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Tribulation's transition from death to gothic metal has been an interesting one. They were a good death metal band when they were doing that, and I am a fan of their last couple of releases which have been firmly placed in the gothic metal realm, sometimes with a softer albeit very catchy musical edge but with death metal-like raspy vocals. While they musically don't really stray far and wide on Sub Rosa In Æternum, they mix things up a bit, with vocalist Johannes Andersson alternating between a deep baritone and his trademark hoarse rasps. This took me a little off guard, and my initial reaction was a negative one, as I felt that they went veering into the even softer territories of gothic rock.

However, when I picked it up again in preparation for this review, it seems to have grown a little on me and my initial reaction may have been unfair. That lurking, enchanting darkness that they perfected on Down Below is still very much present, and songs like "Tainted Skies," "Saturn Coming Down" and "Drink the Love of God" are perhaps the best examples that their songwriting abilities are still very much intact, with catchy riffs and dark hooks and that overall unwelcoming atmosphere. The alternating vocal styles are actually a timely addition, and provide some nice variations.

That said, there are still several songs on here that leave much to be desired. I don't particularly care for the slower songs like "Hungry Waters," "Reaping Song" and "Murder in Red," where the clean vocals dominate, and the captivating moments are few and far between. In other words, this is an uneven album where fans will probably find some songs to latch onto for a while, but interest may fade in not too long.