TRIVIUM - In Waves
Submitted by ausmetallium on Sun, 21/08/2011 - 5:29pm
Trivium is a band that I resisted for a very long time. Quite naively I saw the outfit as a “kiddy-metal band”, I guess something without substance and depth; and I have always been skeptical of metal bands that are openly embraced by young teen audiences, maybe I am just getting old. However, after being hounded by young people who I work with, I succumbed and bought Ascendancy [2005]. This album had been out for about eight months and was selling very well at the time in question and after I gave it a listen I was impressed. It took a good few listens to really grow, but from this point I have been a fan and I respect their musicianship and song writing abilities.
Now, to In Waves, the fifth studio album from the band, opening with an atmospheric piece and springing into the single and self-titled track. “In Waves” is a great song and very heavy and brooding for a single. The video that accompanies this piece is brilliant and really captures the feel of the song – dark and atmospheric.
The next track “Inception of the End” is a reflection of how well this band alternates between the heavy and melodic vocal. It is a tight structure that doesn’t sound repetitive because of the alternate vocal melody. The other great thing in this track is the fast drumming and the way the song is driven, as Nick Augusto is brilliant and not just as a fast drummer, but someone who paints colour with his rhythm and the way he moves from tiny fills and following the straight beat.
“Dusk Dismantled” like a lot of the other songs would fit on an Arch Enemy album or any plethora of melodic death metal band repertoires, however, Trivium has an air of sophistication that transcends them beyond even this genre. This band has really grown from the strong melodic band represented on The Crusade [2006], the album where melody started to become a real focus and even out the heavy nature of their music.
“Caustic Are the Ties That Bind” is again heavy and intense but dripping with melody and emotion with a great slow mid-section, a lot of these songs are hard to dislike! I have actually seen Trivium three times and with each performance they have developed and I guess that is what seasoned bands do, from extensive touring and playing live they have morphed in to an even better outfit.
From “Watch the World Burn” there are a number of songs that really pay homage to Metallica, I am sure that these guys have Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning on continuous play on their iPods! However, to me they are what Metallica should be recording in 2011, not a band influenced by them; I hope that Lars Ulrich gives In Waves a good listen before recording their follow up to Death Magnetic.
“Black” is a very catchy number and I reckon that this will be the second single. It has a very memorable vocal on the bridge to the chorus and a very simple straight forward chorus with the song totaling three minutes and twenty seven seconds. “Built to Fail” is another track delivered in this theme and could easily be released and marketed as a single; this is a great song all-round. The album really flows in this vein and it is impossible to find a weak song on any level.
The end of the record has a very solid rendition of Sepultura’s “Slave New World” that fits right in to the material and compliments the writing on In Waves; but I would love to hear these guys cover something like “Damage Inc.”
The bonus DVD disc included within the limited edition release is great value. The epic clip for “In Waves” is excellent and testament to the size the band has actually become as no expense was spared on this production. It really is a mini movie and compelling to sit through.
The live studio material on “Live from Chapman Studios” is excellent. This has been filmed on multi-camera angles in impeccable sound and cinematographic quality. It is basically the band running through numbers in the round, in a rehearsal situation, and it highlights the amazing abilities of these guys, and for me in particular, the vocal ability of Matt Heafy and the newcomer Nick Augusto on drums; if anyone thought filling this drum stool was going to be a mammoth task he allays any fears. The studio documentary is informative and well filmed and structured but the stylised pausing; the black and white footage and the background eerie foreboding soundtrack are quite alienating. I enjoyed the doco but it isn’t supported by the production behind it in my opinion.
In Waves is really a step up from Shogun [2008], it contains all of the intricacy and musicianship of Shogun, but it is also a lot more accessible, and what I mean by this, is that the songs are just better, as songs. The balance of heavy and melodic vocals, as well as the vocal harmonies that are more prevalent, makes it a superior album; and please understand that this is not an assumption that Shogun was weak. In Waves is a very complex and full bodied record that highlights the level that metal music has reached in 2011.
In Waves is out now through Roadrunner Records
Album: In Waves
Release: August 9th, 2011
In Waves Special Edition Track Listing:
- Capsizing the Sea
- In Waves
- Inception of the End
- Dusk Dismantled
- Watch the World Burn
- Black
- A Skyline's Severance
- Ensnare the Sun*
- Built To Fall
- Caustic Are the Ties That Bind
- Forsake Not the Dream
- Drowning In Slow Motion*
- A Grey So Dark*
- Chaos Reigns
- Of All These Yesterdays
- Leaving This World Behind
- Shattering The Skies Above*
- Slave New World*
*Bonus tracks
Bonus DVD includes:
- In Waves [Live]
- In Waves [Documentary]
- "In Waves" Music Video
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