worry was that the band would loose their wonderfully dark charm, however that quickly evaporated upon the release of their 2021, offering, ‘Where the Gloom Becomes Sound‘, although, not as iconic as their previous two releases (2015’s ‘The Children of the Night‘, and 2018’s ‘Down Below‘, ‘Hamartia‘ is an invigorating blast of creativity that boasts of confidence and maturity, right from the opening moments of the title track.
Following that, ‘Axis Mundi‘ swells into a glorious groove with twin guitars from Adam Zaars, and Joseph Tholl, complemented by wonderful sinister vocals from Johannes Andersson, that creep up your spine, and a pulsing chores that only Tribulation could pull off.
The true magic of this EP continues to blossom with the stunning ‘Hemoclysm‘, and the fourth (and final) offering, ‘Vengeance (The Path)‘ which, to be honest could be a track from Ghost’s 2013 sophomore, ‘Infestissumam‘, and this is where the maturity in Tribulation’s songwriting truly propels towards greatness. There is so much attention to detail, both with the composition, and overall aural aesthetic, which instantly transports the listener to dark and ominous dimensions.
If ‘Hamartia‘ is the entree to the bands next album, then prepare for magnificent things.
5/5
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2023
