With this year’s release of The Children of the Night, Tribulation have successfully won over the majority of us here at Nine Circles. And let’s be real, our opinion is what really matters. The Swedish group has had one hell of a 2015 and to keep that trend moving they have dropped a new video for “Melancholia”. Their eerie take on black metal is both impressive and fascinatingly catchy, and this visual piece accompanies the style brilliantly.

You may have noticed this video in one of our Cantos from the past week. To be honest, I don’t remember what day it was exactly… but it was definitely there. Regardless, I’m excited to spend a little more time discussing this band, and this video, now. See, I was first introduced to the black n’ rollers back in January when they opened for Behemoth at The House of Blues down in Boston. I’ve been following them since, and I’ll be seeing them again in just over a week when they open for Deafheaven, also in Boston. Part of what makes them so interesting is how their sound, their performances, and their music videos, all fit the same mysterious stylistic brand that they have done well to make their own.

I don’t need to spend much time discussing their sound in detail, however, as we have covered it on both The Nine Circles Podcast and as a full review on the blog. The video, on the other hand, is definitely worth studying. With a vampiric quality, Tribulation alternate between scenes of low-lighted forests and a (presumed) pale Johannes Andersson barking the lyrics at us in black and white. But there is no truly cohesive story on the surface. There is a focus on virtually all levels of darkness from one scene to another. From the sorrow of one individual walking deliberately into the black depths of an isolate lake to the solitude visualized by another moving in rhythmic conjunction with the music, very from emotional stones are left unturned. It’s a lot to analyze and absorb, but it’s definitely interesting enough to do so. I’m done trying, so feel free to figure it out for yourselves below.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– Corey