Some metal artists are easily associated with one genre. Cannibal Corpse plays death metal. Cannibal Corpse has always played death metal, and one can hope they always will (I don't see Corpsegrinder releasing power metal anytime soon). Municipal Waste writes some terrible form of thrash, and probably always will. I don't see Dark Funeral releasing any djent in their career, just as I really can't see Dream Theater putting out any deathcore.
Some groups are not easily defined by one single subgenre, however. These groups write music that may evolve and expand boundaries past any sort of label. Another case is that of a complete change in genre, such as when Paradise Lost released some new wave albums, or when Ulver went from black metal to synthpop. Some bands may fuse genres and release some albums in one style and others in a fusion of that style and another. For instance Woods of Ypres' sound changed and developed over time and included black metal, doom, and folk. Burzum's Filosofem consisted of black metal, ambient, and a unique combination of the two.
Some groups can't be classified under any sort of subgenre title. Ulver is a notable example of this, as is Primus. Anaal Nathrakh are certainly the most prominent band that come to mind in regards to this category, fusing black metal, industrial metal, and grindcore to make something entirely new and unique.
I would say that Tribulation are a good mix of traditional heavy metal, black metal, gothic metal (in an Edgar Allan Poe sort of way, not in a Type O Negative sense), and psychedelic rock, with death metal influences being incredibly strong in their early work. Some even accused Tribulation of being an Entombed clone at the time of their emergence.
Down Below seamlessly incorporates a great deal of different sounds in its production. Upon first listening to this album, I was strongly reminded of both Nachtmystium and Dark Tranquility. Johannes Andersson's vocals remind me strongly of both of these bands (particularly of Mikael Stanne's harsh vocals on Atoma and Blake Judd's vocals on The World We Left Behind or Assassins: Black Meddle, Part I). The instrumental side of the album is reminiscent of Nachtmystium as well, featuring slow black metal riffage with psychedelic influences. The use of synths, when present, also reminds me very much of Atoma, but these are perhaps more effectively used here on Down Below.
Noting that these similarities by no means implies that Tribulation stole from these bands in any way, as this album sounds absolutely like a piece of Tribulation's work. This album is a clear progression from 2015's The Children of the Night, an excellent album I discovered unfortunately long after I had put out my album of the year list for that year.
If one were to compare Down Below to Tribulation's previous album, one would find a much more polished album that is much more linear in its progression. Down Below's tracks do not work as well as single songs as they do a much greater part of the album as a whole, and for this reason I will spend more time speaking on the overall impressions of the album rather than breaking it down into a track-by-track review like that of my two previous reviews.
Down Below has an excellent structure with no filler or notable down points. The entire album works effectively as one cohesive piece of music, where one could pick out nearly any track from the album and receive the same quality as any other song. The bleak, melancholy atmosphere prevalent throughout the album is established through vocals with hints of reverb and delay, as well as gloomy guitar melodies. The guitar tone on this album is excellent, something you can tell that Adam Zaars and Jonathan Hultén have worked on since the early days of Tribulation. The guitars are distorted much more like that of a traditional heavy metal band than that of an extreme metal group, giving this album a very distinctive sound. This traditional distortion, along with mid-tempo riffs lead to the further development of the melancholy atmosphere present on Down Below. The synths are wispy and airy, which is absolutely crucial to this atmosphere of this album. The songwriting and structure of individual tracks is exceptional, and the lyrical content is rather fitting for the album. It must be noted that this content is much more mature than that of Tribulation's early work, which featured song titles such as "Seduced by the Smell of Flesh" and "Zombie Holocaust", both of which sound like song titles from my high school grindcore band. Of course, this just reiterates Tribulation's growth overtime, which has occurred not only lyrically but musically as well. The guitar melodies and use of synthesizers really make this album stand out in recent releases.The section from about the three minute mark to about the three minute and fifty second mark in "Subterranea" displays this sort of sound well (this song will be linked below, as will the lead single for the album, "The Lament"). The drums are not nearly as high in the mix as in releases before The Children of the Night, but they still sound great. New drummer Oscar Leander does not disappoint.
I think that what Down Below offers most, however, is the opportunity for recognition with a wider metal audience. I know that in the progression of my musical taste, discovering bands which combine elements from multiple genres may open a person up to these influences. Woods of Ypres made my appreciation for both doom and black metal grow, Behemoth made me love death metal and black metal, and Nachtmystium made me greater appreciate psychedelic rock. Down Below will likely have a similar effect on those who stumble upon this record. I wish I had the opportunity to discover extreme metal through this album.
I think Down Below deserves an 8.4/10, with my only complaints being relevant to the volume of the drums in the mix and the slight monotony of sound throughout the album. I believe that this album will further cement Tribulation's place as one of the most unique band to become popular in the 2010's, along with Pallbearer and Deafheaven, to name a few.
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