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Trivium - In Waves [Album]

Roadrunner Records

by Sam Hardy, August 1st, 2011 and has been Read 5601 times.
Last Edited by: Ffion Davies August 3rd, 2011.

In Waves, one of the most eagerly anticipated metal records of 2011, can without a doubt be considered the most important release of Floridian metal outfit Trivium’s twelve year career. Like any well established artist, Trivium have had a history of fluctuating but generally consistent success that has, during the low points as well as the high, offered the group a wealth of knowledge which has facilitated their impressive growth. You see, that’s the key word when it comes to Trivium. Growth. It’s a compliment that’s dished out far too readily to artists that truly lack variance, but simply an observation of undeniable accuracy when applied to this formidable foursome. Since their debut release Ember To Inferno, the band have made a conscious effort to undergo considerable adjustments and changes to produce freshly squeezed material – and ultimately to avoid the often inevitable fate of becoming sickeningly stale. After positively causing a raucous and expanding their fan base enormously with 2004 release Ascendancy, the sheer aggression of Trivium became the passion of thousands of fans and the apparent key to flawless accomplishment. But, as we have come to learn so willingly, Trivium are all about change, and immediately their style metamorphosed, their music was reformed, convention was subverted. With The Crusade, Heafy vowed never to scream again and told us that the guitars had actually been tuned higher than ever before. It seemed that the days of the coarse growls accompanying crushingly heavy instrumental support were long gone, replaced instead with an anthemic rock vibe that struck a worrying nerve with a number of devoted followers. However, three years ago, the fervent outfit struck back at critics with overwhelming force; Shogun. Inspiringly technical, brilliantly challenging and entirely ambitious, the album did exactly what needed to be done and Trivium soared elegantly back to the top of their game. They had produced the album of their career, and with Heafy at the forefront, screaming his lungs aflame once more.

What must be understood now then, is that the brilliance of Shogun, of any previous record, simply could not be recreated in the same way with In Waves. Reiterating the innumerable comments made by the band in recent press encounters, as always, the new album marks a change. There are new elements at play, and it has to be said that you won’t find the Trivium of Ascendancy or The Crusade or Shogun here, except perhaps lurking in the cobwebbed corners of some heavily muted rhythm guitar riff or in the distant echoes of some guttural exhalation. With all this said and accounted for, I truly cannot wait to experience the brand new Trivium we have been offered minimal glimpses of through single releases and teaser trailers. Bring it on.

In Waves begins as the majority of Trivium records have done in years passed; with a beautifully eerie instrumental introduction. As achieved previously, the purpose of the very first track is simple; to paint a picture, to set a scene, to begin the story. It’s safe to say that ‘Capsizing The Sea’ is the most artistically inspiring example of this we’ve seen, beginning with a jaunty but somewhat familiar melody played on what could be some rickety old grand piano (the instrument choice is an artform in itself). ‘Unnerving’ describes the immediate atmosphere perfectly. Quickly, the sinister fingering of black and white keys is accompanied by military-esque percussion, tracing out an odd and seemingly disjointed rhythmic pattern. It takes a bar or two to realise that this is the rhythm and melody to ‘In Waves’, the album’s title track, the five minute specimen of material we were offered in anticipation many weeks ago. Bass drums and additional snares arrive in the mix. One layer of rhythm guitar. Another layer of rhythm guitar. Bass. Further melodies on brighter pianos. As the track progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent what exactly it is we are listening to. It’s the title track, which I can see on the song list follows this very piece, being built up, layer by layer, instrument by instrument. We’re given a fascinating insight into the bare bones of the piece and allowed to witness its delicate construction, experiencing its complex development in just a minute and a half. The consistent layering of new sounds and new melodies fleshes out the skeleton of the music, and the tension, the expectation, the anticipation for the final, climatic explosion into ‘In Waves’ in all its completed glory increases with irresistible magnitude. The song, the monstrous beast has finally finished its self-formation, it has become what it has been designed to be, a few bars of bone-crushing riffage enveloping, now somewhere way back in the shadows of the mix, that original quirky piano line. A few seconds separate us from vocalist Matt Heafy’s first choral appearance on the album, that infectious roar of ‘In Waves!’ that we’ve been conditioned to yearn for in this short space of ninety seconds. And then… quiet. A momentary lapse brings us to near silence, stripping away almost all instrumental input and leaving that ominous initial piano riff, leaving notes hanging weightlessly in the atmosphere. In retrospect, the band may have benefited greatly in maintaining the force amassed in ‘Capsizing’ to burst straight into the title track without the interruption of pace, but thankfully all four instrumentalists rear their heads for the attack, striking us when we’re down, launching the album into action.

‘In Waves’. Tight, gripping vocals are the centrepiece around which the rest of the song orientates itself. From the outset, it is clear that Heafy’s voice, which is projected with such ferocity that it verges on the terrifying, has developed in immeasurable ways since Shogun. His screams feel infinitely more evil, they feel like they could well be at home on a conventional black metal record. Ridiculous? Not entirely. There is certainly more depth to his extensive vocal range, and perhaps it is because of this (or a result of, of course, the group’s ever-present desire for transformation) that Heafy, Beaulieu and Gregoletto have dropped their guitars down to a beastly Drop C# tuning, offering that extra edge, that extra bite that the entire album just screams. Nick Augusto’s percussion work is also another brilliant example of the elevated level of musicianship that the Trivium camp can boast, the irregular rhythms and thick, low-end bass drum kicks add so much to the band’s sound. The guitars, with strength lying in the rhythm (although Beaulieu’s wah-drenched solo is a thing of beauty, intense beauty) fill the soundscape to the brim, the sheer density of the riffage and the crunchy tone is mind-blowing. The only deviation in brutality during the five minute track, however, is the chorus, which substitutes aggression for melody through interesting use of major arpeggios and bright lead guitar lines neatly layered over what one could truly consider memorable vocals. This tune’ll seriously get in your head and stay there; it’s delightfully infectious – an assessment that could be liberally applied to most tracks on the record. However, for the most hardcore of hardcore fans, this section in particular will require some adjustment time. Truthfully, it’s not difficult to hear hints of Escape The Fate or similarly styled bands in the confines of that very chorus, but whether this detracts or adds to the material is a question of personal judgement. When it comes down to it, ‘In Waves’ is a raw, powerful song that does an extremely competent job in fulfilling and superseding the expectations one might attribute to an album’s title track.

Following the end of ‘In Waves’, we are thrown headfirst into the depths of ‘Inception Of The End’, a network of labyrinthine twisting, winding riffs that seem to highlight the melodic outlines of scales meticulously and judiciously selected and studied by the band. From start to finish, ‘Inception Of The End’ offers Crusade-esque guitar work, with a certain amplified moodiness thanks to the dropped tuning. Heafy’s gritty roars that accompany his light, almost bubbly clean vocals provide the hook that drags the rock sound into the metal universe. The typical Trivium vocal harmonies that constitute a considerable portion of this chorus sound slightly different, however, slightly loftier than usual; have they introduced bassist Gregoletto’s voice into the mix? He provided, for the first time, competent vocal support in ‘Shattering The Skies Above’ just a year ago – perhaps the band were (rightly) pleased with how he performed and asked him to further his input? If so, he does a great job of filling those daunting vocalist boots. The second chorus ends after another golden line that will again evade all mental acquittal, sacrifice all your fear!, and we’re offered a heavy, entirely screamed bridge to draw the song closer to its conclusion, which plays a very similar role to that of the bridge in 2004’s ‘Dying In Your Arms’. In fact, the similarities between the two songs are not impossible to spot, but the differences, the markers of maturation and growth are all the more rewarding.

‘Dusk Dismantled’ epitomises the mood of the album with such tangible eeriness, it’s difficult to avoid the occasional shudder down your spine. The track explodes into motion with the introduction of the song’s overriding motif –powerful, pulsing instrumental focus around a brilliantly simple but catchy 4/4 drum beat; simple evidence of the change of the band’s direction over the past two years - the time signature alone marking a shift in priority; from intricacy to simplicity. Overdubbed, tremolo-picked, high-gain and high-treble lead guitars join the mix to create a vibe not dissimilar to the early works of infamous black and death metal bands. The track oozes a truly evil and almost vampiric atmosphere. It screams immaculacy, and despite the in-your-face and aggressively thick sound, instruments do not clash and each player allows the rest of the band room to breathe, a formulaic solution for success. Augusto’s percussive flair has now truly shone through and it’s fair to say that on ‘Dusk’, his instrument perhaps plays the most important role; the adhesive that keeps the madness in its neatly chaotic order. Hats off to Nick.

The song grows darker as it pushes on, and with the ominous album cover looming above the track information on my music player, it’s difficult to shake the slightly unnerving atmosphere of the song. But it’s this very atmosphere that makes it so delightfully appealing and so devilishly enjoyable, and it’s not long until you find that you’re lost in Trivium’s world of shady narrative and eerie (but infinitely artistic) musicality. This is the heaviest thing Trivium have ever recorded.

However, there lies a disheartening consistency between ‘Dusk Dismantled’ and a number of other tracks on the album. Repetition seems to be a key issue in Trivium’s new sound, and whilst the simple, one or two line choruses establish a lyrically infectious and positively pop-like feeling, listeners might feel that after numerous consecutive listens, the clever technique simply becomes laboured.

For every Trivium record, there must be an anthem. There must be a song that evokes mammoth crowd interaction and an inescapable feeling of spine-tingling unity. Ascendancy had ‘Gunshot To The Head of Trepidation’, The Crusade had an aptly named ‘Anthem (We Are The Fire)’ and Shogun had ‘Into The Mouth of Hell We March’. What does In Waves offer? Perhaps it is too early to discern the live goodies from the studio gems, but it seems to me that the choice is apparent, albeit divided. In ‘Watch The World Burn’, it is evident that Trivium were seeking to imitate the spirit, the determined-to-dominate-everything mantra of metal that was present in ‘Anthem’. The chorus is simply a piece of headbanging art in itself – it’s difficult to avoid the adrenaline rush of a well constructed, well timed metal chorus – the next thing you know your heart’s pounding and you’re wondering why you’re not watching these artists at work in concert, right now. I want to make things explode whilst listening to this song. We are the arson.

And then there’s ‘Black’. Deep, dark and heavy, the malevolence of ‘Dusk Dismantled’ is preserved in this three and a half minute brute. In fact, it feels like some delicious aural hybrid that contrasts the sheer catchiness and badass rock riffage of ‘Watch The World Burn’ with the brutal, dark rhythmic density of ‘Dusk’. There is an aura of disjointedness and obscurity about the track in places, with tempo changes and unusually timed riffs that contribute massively to its underground, sinister atmosphere. But without a doubt the most attractive element of the piece is the unified yell of ‘BLACK!’, justifiably repeated a number of times, that makes up the chorus. Much like the crowd chants featured in Ascendancy’s ‘Gunshot’, the hook has clearly been devised for the ultimate crowd participation, and I can only imagine it being truly, magnificently awesome.

Trivium have said that certain tracks on ‘In Waves’ are the heaviest of their career. They weren’t lying, and ‘At Sky’s Severance’ is one of them. Beaulieu’s back-up screams that are, at many points, layered on top of Heafy’s already brutal bellows add a certain fantastic cruelty to the mix that reminds me just why I love Trivium. It’s just so bloody raw. And there is no let up – not a single note is actually sung during those breath-taking five minutes. But don’t be fooled, this isn’t just mind-bludgeoning, indecipherable noise - there is method in the construction, intention in the structure, and the harmonies shared by both guitarists prove that the melody of the lead guitar is key. Want heavy? Check this shit out. But whatever you do, don’t follow or precede it with ‘Dusk Dismantled’, you might just lose your mind.

What’s that? Starting ‘Caustic Are The Ties That Bind’, you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve gone and clicked ‘Motley Crue’ or even ‘Steel Panther’ instead of ‘Trivium’ – that introductory riff truly feels like it might belong to an era of glam and hair metal. Even after a reconciliatory verse of 2011 Trivium, the chorus, with its guitarists bouncing major-sounding notes off open strings, feels perhaps lighter than usual. But it works. It works so well. The true magic, however, manifests itself in the form of an acoustic breakdown. Note that, unlike every similar occasion in Trivium’s career, this isn’t clean electric guitar, the track has mellowed and thinned itself out to reveal the folky sound of an acoustic. Is this the very first time they’ve used the elusive instrument on record ever? It could well be. It’s a brilliant addition that brings a certain progressive feel to the music, influenced perhaps by their (recently announced) tour partners In Flames, renowned for their acoustic interludes within otherwise crushingly heavy songs. In fact, even the note choice and the emergence of a warm, bluesy guitar over the tranquil background music just drips Swedish In Flames genius. Exiting the planes of acoustic nirvana, we come to amuch weaker section that perhaps could have been omitted entirely. ’Can you help me find my way? I’ve been lost for so long’. Heafy’s vocals are questionably airy and floaty-light, and momentarily the album loses the focus and momentum it had simply drenched itself in since those memorable opening seconds. However, the twelve strings and twenty golden fingers of the Heafy/Beaulieu pairing simply blow me out of the water and slap me in the face for being silly with the best solo instrumental section of the album. The strength in this song, perhaps in a similar way to Shogun, lies predominantly in the confident reigns of the instrumental; definitely not something to be missed.

Upon first hearing ‘Forsake Not The Dream’, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Now, after countless listens? It is one of my favourite pieces of Trivium ever. With a centripetal riff that could have been born of the minds of pop-punk musicians, Trivium have done something brilliantly different with ‘Forsake’. The band’s signature flair remains; Heafy’s growls remain, Beaulieu’s lightning-fast melody remains, Gregoletto’s tight pounding of the bass remains and of course, Augusto’s complex and ferocious drumming remains. So what’s so different about it? The truth is, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly. Perhaps it’s the use of a piano as a vital instrument during verses, attributed equal weight in the mix as those deafening vocals and blistering guitars. Or maybe it’s the use of natural harmonics to constitute a large part of the introductory and chorus riffs, a technique rarely used so fruitfully. They truly are keeping things fresh, and my God they’re doing it well. In essence, Trivium have masterfully combined the irreplaceable experience of the heavy with the delightful charm of infectious melody – of pop. And it’s bloody brilliant.

And so, we come to the epic conclusion. Clean, slow and comfortingly deliberate, ‘Of All These Yesterdays’ marks the final sign of transformation, with soft guitars, loose drumming and particular focus upon lyricism – a formula that the Ember To Inferno Trivium may once have scoffed at. It feels like a story. It could be literature as much as it could be music. Even as the track ascends and develops power and aggressive intention, the haze of emotion remains. We are too far gone. It simply oozes poignancy.

One minute of finale remains in the form of an appropriately titled ‘Leaving This World Behind’, which is simply nothing but distorted chords from ‘Dusk Dismantled’. They feel evil. Interestingly, the simplicity of an acoustic guitar is added, and the track becomes a musical microcosm for the rest of the album, for the new Trivium. At one end of the ambitious spectrum, the sinister black-metal-like chord formations ring out with blood-curdling malice, reminding us of the extreme capabilities of the foursome. But at the same time, we’re hearing the down-to-earth, humbling influence of the light, of the inimitable importance of melody that has infiltrated so much of the album. Listen to this one with the album cover maximised.

Oh, that album cover encapsulates the emotion, the mood, the atmosphere of ‘In Waves’ with such perfection, with such unquestionable accuracy that I really can imagine the look of surprise and delight on the band members’ faces when they recognised its potential. The ominous, hideous maelstrom of a beast, evil incarnate, reigning down upon the peace and tranquillity of the sea and clouds of art – it’s just so right, it balances the two opposing ideals in much the same way as the music does. As the band have noted in recent interviews, they paid particular attention on this album cycle upon the finer details of the release, giving the artwork, the logo and the aesthetic values of In Waves as much significance and importance as the actual music itself. One look at the cover of the album is evidence enough of that, and enough to make you question and rethink the fifty one minute story you’ve just been told. The power of the allegory. The swell increases to the point of pandemonium, to awe-inspiring chaos, and then, silence. It’s over.

Trivium have not topped themselves. They have not beaten the intricate and musically complex feats they accomplished on Shogun, nor will they have satisfied every fanatic that became so devoted to the sound of Ascendancy so many years ago. Some may even label this admirable endeavour as a downfall simply because of its difference. Those that do are neither right nor wrong, but perhaps missing the point. Trivium have achieved so much in the way of progression that their brilliant journey has often been mislabelled by the ignorant as ‘selling out’ or ‘softening up’. This couldn’t be any further from the truth, and I’m glad that we can look upon In Waves as an example of why. Both sides, the soft and the heavy, the light and the dark, the commercial and the underground, exist brilliantly together on this record. When it comes to sheer diversity, the most universal of measurements with which the value of a musician can be genuinely weighed, Trivium have struck a winner with In Waves. I can only wish them a lucrative and rich future where this album will be looked on by the band as a personal milestone, a symbol of triumph and overall a sound, beautifully solid record. Because that’s exactly what it is.