Trivium have been an easy target for many over the years. A band never content with their previous incarnation, it all started with their eponymous debut Ascendancy, which though might have been one of the best breakthrough albums of the past ten years has unfortunately been an unfair benchmark for the band to be measured against. With fans constantly going on about the fact that none of their material sounds like the album. Now ten years on it seems that the growing pains of Trivium might have finally finished.
[tracklist]
1. Snofall
2. Silence In The Snow
3. Blind Leading The Blind
4. Dead And Gone
5. The Ghost That’s Haunting You
6. Pull Me From The Void
7. Until The World Goes Cold
8. Rise Above The Tides
9. The Thing That’s Killing Me
10. Beneath The Sun (Don’t Fade Away)
11. Breathe In The Flames
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]42:00[/length]
[record_label]Roadrunner Records[/record_label]
[release_date]October 2nd 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
Seeing the band tweak their sound with each release, the cinematic introduction of “Snøfall“, masterfully crafted by Heafy’s hero and king of the experimental Ihsahn, sets the picturesque tone for the album. Moving into title track “Silence In The Snow” we see the biggest change in the Trivium blueprint. Opting to have solely clean vocals on the album Heafy rightfully commands the band, often creating unexpected harmony changes that at first might make the song stick out like a sore thumb but subliminally gets under your skin.
Evidence of Trivium’s past doesn’t elude the album however with the straight up Metal riffing of “Dead And Gone” which without the intriguing vocal work would have been put down to another bog standard Metalcore track. There will no doubt be the people who determine that the band have sold out with tracks like “Until The World Goes Cold” crafting an unusual sound that whilst sounding exactly what you would expect the band to sound like also sounds like nothing the group have ever released.
It seems that Trivium’s strongest ally is definitely melody, each track has a definitive and incredibly well written chorus often marked by their unusual use of harmonies, making for Silence In The Snow to be varied and ultimately interesting where previously attentions waver mid way through. “Rise Above The Tides” for example seeing Heafy jump slightly higher than what we’re accustomed vocally to not to mention the change in the guard with new drummer Mat Madiro significantly making his mark with the drums easily being the best in the days long since past. The use of clever drum fills, kicks and the like all add to the sense of pace throughout the album ensuring that each song although formulaic, is differentiated from its previous, which used to be pitfall the band often found themselves in.
Instrumentation on the record works in tandem with the new found vocals, “The Thing That’s Killing Me” see’s Heafy go head to head with some fantastic harmonies but the absolutely astounding “The Ghost That’s Haunting You” wins outright and is a fantastic ambassador for the new sound of Trivium. Marrying the unpredictable vocal lines with the phenomenal leads to create one of the most rousing songs the band have ever created. Lyrically the band stick to their guns of graves, storms, fighting and the like but then that has never been Trivium‘s forte, either way that is never truly their focus.
Silence In The Snow is the album that Trivium have always strived to make. Combining elements from all of their previous catalogue, the band have brought the song writing from Ascendancy the progressive dexterity of Shogun and even the vocal exploration from Vengeance Falls. Brought into the modern day and beautifully put together proves whatever your opinion on the band Trivium are safely at the forefront of Metal. Though the band might have made mistakes aren’t scared to try new things making them one of the trail blazing Modern Metal bands. Winter has at long last come…
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]With Silence In The Snow Trivium have at last created the album they set out to create all those years ago. Melody reigns surpreme, creativity in abundance at last the growing pains of Trivium are over. Ned Stark was right winter was coming… [/why]
If you like what you read / heard then you can pick up a copy of the new album here!
