Trivium – Silence In The Snow


11811572_10153147386401896_7870895854136755956_n

There aren’t many bands to achieve the success levels that Trivium have that have to subsequently prove themselves over with each album. While the shadow of the decade old Ascendancy (Roadrunner) continues to loom over their career, that familiar feeling of deja-vu pervades as the Floridians unveil their seventh album, Silence In The Snow (also Roadrunner), once again to a backdrop of doubters and people gleefully awaiting a failure to show their mettle.

There is often negativity and scepticism attached to bands changing their style, but Trivium’s new music sounds more sophisticated and almost effortless. The introductory track ‘Snofall’, delicately crafted by Ihsahn to reflect the melodies of the upcoming title track, is dark and haunting; intriguing the listener, yet not giving away exactly what direction Trivium are going to take with their new sound, and the beautiful melodies are able to reinforce the themes of loneliness and of course… snow. The snow theme seems to have put off a lot of people, as if snow is only related to Frozen or Christmas. Although it may make a good Christmas present, this album is anything but tacky…

Title track ‘Silence In The Snow’ had its live debut earlier this year on the bands’ summer shows and since then it has been frequently gracing the airwaves and segues from the introduction before duplicating the same chaos as ‘In Waves’ with its melodic stomp. ‘Blind Leading The Blind’ is one of the strongest songs on the album and the guitar work is extremely effective: the simplistic riffs contrast well with the technical guitar solos.

‘Until The World Goes Cold’ opens with a haunting guitar riff, and progresses into a slow yet bass-heavy song. There are no fast-paced or shredding guitars, as the track shows Trivium’s softer side. Matt Heafy’s clean vocals are stronger than ever, and there is more of a focus on the lyrical content, with the heavy vocals of previous albums left by the wayside; exploring themes of legacy and fading away in ‘Dead And Gone’, singing “I feel I will die a forgotten man, just a number.”

Trivium have been criticised in the past for trying too hard to create music that they think everyone will like, however, Silence In The Snow should change perceptions and sets up a future direction. With less of a focus on trying to be the heaviest, it is much easier to enjoy their sound for what it really is: decent metal music which does not need harsh vocals.

Heafy’s improved vocals are the focus throughout, a path which is a continuation of the route travelled on Vengeance Falls (Roadrunner), so if you are looking for an extremely heavy album then you will be disappointed. Allow yourself to enjoy the increased emphasis on song-writing and melodic refrains, however, and Silence In The Snow will resonate with you.

 

7.5/10

JULIA CONOPO


Video: Trivium – Until The World Goes Cold


Trivium Silence_in_the_Snow

Trivium has released a new video for the song ‘Until The World Goes Cold’, from their forthcoming album Silence In The Snow, due out on October 2nd from Roadrunner. You can watch the clip at this link or below:

 

Trivium will start the campaign for Silence In The Snow with a co-headline lot on The HardDrive Live Tour with Tremonti:

Trivium Tremonti Tour Poster

 

Trivium tour dates on The HardDrive Live Tour with Tremonti

Sep 09: Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Sep 11: House Of Blues – Lake Buena Vista, FL
Sep 12: The Ritz Ybor – Tampa, FL
Sep 13: The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Sep 15: Ziggy’s – Winston-Salem, NC
Sep 16: Ziggy’s By The Sea – Wilmington, NC
Sep 18: The Webster – Hartford, CT
Sep 19: Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom – Hampton Beach, NH
Sep 20: The Emporium – Patchogue, NY
Sep 22: Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON
Sep 23: Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
Sep 25: Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore, MD
Sep 26: Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH
Sep 28: The Crofoot – Pontiac, MI
Sep 29: Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
Sep 30: Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 02: The Sandlot Entertainment Complex – Green Bay, WI
Oct 04: Pop’s – Sauget, IL
Oct 06: Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
Oct 07: Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
Oct 08: Alamo City Music Hall – San Antonio, TX
Oct 10: Club Red – Mesa, AZ
Oct 11: Hard Rock Live – Las Vegas, NV
Oct 14: The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
Oct 15: Knitting Factory – Reno, NV
Oct 17: Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
Oct 18: Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
Oct 20: The Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO