Trivium
Silence in the Snow
Roadrunner Records
2015
I’m no expert in all things Trivium, but this must be like their “seventh” album? They’ve manage to take things someway, selling over a million albums and along with Avenged Sevenfold, being considered one of the bigger “new” bands.
While they are far from being the worst band that plays “modern” metal and they seem adequately versed as players, where most people would “like” Matt Heafy’s vocals. I find them a bit too one dimensional and not too my liking as they’re way too melodic in a smaltzy way that hardly suits to the music when it gets more adventurous. His range also is not that great, but he’s found a way to sing, which suits him.
The thing with Trivium is that their style also tries to incorporate neoteristic elements from more modern bands but it also seems to draw a fair bit of inspiration from old school bands and trying to mix the groove-y parts with more straight forward ones, is rarely going to sound pleasing to everyone… “Silence” appears to have more and more old school things going for it, to the point that a guy like me, who’s old school through and through, would not want to trash it… but I’d like a better singer and a brighter rhythm guitar mixed higher – which would pretty much make Trivium sound not at all like themselves…
“Snøfall”, yes pretentiously stylized as if Trivium were a Nordic band, is a boring atmospheric instrumental that acts as intro to the title track, a rather impressive and battering mini anthemic mid tempo that’s probably one of the better songs the band has done.
“Blind Leading the Blind” is a bit too “suffocatingly” full of ideas and whiles its “chorus” isn’t too bad, it’s a bit too “samey” as other things…
In “Dead and Gone” Trivium goes for the way more modern rhythmical metal core sound and here Heafy’s limited range is even more evident. Also the fact that he starts almost every chorus in the same “harmonized” way is so boring and predictable… that drags this song down too…
“The Ghost That’s Haunting You” keeps the sound the same, but tries to walk the narrow bridge between the old and the nu and somehow for the most part manages to pull it off, but it’s not a tune to end all other tunes... but still a quite decent moment in the album.
“Pull Me from the Void” and “Until the World Goes Cold” seem to walk the middle of the road, but apart from the drumming that’s decidedly quite modern in the latter, the rest seems to be more back to the roots, complete with solos etc… I suppose the latter is a bit more modern flavored, but with its copious amounts of constant melody, it’s quite the anti-thesis of the modern “screamo” style that has verses being extreme and the choruses almost poppy, which is something that I hate with a passion, unless you’ve managed to pull off the “absolute” chorus…
“Rise Above the Tides” did seem to have been mastered quite “lower” but I dunno why that might be. It’s a highly rhythmical piece that is however pretty anthemic and interesting, within the realms of what the band does…
“The Thing That’s Killing Me” has a nice lead, but also a bit of punk pop energy going on for it… one of the better tracks on the album.
“Beneath the Sky” is darker and gloomier and means business and if Heafy was a better singer or even a bit more commanding, it could have been really really good…
“Breathe in the Flames” follows pretty much the same vein, but it’s a bit more reminiscent of latter day Metallica, if they had a drummer that’s good! At least, it’s not such a Metallica tribute as some other bands, but still…
“Cease All Your Fire” is a melodic mid-tempo that tries to be mildly political without escaping the bands identifiable sound trademarks, but props for taking a somewhat pro-political standpoint.
Last but not least, “The Darkness of My Mind” is a way more “introspective” number that closes the album in a nice, albeit a bit melancholic way…
This is one of Trivium’s better offerings and if their fanbase has issues with it, I suppose it might be for the better, as they are mostly the amorphous mass of nu/groove kids that have been following the band because they are “new”. If Heafy was a better singer really this would have been quite the classy attempt and I think his vocals are keeping the band from taking full flight, without meaning that he’s terrible, he’s just not a “great” singer… if you’re a fan lend an ear, if you’re not, it’s unlikely you’ll be turned.
While they are far from being the worst band that plays “modern” metal and they seem adequately versed as players, where most people would “like” Matt Heafy’s vocals. I find them a bit too one dimensional and not too my liking as they’re way too melodic in a smaltzy way that hardly suits to the music when it gets more adventurous. His range also is not that great, but he’s found a way to sing, which suits him.
The thing with Trivium is that their style also tries to incorporate neoteristic elements from more modern bands but it also seems to draw a fair bit of inspiration from old school bands and trying to mix the groove-y parts with more straight forward ones, is rarely going to sound pleasing to everyone… “Silence” appears to have more and more old school things going for it, to the point that a guy like me, who’s old school through and through, would not want to trash it… but I’d like a better singer and a brighter rhythm guitar mixed higher – which would pretty much make Trivium sound not at all like themselves…
“Snøfall”, yes pretentiously stylized as if Trivium were a Nordic band, is a boring atmospheric instrumental that acts as intro to the title track, a rather impressive and battering mini anthemic mid tempo that’s probably one of the better songs the band has done.
“Blind Leading the Blind” is a bit too “suffocatingly” full of ideas and whiles its “chorus” isn’t too bad, it’s a bit too “samey” as other things…
In “Dead and Gone” Trivium goes for the way more modern rhythmical metal core sound and here Heafy’s limited range is even more evident. Also the fact that he starts almost every chorus in the same “harmonized” way is so boring and predictable… that drags this song down too…
“The Ghost That’s Haunting You” keeps the sound the same, but tries to walk the narrow bridge between the old and the nu and somehow for the most part manages to pull it off, but it’s not a tune to end all other tunes... but still a quite decent moment in the album.
“Pull Me from the Void” and “Until the World Goes Cold” seem to walk the middle of the road, but apart from the drumming that’s decidedly quite modern in the latter, the rest seems to be more back to the roots, complete with solos etc… I suppose the latter is a bit more modern flavored, but with its copious amounts of constant melody, it’s quite the anti-thesis of the modern “screamo” style that has verses being extreme and the choruses almost poppy, which is something that I hate with a passion, unless you’ve managed to pull off the “absolute” chorus…
“Rise Above the Tides” did seem to have been mastered quite “lower” but I dunno why that might be. It’s a highly rhythmical piece that is however pretty anthemic and interesting, within the realms of what the band does…
“The Thing That’s Killing Me” has a nice lead, but also a bit of punk pop energy going on for it… one of the better tracks on the album.
“Beneath the Sky” is darker and gloomier and means business and if Heafy was a better singer or even a bit more commanding, it could have been really really good…
“Breathe in the Flames” follows pretty much the same vein, but it’s a bit more reminiscent of latter day Metallica, if they had a drummer that’s good! At least, it’s not such a Metallica tribute as some other bands, but still…
“Cease All Your Fire” is a melodic mid-tempo that tries to be mildly political without escaping the bands identifiable sound trademarks, but props for taking a somewhat pro-political standpoint.
Last but not least, “The Darkness of My Mind” is a way more “introspective” number that closes the album in a nice, albeit a bit melancholic way…
This is one of Trivium’s better offerings and if their fanbase has issues with it, I suppose it might be for the better, as they are mostly the amorphous mass of nu/groove kids that have been following the band because they are “new”. If Heafy was a better singer really this would have been quite the classy attempt and I think his vocals are keeping the band from taking full flight, without meaning that he’s terrible, he’s just not a “great” singer… if you’re a fan lend an ear, if you’re not, it’s unlikely you’ll be turned.