Heavy Song of the Week: Tribulation Dance Between Death, Prog, and Power Metal on “Axis Mundi”
The post Heavy Song of the Week: Tribulation Dance Between Death, Prog, and Power Metal on “Axis Mundi” appeared first on Consequence.
Heavy Song of the Week is a new feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week the honor goes to Tribulation’s “Axis Mundi.”
New Tribulation is always a cause for celebration. The Swedish metallers tend to take their sweet time between releases, and after a quiet 2022, they’re set to return with a four-song EP, Harmatia, on April 7th.
“Axis Mundi” is the second single from the EP and a delightful romp through the various styles of metal in Tribulation’s musical lexicon. The central riff has an almost Southern Mastodon/Baroness bite to it, while the forward motion and triumphant lead work — a Tribulation staple — are pure power metal. Toss in the growled death metal vocals and a sharply written prog-ish arrangement, and you’ve got what can only be described as a Tribulation song — too idiosyncratic for rote categorization.
Commented Guitarist Adam Zaars via a press statement: “Being the first composition by [guitarist] Joseph Tholl, [“Axis Mundi”] offers the listener and the viewer a new set of flavors and hues to the palate, and from the palette that constitutes the egregore that is Tribulation. A new year calls for a fresh start, so please consider making this a part of the soundtrack to yours.”
— Jon Hadusek,
Senior Staff Writer
Honorable Mentions:
Enslaved – “Forest Dweller”
Whether they’re playing black metal or prog or both, Norway’s Enslaved have always imbued their music with symbols and allusions to their homeland and its Nordic history. “Forest Dweller,” the latest single from their forthcoming album Heimdal, is a fine example. While the clean vocals, lush production, and technical guitarwork fall firmly under the framework of prog, an awareness of the past — and a yearning for it — are at the core of the song, conjuring that transportive escapism so often associated with Scandinavian black metal. Invoking nature, spirituality, and nature with a literary aptitude, Enslaved once again prove why they are one of the most respected bands to emerge from Norway’s black metal scene, even if they’ve matured far beyond the sonic limitations of that genre.
Motörhead – “Greedy Bastards”
“Greedy Bastards” was unveiled as the final studio bonus track on the upcoming Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic collection, which expands on Motörhead’s final 2015 album. Being that the song is more of a mid-tempo ballad — somewhat unconventional for the band — it’s understandable that it was initially left off the original tracklist, which is a full A-to-Z sprint otherwise. On its own, however, “Greedy Bastards” is a fetching change-up for Motörhead. Opening with a monologue from the late Lemmy Kilmister, the song laments political corruption and the selfishness of its practitioners. Well-trodden lyrical content in the realms of punk and heavy metal; but in the context of a ballad, Lemmy’s disillusionment with The System is that much more tangible.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – “Ultimate Hammer”
Pigs x7 (as we’ll refer to them) might have the weirdest band name ever, but to call their bizarre choice of nomenclature a gimmick would be to dismiss a decades-worth of quality heavy psych. Unfortunately, their last album Viscerals dropped in April 2020 right after lockdown, halting the momentum the Pigs had been riding up to that point. Picking up where they left off, the band is back in 2023 with a new album Land of Sleeper and more head-nodding stoner rock as heard on the single “Ultimate Hammer.” The bellowed vocals are the highlight here, equally campy and ominous a la Sleep or Electric Wizard.
Heavy Song of the Week: Tribulation Dance Between Death, Prog, and Power Metal on “Axis Mundi”
Jon Hadusek
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