Tribulation-The Horror

Pulverized
2009

Around say 87-89 thrash metal was peaking and it was also becoming a crowded scene. It was difficult for new bands to establish themselves and get noticed amidst a growing pack of acts. Now two decades later it is probably even more difficult for up and coming thrash bands. It's an increasingly bloated scene plus these bands have to deal with being compared with all the thrash bands of the past. The task of establishing themselves doesn't seem to bother Sweden's Tribulation though. The influences are obvious as I hear Kreator, Sodom, Possessed and Morbid Angel. They don't rely too much on any one influence which is probably to their advantage in the end. Now I do have to say that the second half or so of this album was much better than the first. The first four or five songs seem to lack character. They just chugged along without a great deal of direction or intensity. After that Tribulation pick up the pace and begin to sound like they really mean it. During the second half of the album there are far more pace changes and even some fine explosive bursts. I certainly cannot say that Tribulation are one of the top thrash acts going today. They simply are not consistent or powerful enough to deserve that kind of praise. However they knocked out part of a really good album. This is definitely a band with some potential, they just need to gather everything together and be able to bring all they can to every song on the album.