I promised [MENTION=39]Castiel[/MENTION] a review last year so as promised, east ender... here is my thoughts on the album
Band Members
Matt Heafy - vocals, guitar
Corey Beaulieu - guitar
Paolo Gregoletto - bass
Nick Augusto - drums
Production
Colin Richardson - producer
Martyn "Ginge" Ford - producer
Carl Brown - engineer
Ted Jensen - mastering
In March 2005, Trivium debuted their first major label LP Ascendancy on Roadrunner records and captured the ears of many listeners including myself. With dual guitar melodies, their intricate mix of singing and screaming, and their second to none song writing, some of them were easily referring to them as the next step in heavy metal evolution. However, some of which their sound failed to capture were Trivium's themselves who ultimately were listeners of old school thrash metal. To imitate that sound, their next album 2006's The Crusade showed homage to those bands that Trivium were fans of, however their lack of song structure and vocal expansion let many fans who were loyalists after Ascendancy down.
They needed to go back to the drawing board and reinvent their sound to recapture their fans, and while 2008's Shogun saw Trivium's song writing ability return to that similar to Ascendancy, more fans were left disappointed. So Trivium once again needed to reinvent their sound. Many personal issues interfered in the bands ability to produce a third album, including the depature of drummer Travis Smith in 2009 and not playing a live show from May 2010-2011. However, once the title track In waves was heard on the radio, fans saw another step in Evolution in sound which although not true to their original sound, but had recaptured some fans with frontman Matt Heafy's signature screams. There's a lot more to this album though that'll explore when Alex reviews.... IN WAVES!
As Trivium's fifth overall release, and their fourth with RoadRunner records, we see Trivium take their next step in evolution by taking a trip to the past (to an extent). The songs are a lot more polished than that seen on The Crusade and Shogun, and their dual guitar melodies return that were present on Shogun. Vocally there is a lot more versatility and I believe that this although showed some song maturity will still never touch Ascendancy due to their lack of technical guitar work. In this review I will song by song and try to give a brief synopsis of each song.
1. Capsizing the Sea - A unique instrumental in which Matt Heafy used a out of tune piano to make a rather haunting sound with. This is served as an intro to the title track which sets the tone of the album.
2. In Waves - The title track of this album features a poly rhythmic guitar riff over the back of double kick drums in a very heavy beat. The song then features a dual guitar solo by both guitars then repeats back to the order of the verse and chorus.
3. Inception of the End - This is one of the songs that reminded me the most of Ascendancy, right off the top guitarists Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu capture you with a dizzying Swedish style guitar riff and continue with Matt Heafy's screams throughout most of the songs until venturing into a honey dew chorus without losing any pace throughout the song.
4. Dusk Dismantled - Probably one of the most technical songs on the album the first thing that came to mind in this song was old school black metal with death metal undertones, similar to that of Emperor. There is no clean singing in this song which was a first for Trivium and Corey Beaulieu's guitar solo alongside Matt Heafy's intricate rhythm is pleasing to any person who considers themselves an "ultra elitist metalhead".
5. Watch the World Burn - This reminded me of a Motley Crue style song with thrash metal overtones. The heavy guitar riff and schizophrenic screams in this song are sure to sit well with thrash loyalists as well as the extremely well done song writing make this a true hitter.
6. Black - I got a Pantera kind of vibe from a song, and while I may get dinged as making an overstatement. One should take the time to take the western hints that this song has. Along with the european guitar solo that's probably one of the most melodic on the whole album.
7. A Skyline's Severance - Similar to Dusk Dismantled, this song has no clean singing on the album whatsoever, and is probably one of the most progressive songs on the album. If you're a fan of The Crusade of Shogun, you may not like the fact that is has no screaming, but you'll be satisfied and kept on the edge of your seat with the song writing!
8. Ensnare the Sun - A bonus track found only on the special edition. This song has an arabian feel, and anyone who listens to it will more than likely agree. Interesting enough how Matt Heafy used some sounds using a screwdriver and fire extinguisher here.
9. Built to Fall - Built to Fall features an offbeat guitar riff with simple drumming to the back making it one of the more generic songs on the album, have to admit nothing out of the ordinary on this track.
10. Caustic are the Ties that Bind - Another progressive song, I felt like there was "And Justice For All" kind of feel to this songs, it's probably one of the best songs on this whole album for those who are a fan of thrash metal.
11. Forsake not the Dream - For any old school Trivium fan from Ascendancy, this one's for you. Forsake not the Dream starts out with a riff that was done with a Fender telecaster which is a first and rather punk rock sounding. But from there on out we are set for a non stop ride with breaks in the verses but we definitely see a return to the old sound in this.
12. Drowning in Slow Motion - Another bonus track on the special edition. Drowning in Slow motion is a consistant track that features some of the best drum tracks on this record. Nick Augusto has done me proud for his first Trivium record.
13. A Grey so Dark - The last unreleased track from the original In Waves version. This is another generic song which features no screaming. Although it is a rather quick one, it reminds of "dying in your arms" from Ascendancy except much more technical, and its positive vibes make it one of my more listened songs on this album.
14. Chaos Reigns - Simplicity is the main key behind this track. No clean singing is present in this track and you're met with balls out aggression. Chaos Reigns makes any fans happy and gave off kind of a Sepultura-ish vibe. RoadRunner loyalist, please listen.
15. Of All these Yesterdays - I have to admit, this song is rather depressing, and not just because it's the end of the album. Its negative theme and lack of energy usually forces me to turn the album off just so I can end the album on a high note with chaos reigns.
16. Leaving this world behind - A haunting instrumental featuring the post solo acoustic guitar riff from "Dusk Dismantled". This song left me pondering what's next for Trivium.
Overall rating: 7/10
Band Members
Matt Heafy - vocals, guitar
Corey Beaulieu - guitar
Paolo Gregoletto - bass
Nick Augusto - drums
Production
Colin Richardson - producer
Martyn "Ginge" Ford - producer
Carl Brown - engineer
Ted Jensen - mastering
In March 2005, Trivium debuted their first major label LP Ascendancy on Roadrunner records and captured the ears of many listeners including myself. With dual guitar melodies, their intricate mix of singing and screaming, and their second to none song writing, some of them were easily referring to them as the next step in heavy metal evolution. However, some of which their sound failed to capture were Trivium's themselves who ultimately were listeners of old school thrash metal. To imitate that sound, their next album 2006's The Crusade showed homage to those bands that Trivium were fans of, however their lack of song structure and vocal expansion let many fans who were loyalists after Ascendancy down.
They needed to go back to the drawing board and reinvent their sound to recapture their fans, and while 2008's Shogun saw Trivium's song writing ability return to that similar to Ascendancy, more fans were left disappointed. So Trivium once again needed to reinvent their sound. Many personal issues interfered in the bands ability to produce a third album, including the depature of drummer Travis Smith in 2009 and not playing a live show from May 2010-2011. However, once the title track In waves was heard on the radio, fans saw another step in Evolution in sound which although not true to their original sound, but had recaptured some fans with frontman Matt Heafy's signature screams. There's a lot more to this album though that'll explore when Alex reviews.... IN WAVES!
As Trivium's fifth overall release, and their fourth with RoadRunner records, we see Trivium take their next step in evolution by taking a trip to the past (to an extent). The songs are a lot more polished than that seen on The Crusade and Shogun, and their dual guitar melodies return that were present on Shogun. Vocally there is a lot more versatility and I believe that this although showed some song maturity will still never touch Ascendancy due to their lack of technical guitar work. In this review I will song by song and try to give a brief synopsis of each song.
1. Capsizing the Sea - A unique instrumental in which Matt Heafy used a out of tune piano to make a rather haunting sound with. This is served as an intro to the title track which sets the tone of the album.
2. In Waves - The title track of this album features a poly rhythmic guitar riff over the back of double kick drums in a very heavy beat. The song then features a dual guitar solo by both guitars then repeats back to the order of the verse and chorus.
3. Inception of the End - This is one of the songs that reminded me the most of Ascendancy, right off the top guitarists Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu capture you with a dizzying Swedish style guitar riff and continue with Matt Heafy's screams throughout most of the songs until venturing into a honey dew chorus without losing any pace throughout the song.
4. Dusk Dismantled - Probably one of the most technical songs on the album the first thing that came to mind in this song was old school black metal with death metal undertones, similar to that of Emperor. There is no clean singing in this song which was a first for Trivium and Corey Beaulieu's guitar solo alongside Matt Heafy's intricate rhythm is pleasing to any person who considers themselves an "ultra elitist metalhead".
5. Watch the World Burn - This reminded me of a Motley Crue style song with thrash metal overtones. The heavy guitar riff and schizophrenic screams in this song are sure to sit well with thrash loyalists as well as the extremely well done song writing make this a true hitter.
6. Black - I got a Pantera kind of vibe from a song, and while I may get dinged as making an overstatement. One should take the time to take the western hints that this song has. Along with the european guitar solo that's probably one of the most melodic on the whole album.
7. A Skyline's Severance - Similar to Dusk Dismantled, this song has no clean singing on the album whatsoever, and is probably one of the most progressive songs on the album. If you're a fan of The Crusade of Shogun, you may not like the fact that is has no screaming, but you'll be satisfied and kept on the edge of your seat with the song writing!
8. Ensnare the Sun - A bonus track found only on the special edition. This song has an arabian feel, and anyone who listens to it will more than likely agree. Interesting enough how Matt Heafy used some sounds using a screwdriver and fire extinguisher here.
9. Built to Fall - Built to Fall features an offbeat guitar riff with simple drumming to the back making it one of the more generic songs on the album, have to admit nothing out of the ordinary on this track.
10. Caustic are the Ties that Bind - Another progressive song, I felt like there was "And Justice For All" kind of feel to this songs, it's probably one of the best songs on this whole album for those who are a fan of thrash metal.
11. Forsake not the Dream - For any old school Trivium fan from Ascendancy, this one's for you. Forsake not the Dream starts out with a riff that was done with a Fender telecaster which is a first and rather punk rock sounding. But from there on out we are set for a non stop ride with breaks in the verses but we definitely see a return to the old sound in this.
12. Drowning in Slow Motion - Another bonus track on the special edition. Drowning in Slow motion is a consistant track that features some of the best drum tracks on this record. Nick Augusto has done me proud for his first Trivium record.
13. A Grey so Dark - The last unreleased track from the original In Waves version. This is another generic song which features no screaming. Although it is a rather quick one, it reminds of "dying in your arms" from Ascendancy except much more technical, and its positive vibes make it one of my more listened songs on this album.
14. Chaos Reigns - Simplicity is the main key behind this track. No clean singing is present in this track and you're met with balls out aggression. Chaos Reigns makes any fans happy and gave off kind of a Sepultura-ish vibe. RoadRunner loyalist, please listen.
15. Of All these Yesterdays - I have to admit, this song is rather depressing, and not just because it's the end of the album. Its negative theme and lack of energy usually forces me to turn the album off just so I can end the album on a high note with chaos reigns.
16. Leaving this world behind - A haunting instrumental featuring the post solo acoustic guitar riff from "Dusk Dismantled". This song left me pondering what's next for Trivium.
Overall rating: 7/10
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