TRIBUNAL: Somber Second LP From Vancouver Orchestral Doom Metal Quintet, In Penitence And Ruin, Now Streaming In Its Entirety; Album Sees Release Friday On 20 Buck Spin

photos by Sav Bagshaw

In Penitence And Ruin, the mournful second LP by Vancouver, British Columbia-based orchestral death/doom metal quintet TRIBUNAL, is now streaming in its entirety ahead of its official release on 20 Buck Spin this Friday.

TRIBUNAL 2023 debut The Weight Of Remembrance set a high bar for becoming one of the year’s most notable and praised doom releases, leading Decibel Magazine to include the incoming record in their annual list of most anticipated releases for 2025. The band has taken their time and crafted an opus of enormous scope to echo evermore through halls long abandoned.

Conjured by TRIBUNAL’s new form as a fully fleshed-out quintet – with founding bassist/cellist/vocalist Soren Mourne and guitarist/vocalist Etienne Flinn joined by guitarist Jessica Yang, drummer Julia Geaman, and keyboardist Dallas Alice – In Penitence And Ruin has a wider lens of cohesion and maturity weaving together the widow’s wail of doleful strings, chilling keys, and percussion that tolls like the iron bell of fate. These elements ornament the monolithic foundation of crushing dirge and funereal melodies hewn from the marrow of sorrow itself. A conceptual piece, the songs form a cycle that ruminates on justice and punishment, centering on a guilty Penitent who cannot escape what they have done. The duality between the wistful, impassioned singing of Soren Mourne and agonized growls from Etienne Flinn bind with resolute tread and stride forth into darkness, traversing a path lit only by the pale glow of distant lament.

TRIBUNAL hath wrought a requiem most dire, where beauty and ruin become one and in doing have forged a second album beyond expectations, bold in its exploration of timeless human flaws and eminently listenable as a scripture of loss. Like ivy upon the tombstone, In Penitence And Ruin winds slowly but inexorably towards spectral grandeur and eternal oblivion. A must-hear album for those who worship the work of Candlemass, Blood Ceremony, My Dying Bride, Draconian, Woods Of Ypres, Theatre Of Tragedy, and Jex Thoth.

With additional vocals performed by Rory Say, In Penitence And Ruin was produced by TRIBUNAL and Jesse Gander at Rain City Recorders who also recorded the drums and mixed the album. The songs were then mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios. The cover painting and lettering were crafted by the band’s own Soren Mourne, and the album is completed with layout by Chimere Noire and photography by Sav Bagshaw.

Stream TRIBUNAL’s In Penitence And Ruin in its entirety early at YouTube RIGHT HERE, and if you missed it, watch the “Incarnadine” video HERE.

In Penitence And Ruin will be released this Friday, April 18th on LP, CD, MC, and digital formats. Find preorders and merch at the 20 Buck Spin webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.

Having been forced to cancel their planned shows in Washington in May, including a set at Northwest Terror Fest, TRIBUNAL is booking new live performances in support of the new album, including a newly booked hometown release show for the album on May 18th. Expect more live news to be announced throughout the year.

TRIBUNAL Live:
5/02/2025 Phoenix Bar – Victoria, BC
5/18/2025 The Kingsway Club – Vancouver, BC *album release show

“The album is a powerful exploration of justice and retribution, guilt and atonement, hauntingly textured by Juno-award winning engineer Jesse Gander… The songs are an extreme dichotomy of growling menace and strength in vulnerability.” – Decibel Magazine

“A powder keg ready to erupt for the apocalypse to happen, the tracks can take you into a brutal awakening that is surreal, twisted, and quite the challenge TRIBUNAL have brought together with their second release. And we hope they’ll continue to surprise us with more adventures, waiting across the horizon.” – Echoes And Dust

“The performative and stylized vision of doom metal achieved here is again all-pro, a finely curated creation that invokes some palpable fandom for the greater sub-genre and adds TRIBUNAL‘s own neatly orchestrated touch while also showcasing some clear vocal talent. All of the right bases are covered and once again Mourne‘s own painting acts as an excellent personal touch to the whole undertaking.” – Mystification Zine

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