This is a guest review by Raymond, who’s one of the brains at Alternative Matter. We’ve chatted heaps about Trivium and the band’s personal progression; so after AltMatter published his review, Raymond let me post it here too. Enjoy!
A couple of years ago there was a sudden wave of American bands who married the melodic sensibilities of Iron Maiden and At The Gates with New York-styled hardcore. Nowadays most bands have grown away from that or have vanished altogether. Trivium showed more resilience, due to relentless touring and delivering quality albums. In Waves is this outfit’s fifth record, so let’s see what it’s made of.
Truth be told, I lost my interest in Trivium years ago, however what Matt Heafy and Co deliver with In Waves is simply astonishing. They still tap from thirty years worth of metal history, but they do it with style. This time around it’s all about the song. Gone are the Metallica-worshipping days on The Crusade and the technical powerplay which dominated Shogun. The guitar prowess displayed by Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu is impressive as ever, but this time it serves to bolster the song material. It’s no longer about shredding for the sake of shredding.
Another impressive feature of In Waves is the sheer intensity and passion of which songs like Inception Of The End, Dusk Dismantled, Watch The World Burn and Caustic Are The Ties That Band are brought. This combined with an impeccable sense for memorable melodies, mature songwritingship and Matt Heafy’s convincing vocal delivery brings this album to the next level. A Skyline’s Severance and Chaos Reign are clear evidence that Trivium are out for blood on In Waves.
The modern and powerful production gives the songs material lots of additional drive and aggression, thanks to skillful hands of Colin Richardson, Martin Ford and CarlBown.
The sheer intensity and quality displayed on In Waves may turn some heads of people who wouldn’t give a damn about Trivium, normally speaking. Matt Heafy and Co certainly managed to convince this jaded cynic.
TRIVIUM’s In Waves is out on 9 August, on Roadrunner Records. CLICK HERE to read the original publication of this review.
