Ramblings from the Rail: Tribulation/Black Anvil/Cloak
Date:10/9/18
Bands: Tribulation, Black Anvil (Direct support), and Cloak (Local support)
Venue: The Masquerade-Hell
Hell wasn’t half full as Swedish Blackened/Death/Psych Metal rockers, Tribulation brought their 2018 tour to Atlanta and played a set that can only be described as transcendent. Cloak offered local support and Black Anvil provided direct support from New York. All of the bands left it on the stage this night and the fans reciprocated in kind.
Cloak took the stage and the crowd erupted. There are quite a few local bands that are at the top of their genre – Death Of Kings, Gunpowder Grey, and Paladin to name a few, but the crowd that night was there to see Cloak. This was my first time seeing them, and they lived up to all of the accolades I had heard about them. Selecting them as support was a brilliant move on Tribulation’s part as their music is similar in style, but each band makes the music their own. Some highlights from their set were Beyond the Veil and Forever Burned. I can’t emphasize how great these guys are, and you should make any every attempt to see them. Scott, Max, Matt, and Sean are great guys and are going big places. I promise you won’t regret checking them out, if you’re not already a fan.
BlackAnvil was up next. I remember watching them when they opened for Skeletonwitch and Ghoul a few years back. I remember texting my buddy about how boring they were. During the first couple of songs this time around, my thoughts drifted to what I was going to write about these guys. They played great, were professional, but just were kinda boring; nothing to make them stand out in a crowd. But then out of the blue came something I haven’t seen in years that completely grabbed me… they slowed down and played some really groovy material; very much like Type O Negative. This stuff was great. While they didn’t announce any of their songs, and not being familiar with their body of work I had to do some research, but I believe it was As Was from their 2017 release by the same name. Another track that blew me away was As an Elder Learned Anew, from the same album. Again, they delivered on a unique sound that was missing from my scope of music. I hope the guys in the band take a cue and continue to move in this direction and away from the average blackened death stuff they do, as they could really be something special.
I have seen Tribulation three times over the past five years and they have progressed so much in that time. The first time I saw their show, they opened for In Solitude and Watain. I’ll totally admit I didn’t think very much of them, but I didn’t hate them. Then they released the critically acclaimed Children of The Night album and landed a spot on the 2016 Decibel tour with High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, and Abbath. They were great and I wished they were playing a longer set. In 2018, I got my wish as they were in support of the latest release Down Below. It was absolutely amazing. They opened the set with Lady Death, which is their new 7”; it was amazing live and led straight into Melancholia. The set list flowed like no other show I have seen, one song transitioning into the other. Guitarist Jonathan Hulten played flawlessly as he moved effortlessly across the stage, almost with the grace of a ballet dancer, while ripping through songs. One of the things I appreciated most was that Jonthan and Adam Zarrs, the other guitarist, were each given a chance to solo for a little bit to showcase their talents. Very refreshing to see. This was the first tour without drummer Jakob Ljungberg, but Oscar Leander took his place seamlessly. They closed out the show with fan favorites Strange Gateways Beckon and Lacrimosa.
Tribulation has finally made it to headline status and they deserve every minute of it. I am so glad I have been along on the ride. Their music almost defies a genre, but they are so powerful live. The energy flowing from the stage surpasses all expectations. I have seen quite a few shows this year and the performance from Tribulation truly stands out the show of the year for me. Thank you guys so much and I look forward to seeing you as soon as you can make it back stateside.
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