Vancouver

Tribunal, The Weight Of Remembrance (20 Buck Spin 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

The debut album from Tribunal is aswirl with hypnotic gothic doom, The Weight Of Remembrance.

Originating in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tribunal is a relatively new band, having formed only three years ago. Their focus is doom music, and they create it by integrating clean and coarse vocals, big doom guitar riffs, and classical instruments like piano and cello. The resulting composition are absolutely captivating, achieving an alchemical synergy that does not seem quite possible. Tribunal is Soren Mourne (bass, cello, vocals) and Etienne Flinn (guitar, vocals). Session musicians include Julia Geaman (drums), Claine Lamb (piano), and Rory Say (additional vocals).

“Initiation” opens the creaking doors and, given its effect, could not have been better titled because it does not merely introduce you to the music you be hearing for the next many minutes, it also prepares you for it. “Of Creeping Moss and Crumbled Stone” follows with a grand and sweeping hopelessness. The guitars are the driving force, and the vocals add tortured humanity to the music. “Apathy’s Keep” showcases the clean vocal, adding vile emanations to temper the sorrowful elixir. “Remembrance” is a short piano piece that raises the question of jeopardy amongst the decay.

The second half of the album holds more dark delights. “A World Beyond Shadow” is as stark as an arctic desert. Sinister whispers float in from the indeterminant nearness, exposing a dire possibility for the eventual destination of your soul. “Without Answer” pairs strings with gruff voice at its inception. Cautious vocals follow, tempered not by fear but by spiritual gravity. The final movement is the twelve-minute epic, “The Path.” The music is enthralling and, as I said at the beginning, hypnotic. The integration of classical instruments into a modern doom setting has been attempted before but rarely has achieved this level of success. This album should be at the top of the queue for every doom metal fan. Highly recommended.

The Weight Of Remembrance is out now through 20 Buck Spin. Touch the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/the-weight-of-remembrance

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/TribunalDoom/

20 Buck Spin Label, https://www.20buckspin.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Tribunal, The Weight Of Remembrance (20 Buck Spin 2023)

The Black Halos, How The Darkness Doubled (Stomp Records 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Canadian punk-n-roll band The Black Halos are back with a new album, How The Darkness Doubled, twenty three years after their first.

Think back to 2001 when the iconic underground record label Sub Pop released The Violent Years, The Black Halos’ second album. It was a big success for the Vancouver band, riding hot on the heels of their self-titled debut from a couple years before. There were a series of line-up changes after that, and the band came together and drifted apart several times over the years. They did release several more records, EPs, and compilations. How The Darkness Doubled is their fifth studio long-player. Original songwriters Billy Hopeless, Rich Jones, and Jay Millette, have reunited now and are joined by new members John Kerns and Danni Action.

The record begins with “A History of Violence,” a peppy snarler. The vocals are a combination of melodic and a bit of a growl, and the catchy music features unforgettable singalong lines that will have the crowds at live shows joining in. “Tenement Kids” follows with a slight downshift in tempo and an upshift in attitude. Different still, “Uncommonwealth” brings an insistent urgency in the delivery. With these opening songs, and all of them, truly, the guitars are the driving force, and the vocals are what make the music stick in your head.

There are a dozen songs on the new record, each one its own individual implementation of the band’s unique, appealing style. Stand out tracks include “Better Days” – see the video for a feel of the band in action in 2022, and “A Positive Note,” the closer and one of my personal favorites of the set. I am glad to hear new music from The Black Halos, and I hope this album is a sign of more to come. Recommended.

How The Darkness Doubled is out now. You can get the digital at Bandcamp – the vinyl might be sold out by now. Follow the links below to find out.

Band photo by Michael Crusty.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://theblackhalos.bandcamp.com/album/how-the-darkness-doubled

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackHalos/

Stomp Records, https://stomprecords.com/shop/how-the-darkness-doubled/

© Wayne Edwards

The Black Halos, How The Darkness Doubled (Stomp Records 2022)

Atræ Bilis, Apexapien (20 Buck Spin 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , ,

The first full-length album from Canadian Death Metal venturers Atræ Bilis is a warning shot across the bow of musical mediocrity.

Formed in 2018, Vancouver Death Metal band Atræ Bilis released its first album last year, Divinihility, through Transcending Obscurity. That EP was an earth-shaker that created anticipation for what the band might do next. Apexapien answers that question. The band is Luka Govednik (drums), Jordan Berglund (vocals), Brendan Campbell (bass), and David Stepanavicius (guitar).

The opener is a two minute stabbing attack, “Theta.” Absolutely furious. Death Metal vocals break through in the next rack, “Lore Beyond Bone,” featuring harmonies and frenetic percussion and guitar accompaniment. It is like a flock of birds in rapid flight, undulating and twisting but somehow always retuning to a recognizable form.

The album treads this line throughout, the chaos-in-order brutal technical Death Metal. While the style is present on every track, variations abound. Blackened harmonic vocals interact synergistically, especially on tracks like “Hymn of the Flies.” These are some of my favorite moments on the album, but I am impressed overall by the ability and ingenuity of the musical enterprise.

You can hear all manner of labelable crystals in the music from the discordant to perpendicular angularity to experimental avant-garde. To make these diverse ingredients into a workable whole is an accomplishment in and of itself, but to make them musically sound is nearly impossible because if you make one wrong step then it is just noise. Atræ Bilis never take a wrong a step. Recommended.

Apexapien is out on Friday, October 8th through 20 Buck Spin. The vinyl will be out a little later as all record labels deal with the backlog at the vinyl pressers.

Band photo by Derek Carr.

Links.

Atræ Bilis Linktree, https://linktr.ee/atraebilis

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/atraebilis

20 Buck Spin, https://www.20buckspin.com/

Atræ Bilis, Apexapien (20 Buck Spin 2021)