Trivium Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Trivium never asked to be described as "the next Metallica" by a hyperbolic British magazine or two, but because they tried to make the best of the opportunity instead of wilting away with apologetic shouts of "We're not worthy!," they've taken a hell of a lot of guff from radical heavy metal fans, already stirred up over the group's signing to the closest approximation to corporatism in their world: Roadrunner Records (who actually dare work with non-metal bands -- curse them!). Admittedly, the youthful Floridian quartet (whose confidence has been frequently misconstrued as arrogance) didn't help matters when the band followed its impressive sophomore album, Ascendancy, with an undisguised bid for wider commercial appeal via its inconsistent third album, The Crusade. Thus came something of a backlash even among their supporters, bringing, in turn, the stylistic retreat toward more uncompromising metallic terrain embodied by the group's fourth album, Shogun. On this outing, Trivium elevate their new millennium thrash to -- by their standards -- largely unprecedented heights of intensity and complexity, stacking riff upon riff (really good ones, too) into densely structured highlights such as "Down from the Sky," "Throes of Perdition," and the especially devastating "Kirisute Gomen" (which supposedly means "Pardon me while I cut off your head off" in Japanese). Corey Beaulieu and Matt Heafy's shred-intensive guitar solos also pepper every track, flying every which way like vengeful hornets, and the latter's always varied vocalizing once again prizes Hetfield-ian growls and guttural screams over more sparsely distributed (and therefore more impactful) melodic singing. Certain cuts may feel like they're jammed with a few too many different hard/soft/harder personalities for some listeners' tastes (e.g. "Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis," "Into the Mouth of Hell We March"), but most headbangers are bound to appreciate these very contradictions, which the band extrapolates to a monumental climax on the multifaceted 11-plus-minute album-closing title track. As for the lyrics: if these song titles didn't make it obvious already, Heafy's penchant for untowardly bookish vocabulary and obscure mythological references remains intact (see also "Of Prometheus and the Crucifix" and "Like Callisto to a Star in Heaven"), and will probably delight as many metalheads as it irritates, but at least he's no longer forcing unrelated words together as though he were simply reading the dictionary every night (which certainly seemed to be the case on The Crusade's confusing "Entrance of the Conflagration," for example). And yes, Trivium still show no qualms or remorse about emulating both the sounds and epic scope of vintage Metallica, but what's so wrong with that? After all, Metallica tried to do the same thing on their own 2008 return to form, Death Magnetic. In short: Shogun is easily Trivium's most challenging and ambitious album yet, and even though it isn't likely to spawn any hit singles, it was clearly the album Trivium had to make in order to get unduly prejudiced metalheads off their backs and finally silence undue suspicions over their abundant talent and devotion to heavy metal. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Upon listening to Trivium's The Crusade for the first time, it seems remarkable that this is the same band that recorded Ember to Inferno a scant three years ago. While last year's Ascendancy hinted at what was to come, it still doesn't prepare the listener properly. The former thrash metal band from Ember to Inferno disappeared and was replaced by this insanely talented quintet that plays an aggressive form of syncopated, intense progressive metal. With vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy, drummer Travis Smith, guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto, Trivium should be ready for the world stage at this point, and this album should clue in those who think is speed metal is some passé form of rock music. Check the twin guitars in "Detonation" as Trivium weave dynamic, melodic passages around a crunching riff. Or the vocal chorus that opens "Entrance of the Conflagration," before it erupts into kick drum-driven mayhem without ever delving into cliché. Sure, early Metallica are an influence on Trivium (the Metallica who released Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, not the current incarnation who left those guys in the dust to become a respectable rock band). This is not to say that thrash doesn't have its place in the mix -- check "To the Rats." Never has a drummer sounded so crisp and so completely in control of the beat than Smith does here. The quick yet devastatingly tasty guitar riffs that Heafy and Beaulieu concoct are creative, knotty and canny. Other notable cuts on this fine outing are "Becoming the Dragon," "The Rising," and the eight-plus-minute title cut that closes the set.Let's face it, though it's made and listened to primarily by the young, as a genre, metal has grown up and become far more sophisticated than it's given credit for. If anything, it's the only place in rock & roll music where innovation and creativity are flourishing because other than electricity and volume, there are no rules; the musicianship is top-notch, the writing gets better all the time, and production techniques are not the focus, music is. Trivium's The Crusade is a perfect example of what's possible. Along with other American bands like Mastodon and Slayer -- and an entire slew of groups from their home state of Florida -- Trivium are redefining the genre. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Trivium has only grown stronger since 2003's Ember to Inferno. That album's mix of classic thrash (early Metallica) with 21st century metalcore rage and progressive metal flourish still roils here. But Ascendancy's fire is more ferocious and its transitions more confident, which means the band is even more dedicated to its clever throwback sound. This is even more impressive when you consider that no one in Trivium is old enough to legally rent a car. The lineup has shifted -- joining vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy and drummer Travis Smith are guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto. But they're a ridiculously tight quartet, unleashing thrilling dual guitar passages and pummeling kick drum gallops as surely as they do melodic breaks and vicious throat screeds. The verses of "Rain" and "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr" blister the brain, while Heafy channels James Hetfield effortlessly in the choruses. "Martyr" is particularly insane, its hurricane solos piled on top of percussion that simply engulfs the rhythm. From a technical standpoint, Trivium is often astounding. It's worth reading along when Heafy's screaming becomes unintelligible. Though his lyrics cover familiar territory -- gloom 'n' doom, emotional pain, revenge -- he gets off great lines like "You ask me 'Oh God why?'/'Cause I'm God, that's f*cking why" and "Disintegration constituents to decompose of the parts." Gregoletto steps up for the intro to "Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" before it transforms into a metalcore rant, "Deceived" is downright melodic (but still totally heavy), and there's a great extended bank of guitar solos in "Drowned and Torn Asunder"'s midsection. Ascendancy aligns real-deal thrash with powerful modern influences. But at all times it's a platform for Trivium's own crazed talent. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the alternative metal field, there are plenty of bands offering a heaven/hell and melody/brutality sort of contrast -- bands that include, among many others, Hopesfall, From Autumn to Ashes, and the Postman Syndrome. One minute, they're being brutally ferocious; the next minute, they lighten the load and become more melodic. And that is exactly the type of approach that Trivium favors on Ember to Inferno. Throughout this CD, the Florida trio's 2003 lineup -- Matt Heafy on lead vocals and guitar, Brent Young on bass, and Travis Smith on drums -- fluctuates between metalcore ferocity and something more forgiving. Typically, a Trivium song will go from metalcore harshness -- suffocating density, sledgehammer cruelty, screaming vocals -- to a more melodic style of power metal/fantasy metal. It's as though you're getting Brick Bath one minute, and Iron Maiden or Queensrÿche the next; there's enough of the hardcore element to make the disc relevant to 21st century alt-metal, which prevents Trivium from sounding retro, but there's enough power metal to give the listener some breathing room. In other words, Trivium fluctuates between using a nasty, flesh-tearing bullwhip on their listeners, and employing a soft, leather flogger that has a milder sort of sting. It's an appealing approach -- at least if you hold metal core and power metal/fantasy metal in equally high regard -- but not a unique one. Again, many other alt-metal and metalcore bands were doing this type of thing when Ember to Inferno was recorded in 2003; some did it better, and some not as well. After a few tracks, Ember to Inferno begins to sound predictable and formulaic; you know that the hammer-to-the-skull assault will inevitably follow a melodic passage, and vice-versa. Nonetheless, headbangers will find Ember to Inferno to be a likable and competent, if less than distinctive, example of alt-metal's good cop/bad cop juxtaposition. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
