Trivium

In Waves

By: Nick Habisch

 

Rating:

There is few bands in the metal scene that have been as bashed and universally hated as Trivium. They started out being labeled an okay Thrash band, and then become the source of malicious hatred when their 2006 album, The Crusade saw the band’s vocalist ditch the screaming vocals in favor of a yelling style, and subsequently saw Trivium get labeled as Metallica rip-offs. They returned to a style reminiscent of their earlier work, Ascendency with their 2008 album Shogun, but many in the metal community still heavily disliked Trivium. Suffice to say that their newest release, In Waves, will not change many opinions.

 

In Waves shows vocalist Matt Heafy utilizing a growl and clean vocals, both of which feature prominently throughout the alum. His screamed vocals are stronger then his singing, as evidenced on tracks like “In Waves” and “Caustic are the Ties that Bind”. Musically, In Waves is heavy, pounding, and yet generally boring. Trivium seemed to be going for the catchy approach versus the technical, as the majority of In Waves features solid riffs, but none of the guitar fireworks like on Ascendency. Songs like “Chaos Reigns” and “Dusk Dismantled” are heavy, but really do not stand out as Trivium songs; they could easily be As I Lay Dying B-Sides. The drumming is nothing special, as it sits behind the guitar riffs and really does not add anything to the overall sound.

 

Although Trivium seems to get an unfair beating from the majority of the music community, not all of it is unfounded. As catchy as In Waves can be at times, it generally is just not that interesting of a listen. Trivium at their best makes use of guitar harmonies and complex solos, and this album is void of those. Although Matt Heafy’s vocals may be at their strongest, it does not help mask the faults that In Waves has. This album was clearly geared toward those listeners who crave catchy songs over technicality, and for those people and die-hard Trivium fans, In Waves may be worth it; but for the rest of music fans, it is better to just stay away and avoid the waves.

iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-waves/id446292213
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/trivium