Album review: Trivium - Shogun

Trivium are back in a way we have never seen them before. They are shredding guitar in a brand new way, the screaming is back and the old style might as well be buried.

So, Trivium have a new sound, their own sound. No longer can the haters bitch and moan about how Trivium sound like this that and other, and for anyone who lost faith in Trivium because of The Crusade [2006] this could be the album that brings you back to them. I personally didn’t mind the Crusade though I admit it wasn’t half as good as Ascendancy [2005]. But what about Shogun? Well, I think the best way to describe it is a mix of some of their old with a lot of their new. But what is the new? The new is Trivium going into a wild hard let’s-tear-this-place-apart thrash like we have never seen from these guys before, and with Matt Heafy’s screaming back this is one heavy kick-ass album.

They really needed to move away from The Crusade and make something we haven’t seen before. That’s what they did. They are tearing up speakers and headphones in their very own way now. The only problem with this new sound is that it’s exactly the same all the way through the album. Even though a mix of melodic was employed every now and then, most of the album does have that samey feel to it that anyone but a fan will soon get very tired of. The only thing helping to separate the songs out are the odd catchy lyrics that might keep bringing you back to a few particular songs on the album.

Kirisute Gomen might be just such a song. It certainly is for me. With an interesting and captivating acoustic guitar intro which is then shattered with an insane thrash that tells you Trivium are back, and they are here to dominate, this makes for a perfect opening track. Down From The Sky, another one of the singles is just the word fantastic put into musical form. The opening riff is enough for you to know this song needed to be a single. This is clearly a song addressing the issue of war so the song has a very strong mix of meaning and power. Finally I’d just like to mention, for those of you hardcore fans who will be the Limited Edition version of the CD you will get Trivium’s cover of the Iron Maiden song Iron Maiden. Now when I saw this it was a mix of excitement and worry. Excitement at the idea of one of my favourite metal bands doing a cover of one of my all time favourite band’s songs, but worry at the fact I have never liked a cover of an Iron Maiden song…that was until I heard this. Trivium made it their own and it is nothing short of amazing. Brilliant work guys.

Verdict: So! Is this Trivium’s best album to date? Some, in fact I believe a majority will say yes, and I can understand that. However I’d like to stand by Ascendancy as their best album but as with almost all music related things, it’s a matter of taste. This is still one of their greatest albums and was a well needed and incredibly successful change for the guys.

Nick