Send "Trivium " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 In the past, Trivium has been accused of many things. Most notably, the band’s affinity for the heavy metal stylings of Metallica was frequently pointed out, especially on records like The Crusade and Ascendancy. With 2008’s Shogun and now with their latest, In Waves, the band seems to be moving past the thrashier elements of their early records. Shogun didn’t completely abandon the Metallica influence, but it was far less prominent than it had been on prior recordings.In Waves, on the other hand, seems comfortably set in being a through-and-through metalcore record. All of the requisite elements of such an album are here: the brief, pseudo-classical instrumental interludes, alternated growling/clean vocals, pounding double bass, and heavy riffs. After beginning with the foreboding, piano-led “Capsizing the Sea”, the album proper begins with lead singer Matt Heafy screaming “IN WAVES!” followed by a sledgehammer-heavy riff. It’s an appropriate and fitting introduction. Unfortunately, not long after the seemingly portentous opener, the album begins to sound less and less intense with each song, namely because the band doesn’t take the time to have much variance in the album’s 18 tracks. Though devout Trivium fans will more than likely purchase the album’s special edition, the extra five tracks the special edition includes end up weighing the entire record down. Each track is just more of the same, even the cover of the Sepultura classic “Slave New World” sounds just like the rest of the music on the record. Throughout the album the band seems to be firing on all cylinders with pounding blastbeats and heavy riffing, but despite their best efforts nearly every song on the record blends in with the one before it and the one following. As Heafy bellows “Chaos reigns!” amidst one of the album’s many downtuned jams, one wishes that the band would follow likewise. The music here isn’t terrible, but when an 18-track album is dominated by one unchanging sound, it’s hard to get too far into the record. Amidst the flurry of typical metalcore, the one unique moment on the album is one of the few instrumental interludes, “Ensnare the Sun”, which sounds akin to progressive metal band Ayreon. That one minute and 22-second interlude, though, is but a small pause in a very long record. (The regular edition of the CD still feels quite long at 51 minutes)....full text |
| Doseofmetal |
| Released yesterday in the US (and on a different date in 4 of the other countries in the world), Trivium have returned to the scene after almost 7 years of bursting into the forefront of mainstream Metal, and having lost some of their momentum in recent years. Regular readers of Dose of Metal will know that I haven't always been that kind to the band, but being honest, I actually consider Ascendency a damn good album. Overrated? Maybe, but a bad album it is far from being. As the band grew in popularity, however, that is when the band began to lose themselves. The Crusade was nothing but a straight 'Tallica and Megadeth rip off, being nothing but a wank stain of a record. Then came Shogun, a massive improvement with some claiming it to be a return to form. So, it's 2011, Trivium are back with another album. Despite my rantings, I actually gave lead single 'In Waves' a positive review last week. Now it's time to find out the verdict on the album, so make the jump....full text |
| Sonicabuse |
| Trivium are, without doubt, one of the most vilified metal bands on the planet. Despite high profile support form bands such as Metallica and Slayer, Trivium receive huge amounts of derision from all quarters to the extent that to spend the next few paragraphs slagging them off would almost certainly gain a popular response. The problem with that is simple: Trivium are, whether you like them or not, a good band. They are good at what they do – high octane, technically proficient thrash with a strong melodic edge and while their style may not appeal to everyone they certainly do not deserve the critical mauling they are so often on the receiving end of. Here with their fifth album, Trivium show off their strengths to a far greater extent than on blistering album ‘Shogun’ and a newfound maturity sees them developing their own sound rather than relying on the Metallica-isms of their earlier work. Opening with the distorted piano and military tattoo of ‘Capsizing the sea’ it is the metallic beast that is the title track that grabs you and makes you realise just how far the band have come. As the monstrous roar of “in waves” is unleashed over a furious riff, it’s clear that Trivium are hell bent on destroying the nay-sayers and while the melodic bent of yore is still very much in evidence the dynamic between the two vocal styles works better here than on previous records and the confidence and gusto with which the band attack the title track is quite inspiring. It’s a fantastic opening and while it will do nothing to assuage the hatred that Trivium’s ardent opponents feel for them, for those who are ,as yet, undecided or who for those who have followed the band loyally, it is an eye-opening, far sighted blast of technical, beautifully played metal awash with melody, well-crafted vocals and blistering solos. ‘Inception of the end’ sees the band opt for the type of brutally played cyclic riff that Megadeth built their career on, whilst the vocals switch between the raw-throated screams more reminiscent of their early material and the huge, multi-layered vocal harmonies that encourage so much ire. ‘Dusk dismantled’ is a massive metallic stomp with Nick Augusto demonstrating his skills on the drums while the central riff is a fiery beast that perfectly accompanies the more deathly vocals employed for the track. It’s one of Trivium’s heaviest songs in a while and it firmly establishes the fact that they are no light-weights. After so heavy a track, ‘watch the world burn’ does little to slow things down, with the guitars once again played as if the band’s life depends on it and the percussion providing the driving force behind the more melodic, Metallica-esque vocal employed here. It’s one of the most commercial tracks here and it consequently sounds like single fodder, albeit a damn heavy single. ‘Black’ is a better track, sounding less self-conscious, and it has a gloriously syncopated riff while the vocals sound far more natural and memorable. It’s a strong, heavy track that will get heads nodding appreciatively before ‘a skyline’s severance’ once again strays into Megadeth territory with harmonised guitars l;eading the charge into complex thrash territory, although the growled vocals are far heavier than Dave’s more nasal method of singing. ‘Ensnare the sun’ (one of five bonus tracks only available on the special CD/DVD edition) is a well played, if largely inconsequential, segue track that heads into ‘built to fall’ – a track that once again is too close to the uncertain Trivium of yore who couldn’t decide whether they wanted to write brutal thrash or metallic hits and ended up on an uneasy compromise....full text |
Trivium lyrics
