Trivium - Ember to Inferno
Lifeforce Records
Thrash influenced Melodeath
12 songs (49:33)
Release year: 2003
Trivium, Lifeforce Records
Reviewed by Jay

We last heard from Trivium back in April when we reviewed their demo. After our review, Trivium signed with German label Lifeforce Records. Their first album is set to be released this week. It’s a great album and should get them noticed by a few more people in the metal press.

The track list had some familiar songs from the demo. “Fugue,” “Requiem,” “To Burn the Eye,” and “My Hatred” were all from the demo. They have been re-recorded for this album and sound much better. There are subtle changes mostly in the vocal sound during the choruses. Aside from that, the songs are musically the same except for some slight tempo changes. Matt, Travis and Brent turn in excellent performances again. The musical style of hard vocals during the chorus and melodic vocals during the choruses is a welcome change from the retreat from clean vocals most bands have been experiencing. Anyway, the recording is spectacular. From hearing their demo, you could be sure that Trivium would be capable of making a well-produced album and this is the proof. The cymbal sound is one of the particularly well mixed sounds. They are similar to the way Katatonia’s cymbals sound on Last Fair Deal Gone Down. The guitar sound has some marginal improvements and the bass is as solid and constant as it ever was.

The new material is exactly what we could have imagined. “Pillars of Serpents” is reminiscent of “Disciple” from the latest Slayer disc if not just for the introduction alone. It is a great opening song and is surely one of the more thrash styled tracks. This song is one of the best ones left off of the new Destruction. The double bass is pretty punishing here and the echo effects reminded me of “Nothing Else Matters.” The breakdown is more in the ‘core vein owing to Shadows Fall but then there is a sudden shift and it seems as if they’ve become Opeth. The coda draws heavy influence from “The Drapery Falls” and it is fit in well. Heafy’s solo here is in Akerfelt’s style. After this sonic assault, the second track “If I Could Collapse the Masses” strips the sound down a little more but is more melodeath oriented. Some great Arch Enemy style riffs are found here. Trivium is a band that is able to draw influence without overt copying.

The title track hearkens back to classic Metallica and reminds us how metal can sound. The verses have the fast tempo we need and the solo owns. The clean vocals of the chorus are a nice touch as well. “Falling to Grey” is a little more experimental and doesn’t have as clear a focus as the other tracks but it can stand on its own. It’s more melodic but could use some refining since it switches between hard and soft parts which are seemingly at odds. “When All Light Dies” has one of the best intro riffs I’ve heard in a long time. It reminds me of vintage Dio. It’s another thrash styled song with lots of ‘core influence. This is a spectacular closing song because it’s powerful and stylish with a Marty Friedman era Megadeth solo.

Trivium’s name represents the three basic liberal arts that medieval idealists believed to be the most eloquent. Grammar, logic and rhetoric. Trivium may not be eloquent by medieval standards but their debut album should be listened to because it is quite good. These guys represent the future of real metal and they should be praised.

Killing Songs :
Pillars of Serpents, If I Could Collapse the Masses, When All Light Dies, Requiem, Ember to Inferno, Fugue
Jay quoted 89 / 100
Other albums by Trivium that we have reviewed:
Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon reviewed by Goat and quoted 83 / 100
Trivium - What the Dead Men Say reviewed by Goat and quoted 82 / 100
Trivium - The Sin and the Sentence reviewed by Goat and quoted 89 / 100
Trivium - Shogun reviewed by Pete and quoted 78 / 100
Trivium - The Crusade reviewed by Jason and quoted 79 / 100
To see all 8 reviews click here
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