Fog creeps across a modest stage, four silhouettes take form amongst the shadows, eerie organ music swells while a crowd softly murmurs, cheers, then falls silent—anticipating the next booming ballad.  Tribulation‘s first live album and latest release, Alive & Dead at Södra Teatern, will bring you to the theater in Stockholm, Sweden applauding with the fans.  Tribulation puts on an incredible live show and if you have not had the opportunity to see them in concert, this album will give you a clear idea of the band’s powerful presence and performance.

Alive & Dead at Södra Teatern is in two sets, beginning with the band’s fourth studio album, Down Below (released last year), played from start to finish.  The second half of the album is a selection of songs from various earlier albums, as well as new interludes including a haunting guitar solo from Adam Zaars and Jonathan Hultén.

Live albums can be a gamble.  Will the vocals be lost behind heavily amplified guitars?  Will the sounds of the crowd overpower the music?  Here, not to worry.  Alive & Dead at Södra Teatern is beautifully recorded, edited, and produced.  The cheers from the crowd are faded in and out for just the right amount of energy and hype.  The instruments and vocals are crystal clear and perfectly blended without any piece being lost.

Released alongside the album is a DVD of the performance at Södra Teatern.  Some of this footage can be found on YouTube under Century Media Records’ official channel.  The videos are a perfect taste of a Tribulation live performance.  The stage is dark with beams, then flashes of monochromatic lights—a simple setup which lets the band members and the music rightfully steal the show.  Jonathan Hultén’s fluid, entrancing movement paired with Oscar Leander’s hasty drumming is bewitching.  The band’s gothic/black metal/epic musical style is accentuated through their macabre lyrics and gothicized corpse paint—all of which is displayed larger than life here.

Tribulation has built on their dark craft since their debut album The Horror released about 10 years ago.  With two EPs, four studio albums, and now a live album, Tribulation has a robust discography.  Through Alive & Dead at Södra Teatern, you can invite Tribulation (along with hundreds of cheering fans) into your home/car/gym/blood sacrifice ritual or wherever you indulge in epic metal. This album will have you itching to see them and craving an encore.

– Angela

Alive & Dead at Södra Teatern will be available November 15 on Metal Blade Records. For more information on Tribulation visit their official website.