In Penitence and Ruin is the second album from Canada's Tribunal, a band that plays doom metal with beauty-and-the-beast vocals. They do a good job creating a heavy, gloomy atmosphere throughout the album, and bassist/cellist Soren Mourne has a wonderfully clear and powerful voice that helps convey the somber emotions the band is striving to get across. The harsh vocals are OK, neither adding nor subtracting much and I wonder how much more impactful the songs could be if they put Mourne out front more. As it is, the songwriting is long on atmosphere but short on hooks, so I like In Penitence and Ruin while it is on but haven't formed any lasting impressions despite several listens. While I don't think Tribunal is living up to their potential quite yet, you can get glimpses of what the future might hold on In Penitence and Ruin.
