Trivium
Shogun

THE REVIEW

You are the passenger. At the wheel is an inexperienced young man. He's going full speed. He drives decently, makes you feel the adrenaline, occasionally swerves a bit. With each swerve you feel like throwing up. But deep down, you're having fun.   Trivium is back at the wheel after two years, offering the masses their fourth album: eleven tracks, sixty-six minutes of melody. Matt Heafy brings back the screaming, almost entirely absent on their previous CD, making this "Shogun" more varied. Play: the first few seconds of the album are an acoustic call-back to the refrain of the last track, after which I listen to "Kirisute gomen," a hit. I notice numerous hits among the eleven tracks in question: the songwriting is, now more than ever, geared towards airplay. Other hits sure to succeed are numbers three, four, and seven: tracks with immediate impact, made of simple riffs, irresistible (odious?) choruses, and short lifespan.   "Shogun," the final track, is a suite, a novelty for this band. The first four minutes flow like any other track, then they settle into delicate arpeggios and low-tone singing*, gradually increasing in intensity, until it returns to the refrain, in my opinion, the best of the album. "Stride" more than in other works the classic combination of the screaming, never as guttural as in certain moments of this album, with the cold singing full of trendy melodies. Nevertheless, I note an increased experience in songwriting: it's a "squeak" that sounds better. These young men have been clever; they've designed a larger puzzle. So the listener, when taking an overall look, has a harder time seeing the joints between the pieces.   Boldness: Matt Heafy plays with fire. He borrows riffs from extreme metal and elaborates cool melodies, sometimes inspiring, sometimes nauseating. Is the result? At least interesting. I don't want to admit it, not even to myself. I don't let myself relax, I don't trust the little thug at the wheel who thinks he's a pilot. However, he does know what he's doing.  If only I could sit more relaxed in the seat! Given the crazy speed, the adrenaline would rise. Without prejudice, nor memories of the past, it would be fun.  Good: I want to go for another ride.     *The timbre of the aforementioned low tone closely reminds me of a singer from another band when he also uses that tone in certain songs (see The Unforgiven 2). The similarity is so striking that I went to check the booklet for any special guests.