It was only in 2022 that Candelabrum Metal Fest dared to bring Tribulation to the country for the first time, a group that has been gaining some popularity in several countries in recent years.
We well know that the story of Tribulation began to be told in 2004 as something more focused on death metal, but the turn they made towards a darker proposal has earned them more popularity and proof of this is that since their album The Children of the Nightthe number of shows increased considerably, in 2015 alone they offered almost 100 presentations.
This year the group was once again on the lips of Mexicans thanks to the announcement that they would be the opening act at the show Ghost at the Palacio de los Deportes, but for his staunchest fans he wanted a solo presentation in the capital, and that is how Candelabrum ventured to have that long-awaited long-duration show that many of us were waiting for.
The appointment just one day before doing the same with Ghost, on August 17 in a concert hall almost unknown to those who like metal, the Supremo in Colonia Doctores.
Matalobos, the national proposal that fit ideally
As the first act we had the national band Wolf killerwho with this proposal that has characterized them since 2014 and that combines elements of doom and death metal proved to be a band that fit very well with this show, they even carried two vertical banners that even matched the Tribulation blanket that was there. hanging at the back of the stage.
Another aspect that helped Matalobos is that they had very good audio, ensuring that people will connect in a good way and will have a great taste in their mouths while listening to songs like “Macabre”, “Derelict” and “Ignis Spiritus Morte”.
Matalobos setlist on Supremo
- Built by Souls
- Macabre
- Derelict
- Ignis Spiritus Morte
- Of Ghosts and Yearning
The dose of brutality by Cenotaph
As the second act we had Cenotaph who from the first riffs of “Among the Abrupt” He forced us to do headbanging. Unfortunately, unlike Matalobos, their audio did fail a little during their first songs, but little by little this aspect was fixed without affecting the mood of a good number of people who came to see them.
Cenotaph is a band that plays very little live but here as they promised us a few days ago, They played a couple of songs that will be part of their new material which were “Aloneness in Innate Blight” and “Of Possession and Torchlights” that made it very clear that the group has not lost its touch and that this next album will be a must-listen for those who like national metal.
The set was complemented with songs “Soul Profundis,” “Crying Frost,” “Tenebrous Apparitions,” among others, getting the spirits ready to receive the star act of the night.
Cenotaph Setlist on Supremo
- Among the Abrupt
- Soul Profundis
- Requiem for a Soul Request
- Ashes in the Rain
- Aloneness in Innate Blight
- Crying Frost
- Of Possession and Torchlights
- Tenebrous Apparitions
Darkness, melodies and an enviable set with Tribulation
We already knew what was coming and a very long introduction with “Trollens Brudsmarch” announced the arrival of the group who started with one of the favorites “Melancholia.”
Supremo does not stand out for having great lighting but curiously this aspect helped as an extra in this Tribulation show to maintain that dark atmosphere that the group tries to create based on their songs.
Reviewing Tribulation’s agenda we realized that most or almost all of their shows have been in festival format. so we wanted to have an unreleased set here in Mexico and so it was, a review of some moments of his discography without leaving out the most recent such as “Hamartia” and “Axis Mundi”.
We must mention the show offered by musicians who, without great paraphernalia or effects, manage to captivate the public with their well-worked interpretation of their songs where nothing is by chance, either by inserting instrumental passages and then giving way to songs like “The Lament” or “Suspiria” or lengthening it a little more to give prominence to the guitars of Adam Zaars and Joseph Thollalthough without a doubt the two that stood out the most were Tholl and Johannes Anderssonthe first walking from one side to the other of the stage and even standing on the speakers that were at floor level to be closer to the fans, while Andersson did well assuming that imposing role of leader.
We return to the topic of audio and here there is nothing to reproach, this aspect for Tribulation was very good, thus making its presentation look much more.
For the group’s deep-rooted fans, they also left happy when they heard songs that were not as recent as “Rånda”, “Strange Gateways Beckon” and “The Motherhood of God”.
Before closing we had a block in which we saw that the public reacted very well, either by headbanging or putting their fists up, this happened while we were listening “In Remembrance”, “Leviathans”, “Nightbound” and “Funeral Pyre”.
We had the closing with “Lacrimosa”, but what without a doubt What we took away was the group’s genuine gratitude. for his fans who gathered at Supremo in this first solo concert in the country’s capital.
It is important to highlight the efforts of Candelabrum who, true to their festival ideology, allowed the public to coexist with the group on August 16 at the Chopo, something that many groups no longer do or charge that extra for the meet & greet.
The last mention goes to the public who behaved well in the venue And for those who were in the middle or behind the Supremo, we tell you that in front there was no barricade that divided the audience from the stage, but that didn’t matter because we didn’t see anyone who wanted to get on during the Tribulation intervention or something like that, well there.
Tribulation Setlist on Supremo
- Melancholia
- Hamartia
- Axis Mundi
- The Lament
- Hour of the Wolf
- Suspiria
- Rånda
- Ultra Silvam
- In Remembrance
- Leviathans
- Nightbound
- Pyre Funeral
- Strange Gateways Beckon
- The Motherhood of God
- Tearful
