After having written an album that could be regarded as a classic in the metalcore genre and very much a blueprint for bands to come,Trivium had a serious amount to live up to. Alas they didn’t. They released The Crusade.

When I first listened to The Crusade I tried so hard to like it, but gone were the trademarks of the band we all know and love(d) and here was a band completely confused with what their identity was. Mirroring metal gods Metallica with the awful “Anthem (We Are The Fire)” and overall just trying to be like their thrash fathers and consequently having it not quite work out.

A missmatched ensemble of songs that should have launched Trivium into the stratosphere but unfortunately was a missguided shot in the dark. Ambitious as it was it was badly put together and although the production was great the songs were easily forgotten and often boring, the instrumental epic that was meant to be “The Crusade” lacked direction and was just playing boring. Trivium seem to be making a habit of getting on top of their game and knocking it straight back down again, even now you could argue they haven’t found their niche, just goes to show that a bands identity is so crucial. Oh well there’s still hope after Vengeace Falls…