When you’ve been a band for 10 years, it’s completely understandable to want to mix things up. Trivium are one such band who have been consistently experimenting from the start, however. Each album has been its own entity with a separate set of influences and different frameworks. This way of going about releasing music has both shown how capable Trivium are as musicians, but has also divided their fanbase.
On their seventh studio record, ‘Silence In The Snow’, it’s safe to say they’ve found a happy medium as much as they have made a record true to who Trivium are as a band, past and present, but also securing themselves a hefty future. The approach taken isn’t the in-your-face thrash, nor aggressive melodic death metal we have heard in the past, and there is nary a hardcore influence or screaming vocal to be found. No, Trivium have done their best to create an album that dips more into heavy metal and its classical territories than it does showcase a modern way of doing things. The thing is, though this sound is rooted in the classics it proves that the heavy metal of old is still so relevant.
Some could argue this is something Trivium proved already on The Crusade but the skill set demonstrated on a song such as ‘Pull Me From The Void’ isn’t something Trivium possessed as musicians even a few years back. The fact remains that the extensive training Matt Heafy went under as a vocalist during the Vengeance Falls era built him up to settle into a confident comfort zone and in turn he defines himself as a melodic metal vocalist on this record. Even without his screams he is dynamic, more so than ever due to the focus put on his various styles of singing. Overall he has a power metalesque emotive soar to his voice with well-timed usage of vibrato. Aggressive moments do exist in tracks such as ‘Dead And Gone’ and ‘Breathe In The Flames’ that emphasize his harsher vocals. Whereas they were shouts in the past they instead now have an edged grit to them that causes them to sound more raw.
Heafy isn’t the only member of the band who has stepped it up though. If anything his cohorts have felt just as inclined to move forward. Paolo Gregoletto’s bass becomes the central instrument in the verses of the massive title track, low-end heavy-hitter ‘Dead And Gone’ (It’s groovy in the best way) and the vicious ‘The Thing That’s Killing Me’ providing space for the guitarists to flesh out their positions.
Really, Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu are the guitar heroes this generation needs to recognize. The blazing frets and side-by-side dynamic in the solos and epic melodic leads that create a cinematic type of musical experience are immersive & beautiful. Take a listen to ‘Beneath The Sun’s desert sway, ‘Rise Above The Tides’ hopeful soar and especially the absolute insanity of the crushing dual solo in ‘Breathe In The Flames’.
Once again Trivium are able to book-end their discography with each subsequent release. Elements of the overall Trivium sound can be heard all throughout this record, but most of all it follows up the stylistic exploration Vengeance Falls featured. Interestingly enough though, much of this album was comprised of compositions from the Shogun/In Waves era of the band. In putting a focus on heftier melodies and choruses the musicians have both given the songs more room to breathe, which emphasizes key moments, and made them easy to follow and sing-along to for crowds. This isn’t something that should be underestimated. If anything a softer, vocally-centric song such as ‘Until The World Goes Cold’ will be complimented by crowd participation, as one example.
Though ‘Silence In The Snow’ may not be exactly what Trivium’s fans are clamoring for, it will be an album they’ll grow to appreciate if they take the time to give it a listen. From beginning to end it is an epic musical experience that is fleshed out and thoughtfully structured to provide a satisfying journey that defines metal at its roots. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Dio, Helloween – They’ve all been around for ages now and became metal legends. It is with much confidence it’s believable that they can look to Trivium to continue their legacies, their influence strewn across this record. Knowing Trivium their next move will be unpredictable, but they’ve proven at this point that we can expect a consistent amount of identity, polish and excellence associated with their music. ‘Silence In The Snow’ is as damning of evidence for that sentiment as one could hope for.
