There’s no such thing as being born to greatness. To succeed in the world of music you have to work hard. Trivium have earned their major league status. Trivium’s 2005 sophomore release (and Roadrunner debut) ‘Ascendancy’ brought the formidable foursome worldwide critical and commercial acclaim and has seen them grace over a dozen magazine front covers in the UK alone – plus land a daytime playlist slot on Radio 1 & achieve a Gold record for over 100,000 sales. Combined with the band’s live prowess, sharpened from relentless international touring (over 350 shows in the last two years), their new album ‘The Crusade’ is one of the most hotly anticipated rock albums of 2006.
“This album is borne out of everything that’s happened in the UK and America,” says Matt Heafy, the band’s 20 year old frontman. “As it developed, we realised we were making something really special. As a band, you can either release the same album again, keeping the same number of people interested and not really branch out, or you can evolve. I feel that ‘The Crusade’ is the next logical step in our evolution. To me, ‘The Crusade’ is still Trivium. We took one big step between the first two albums, but this time we’ve taken about ten huge leaps forward.”
Recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with Jason Suecof co-producing, ‘The Crusade’ is a faithful account of a fledgling band’s swift and bewildering evolution, from up-and-comer to world-beating behemoth. It’s a dazzling explosion of neck-snapping riffs, grandiose choruses and outstanding musicianship from all four members of the band. Drummer Travis Smith underpins the sharp brutality of his band’s songs with a startlingly dexterous percussive attack, all machine-gun kick drums and octopoid bursts of round-the-kit athleticism. Bassist Paolo Gregoletto reveals a hitherto unheard depth and maturity to his playing through the album as well; his inspired note-heavy runs and earthshaking bottom end providing a devastating counterpoint to his band mates’ deft compositions. Finally, both frontman Heafy and his six-string counterpart Corey Beaulieu have reached a new plateau of blurred-finger brilliance, with instantly memorable riffs and ear-searing fret-melting solos. Additionally, on the album, Heafy sounds more raw, aggressive and emotive than ever before.
From the opening future-thrash twin-blast of ‘Ignition’ and ‘Detonation’, with their anthemic refrains and blizzards of lacerating lead work, ‘The Crusade’ is clearly a body of work that will raise the bar for rock bands around the world. There’s the staggering lead single ‘Anthem (We Are The Fire)’, which blends the scathing thrash riffs of Megadeth with the infectious swagger of Mötley Crüe at their succinct best. The intricate, rumbling bludgeon of ‘Becoming The Dragon’ has a pummeling, cyclical rhythmic drive and soaring, left-of-centre chorus. The doom-laden, emotion-stuffed ‘And Sadness Will Sear’, reveals a new, darker, edgier side to Trivium’s otherwise hook-laden chops. The deceptively accessible ‘The Rising’ is a sumptuous hymn hewn from the juiciest licks that boasts a phenomenal crowd-rousing chorus... imploring the faithful to ‘Raise your voices with me…and sing this song of unity!’ This collection of gems culminates in the album’s monumental, shape-shifting title track; an eight-and-a-half minute instrumental monstrosity that twists, turns and torments the listener with rapid-fire tempo shifts, immaculate musicianship and a thrilling sense of adventure. Indeed, it’s a glorious end to a collection of songs that seems destined to cement Trivium’s reputation as one of the top rock bands of their generation.
“We’re four very determined people,” concludes Heafy. “When I was 12 years old and got into metal, I wanted to be in a huge band. That will never change. We don’t take anything for granted and will work hard to make that dream come true. And we’ve only just started.”
