TRIVIUM „Shogun”

Music: Heavy/Thrash Metal
Website: www.trivium.org
Country: USA
Duration: 66:32


Cool Songs: Kirisute Gomen, Down From the Sky, Throes of Perdition, Like Callisto to a Star in Heaven

In the series of behind-the-scenes trailers Roadrunner used to hype this release, one clip caught bassist Paolo Gregoletto gushing over how the new record “is gonna kick your ass in the face”. Laugh all you want at the unsound logic behind that statement, but “Shogun” achieves exactly what he threatened. Never a band to sonically stay put, Trivium are treading on new ground for their latest record. But this time they make it a point to bring along some luggage from “Ascendancy” and “The Crusade” as a reward for fans of their previous work.

The ambitious opener “Kirisute Gomen” begins with solemn acoustic guitars that are soon buried by ominous drumming layered by a creepy build up. The tempo then shifts to speed metal and Matt Heafy’s manly clean vocals start singing of a medieval samurai’s merciless code. Effortlessly switching to buzzing death metal one moment, then hoarse screams—the band’s nod to “Ascendancy” diehards—and a memorable chorus the next, the first song display’s Trivium’s adroitness at tackling complex themes. Kicking your ass in the face indeed.

For “Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis” Trivium surprise us once more on its faint start that morphs into a driving melody. The lyrics coming in sections that are either sung clean or shouted, “Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis” signifies the new aural skin Trivim are wearing. It’s all a familiar balancing act involving heavier sections calmed by softer interludes, elements that now set the band apart in US metal by dint of the song’s ambitious strides within the melodic realm. “Down From the Sky” is perhaps the best single in the band’s discography, a marvel of expert composition and song writing. Still faithful to the equal parts singing n’ screaming vocal formula (is this 3 Inches of Blood or what?), they execute a moving musical piece that contains a dramatic element previously uncharacteristic of the band. Keeping the ball rolling, the same upbeat vibe that made “Gunshot To The Head of Trepidation” so enjoyable reemerges on “Into the Mouth of Hell We March”, which teeters perilously close to sounding like Angra or a similar power metal band.

“Shogun” reaches its climax on “Throes of Perdition”, whose flickering first minute inspires one’s enthusiasm and gratifies it further through a crashing wave of groovy heaviness. Executed with finesse beyond their years, Trivium are in top form here. Your heart feels ready to burst when Heafy’s soaring croons spew syrupy lyrical drama at the chorus. “Insurrection” resurrects the band’s skills at straight laced thrash circa “The Crusade” and features a twisted guitar solo that would have put a smile on King Diamond’s painted face. Staying true to the rest of the album, “The Calamity” once again places Trivium across the pond. This is the sort of stuff you’d expect from the likes of Mercenary, Soilwork, or Scar Symmetry—it’s metal done the European way. The brooding ode that’s “He Who Spawned the Furies” goes hand in hand with the anthemic “Of Prometheus and The Crucifix” in maintaining the album’s momentum.

Unleashing the long defunct metalcore breakdowns for “Like Callisto to A Star In Heaven”, the Trivium lads prove it’s not beyond them to induce a good-sized circle pit. But the closing title track sees the quartet venturing into territory familiar to either Symphony X or Into Eternity, the song “Shogun” progresses into parts unknown and shifts tempos at an unpredictable pace. The experience is like hanging on for dear life to flotsam in the midst of a boiling sea. The music goes so many different ways and then, before you know it, you reach the shore and the tumult has vanished. That is, it’s over.
Already light years away from their origins, “Shogun” is an album stewing melody and experimentation, making it 2008’s most surprising blockbuster release.

note: 9/10

Tracklist

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

Line-up

Matt Heafy- Vocals,guitars
Corey Beaulieu- Harsh vocals, guiatrs
Travis Smith- Drums
Paolo Gregoletto- Bass