Tribunal : "In Penitence And Ruin"

 This Canadian band offers a symphonic take on doom with plenty of melodrama. The vocals switch from a dramatic female vocal to a snarled, harsher vocal. The drums could come up in the mix. They make an honest attempt to sound dark enough. Still, after the first song, for this album to win me over, they will have to dig down to even darker places, as it sounds like they are just dressing up for Halloween here; I need to hear some real emotional connection to despair.  

The second song makes me think the singer might just be putting on a performance more than evoking the sense of mourning doom should have. The guitars certainly get this as they are carrying everything here so far. I appreciate the effort of not just going with the growled vocal as that would have gotten old as well. When her vocals sit back in the mix, it improves the overall feel. She has a strong voice, it's not always where she puts it, but the emotion she is or is not invoking to get it there that still finds me on the fence with her.

The songs begin to run together as the formula shifts into more of a call and response between the harsh vocal and the main sung vocal. The riffs to "Armoured in Shadow" have a more depressive mood. The vocals do not contribute much and continue to croon in the same manner they have for the bulk of the album. Even when the growled vocals come in to add more menace, it just sounds like a hundred doom bands I have already heard. 

The last song has more groove thanks to the drums setting things in motion. While I like it better than many of the album's songs, my overall feel for this album is that it does not grab me personally, even though I am normally a fan of their brand of doom. Perhaps this is where the problem lies as these kids are very derivative of other bands that most doom fans should be fluent in, so unless you are really young and just getting into metal and do not know shit about shit, then you might think this is very original. If you are a long-time fan of doom, you more than likely are already into My Dying Bride and Candlemass and do not need an imitation of those bands. Or maybe you just like to masturbate to the idea of girls playing instruments. I am not out to kink shame here, so if that is the case, you might round this up from the 7 I am giving this album. 

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