TRIVIUM “Ascendancy” /CD/

The sixth full-length album by the cult American Metalcore band.
With this album, Trivium opted to go for a more direct, stripped down approach. Some people find David Draiman’s influence on the album to be disturbing (that pun was worth it), however, the big picture is Draiman did a damn good job with the production of this album and he really helped Matt Heafy improve his vocals and as a result, there is more singing on this record than the previous Trivium records.
The actual album aims to appeal to a wider range of people, yet it’s not a sellout by any means. Trivium is a risk-taking band; they experiment with their sound and deliver a unique experience with each new album. People complain that this one sounds strangely like Disturbed meets Trivium, but in real it does have a more Alternative Metal approach in some of the riffing, but at the core of the sound, it’s still 100% Trivium. Tracks like “Strife” and “No Way to Heal” are classic Trivium songs all the way while “Brave This Storm” and the title track have that Alternative Metal vibe mixed in with Trivium’s sound.
Leads and solos are very well done and very effective. In fact, “Strife” and “No Way to Heal” have some killer lead guitar parts and feature some of the album’s best solos. “Wake” is a great ending to the album and showcases Matt’s lower vocal range. That being said there are some fantastic standout tracks to be found here. “Strife” is a fantastic song and it’s amazing live! “No Way to Heal” is the heaviest song on the record by far and would be a great live song. “Wake (The End is Nigh)” is an amazing closer and it shows musical growth for the band.
The riffs may not be as complex as they once were and Matt may not be screaming as much as before, but everything that made it onto this record is strong, quality material. And while this does sound like Trivium meets Disturbed, everything on this record is still way more complex than Disturbed has ever been. If you enjoyed "In Waves", then you’ll likely enjoy this album!
It is the last album to feature second drummer Nick Augusto before he had departed from the band in May 2014.
The album debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on its release, selling 15 000 copies in the United States in its first week. It also debuted at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums, and No. 2 on Hard Rock Albums. The album has sold 69 000 copies in the United States as of September 2015.
Roadrunner Records/Warner Music Australia, 2013 (1686176012). Made in Australia. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Brave This Storm 4:29
2. Vengeance Falls 4:14
3. Strife 4:29
4. No Way To Heal 4:05
5. To Believe 4:33
6. At The End Of This War 4:48
7. Through Blood And Dirt And Bone 4:26
8. Villainy Thrives 4:55
9. Incineration: The Broken World 5:52
10. Wake [The End Is Nigh] 5:58
Total playing time: 47:51 min.

The third full-length studio album by cult American Heavy/Thrash Metal band.
The album represents a drastic change in style from their previous album, "Ascendancy", abandoning the Metalcore genre and featuring a style described generally as Thrash Metal, along with Progressive Metal and Speed metal. Accordingly, vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy sings with primarily 'clean' vocals throughout "The Crusade", rather than utilizing the 'screaming' style heard on "Ascendancy".
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. 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). 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. And Trivium's "The Crusade" is a perfect example of what's possible!
"The Crusade" peaked at number 7 in the United Kingdom and was later certified Silver in for sales in excess of 60 000 copies. In the United States, the album debuted at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on its release, selling 31 000 copies in the US in its first week. It has sold over 100 000 copies in the United States.
Roadrunner Record, 2006 (RR 8059-2). Made in Germany.


Tracklist:
1. Ignition 3:54
2. Detonation 4:28
3. Entrance Of The Conflageration 4:35
4. Anthem (We Are The Fire) 4:03
5. Unrepentant 4:51
6. And Sadness Will Sear 3:34
7. Becoming The Dragon 4:43
8. To The Rats 3:42
9. This World Can't Tear Us Apart 3:30
10. Tread The Floods 3:33
11. Contempt Breeds Contamination 4:28
12. The Rising 3:45
13. The Crusade 8:19
Total playing time: 57:25 min.

The fourth full-length studio album by cult American Metalcore band.
The last release to feature original drummer Travis Smith. 
"Shogun" largely features a continuation of the band playing Thrash Metal, Metalcore, and Progressive Metal, the latter exhibited by technical instrumentation and longer song lengths. It sees a prominent return of Matt Heafy's screaming vocals, which were a rare occurrence on "The Crusade". The album is also the band's first to produced by Nick Raskulinecz. "Shogun" heavily features 7-string guitars and 5-string bass guitars, which had been used sparingly on "The Crusade". The band did not want to make an album where all songs had the same singing style, like in "The Crusade", and decided to just let their music flow naturally and unbiased. Unlike "The Crusade", which had some songs focusing on famous and controversial murders/crimes, this album has a few songs that deal with ancient Japanese military customs and several regarding Greek mythology, some serving as metaphors to be interpreted by the listener. With a duration of over 11 minutes, the album's title track is the longest Trivium have ever recorded.
"Shogun" is easily Trivium's most challenging and ambitious album yet, and 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.
Since its release, "Shogun" has sold over 300 000 copies worldwide. In the United States in its first week of release sold 24 000 copies and debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the top 100 in 18 other countries, including number 6 on the Japanese international charts, number 4 on the Canadian Hard Rock Charts, number 1 on the UK Rock charts and number 4 on the Australian charts. As of March 2009, the album has sold around 70 000 copies in the United States since its late September release.
Roadrunner Record, 2008 (RR 7985-2). Made in Germany.


Tracklist:
1. Kirisute Gomen 6:27
2. Torn Between Scylla And Charybdis 6:49
3. Down From The Sky 5:34
4. Into The Mouth Of Hell We March 5:52
5. Throes Of Perdition 5:54
6. Insurrection 4:57
7. The Calamity 4:58
8. He Who Spawned The Furies 4:07
9. Of Prometheus And The Crucifix 4:40
10. Like Callisto To A Star In Heaven 5:25
11. Shogun 11:54
Total playing time: 66:39 min.