Trivium
The Crusade

THE REVIEW

The speed with which Trivium have made their mark, achieving in just three years the status of the "next big thing" in the metal scene, is astounding.

2005 saw them as the absolute protagonists with their second album 'Ascendancy', elected by the authoritative Kerrang magazine as the best album of the year. In early October, the quartet formed in Florida will release the much-anticipated 'The Crusade', destined to confirm all the positive words that have been written and said about them. Trivium's compositions stand out for their maturity and freshness, despite their main genre reference being the thrash metal of "old school” bands like Metallica and Megadeth.

The use of growling vocals has fueled the mistaken belief that Trivium were a metalcore band, forcing singer and guitarist Matt Heafy to permanently abandon this practice. The thirteen tracks of 'The Crusade' hit hard without however giving up on catchy choruses, as in the initial tracks Ignition and Detonation which well describe the genuine love for metal of these very young musicians. The single Anthem (We Are The Fire) does not do justice to the other songs on 'The Crusade', which mostly stand at much higher quality levels. The overwhelming passion that characterizes the relentless march of Trivium, combined with a remarkable apprenticeship (over 350 concerts in two years), has what it takes to convince even the most skeptical and strict metalheads; and even if it doesn't, it matters little because these four Americans have ambition and character to spare.

In the coming months, Trivium will open for Iron Maiden's European concerts and in early 2007 they will perform solo around the world. I obviously recommend keeping an eye on this young and solid band, destined to do even greater things in the years to come.