Tribulation Force being Necromance's third CD, I must be honest, is really good quality goth/industrial like none I've heard, but there are a couple of moments that made me go "snuh?" Those moments are contained in the song "Eternal Life" where, while yes the female voice is quite angelic, I can't help but be reminded of Roxette in the sudden shift in style. Other than that, let me give the rest of the musical assessment:
"Wohl Angetan Von Dieser Welt" is probably one of the weaker songs on the disc, and since it's the first song on the disc, might give a false indication as to how the rest of the disc goes. I don't know, the guitar riff and vocals seem a tad cheesy in delivery. "Tribulation Force" is a really well-done classic orthodox industrial track, enhanced by the German accent (they're from Germany, you know, so it counts). Ah, but my favorite song here, as far as instrumentation goes, has to be "Der Schlafer", as it reminds me of the soundtrack to the PC game Command & Conquer. Very well-orchestrated. Perhaps Necromance's strongest suit on Tribulation Force is their lyrics. I've been asked some questions as to why a Christian band would use a name like Necromance as their moniker, as the word means "to talk with the dead".
Quite frankly, I don't know, but between you and me, anyone who would use the word "necro" in their moniker is all right by me (cough cough). But, one look at the lyric sheet shows some strong Christian theology in the dark, beautiful shadows. "Wohl Angetan Von Dieser Welt" seems to be lifted right from Ecclesiastes. "Tribulation Force" has one of my favorite lyrics: "The day will come- the time will come, I'm waiting for You, Lord. Death, death to the Antichrist! And Jesus be my sword." Kind of makes you all warm n' fuzzy, don't it? Much of what makes up Tribulation Force (the CD) seems to be a delicate balance between the great terror that the earth will face ("The Beyond", "The Beast", "Under The Sign Of The Pyramid"), and the peace and eternal life that the followers of Christ Jesus have("He Is Risen","I Believe"), the same dichotomy that's found in Revelation. Necromance is fast becoming one of my favorite dark Christian acts to date. Tribulation Force is a fine example of good artistic craftsmanship and sound theological thought. Bach would be proud, indeed.
8/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by D_ListerTribulation Force is the name of the third CD by German gothic/industrial band Necromance. With their last CD Wiederuehr der Schmerzen they created a blend of those styles of music that was simply put fantastic. With this new release they maintain both styles of music nicely but seem to have separated them. What I mean is instead of having a song that goes from being goth to being industrial,…Similar sounding releases
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