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Type:
Album
Genre: Heavy Metal
Tracks:
1.Kirisute Gomen
2.Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis
3.Down From the Sky
4.Into the Mouth of Hell We March
5.Throes of Perdition
6.Insurrection
7.The Calamity
8.He Who Spawned the Furies
9.Of Prometheus and the Crucifix
10.Like Callisto to a Star in Heaven
11.Shogun
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Playing tighter than the jeans they wear, the guys at Trivium have unleashed their finest, most ambitious album to date with ‘Shogun.’ Abandoning the unbridled 80’s nostalgia from ‘The Crusade’ and borrowing ‘Ascendancy’s’ growls, the result is a thrashing melodic roller coaster that seeks to rule over the metal world just as the Shoguns of old ruled over Japan. Channeling the samurai blood running through Matt Heafy’s veins, the unrelenting ‘Kirisute Gomen’ opens the proverbial curtains, its acoustic intro giving way to buzzing death metal guitars, hoarse shouts, and Matt’s hurried verses. It’s complex, unpredictable, and aurally gratifying, reflecting the band’s confidence in their skills after forging a discography characterized by restlessness.
‘Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis’ introduces the new skin Trivium has adopted for their fourth record. No longer are they a band lost between thrash and metalcore, on ‘Torn Between. . .’ Trivium are the destroyers of false metal: its subtle beginning climaxing with an energized tempo that treads on ground long familiar to European bands. The band churn out what is perhaps the best song of their career on ‘Down From the Sky.’ Watching its video will help you understand what it\'s about—nuclear weapons and the pigs who wield them—but even if you don’t its roughness and drama single-handedly tear at your heartstrings.
‘Into the Mouth of Hell We March’ has Trivium’s positive side on full display, being a song that bears the same energized kick as ‘Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation’s’ latter half. The next tune, ‘Throes of Perdition,’ whose flickering start builds up to a wave of heaviness, marks ‘Shogun’s’ turbulent climax. No longer hampered by his growly voice and exchanging occasional shouts with co-guitarist Corey Beaulieu, Matt Heafy—who proudly displays his range here—sings to his heart’s content on its dramatic chorus. ‘Insurrection’ sees the band return to their thrash roots, letting loose the jagged riffs and frantic tempo that made them worthy of a Kirk Hammet interview for a guitar magazine’s ‘Master of Puppets’ 25th Anniversary issue.
‘The Calamity’ and ‘Of Prometheus and the Crucifix’ are sterling examples of how Trivium have left their US peers behind and joined Europe’s Power Metal legion. Even the hoarse growls can’t keep these painstakingly melodic compositions from striving for the epic like barely anyone in America is. ‘He Who Spawned the Furies’ treads the fine line of rock and metal anthem, and it’s this musical balancing act that makes it a winner. On its last two songs, the Trivium quartet do a metalcore redux, delivering a shitload of juicy breakdowns on ‘Like Callisto To A Star in Heaven,’ and then journey into territory more familiar to Savatage for the towering title track. For the song ‘Shogun’ the band meld subtlety and ambition to bore the listener for a good eleven minutes. Once it falls silent, it’s clear how ‘Shogun’ is a major achievement for a band that has learned to ignore its detractors. Hate on them as much as you want, they’ll still be opening for Metallica and Iron Maiden next year. ‘Shogun’ may not have the smartest cover art, but it sure as fuck owns. So go buy it already!
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Reviewer: HailndKill
Rating:  |
Posted On: October 9, 2008 |
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