Roadrunner "Shogun" - Trivium

Source:

Author: Chad Bower
Trivium's latest CD Shogun combines elements of both Ascendancy and The Crusade. Most noticeable is the return of screaming vocals. There were very few on The Crusade, as Matt Heafy used James Hetfield-esque singing. This time around there's a mix of both, with screaming being slightly more prevalent.

Shogun keeps a lot of those thrash elements, with fast galloping riffs and plenty of shredding solos. Trivium balances those old school influences with modern touches, and working with a producer (Nick Raskulinecz) who has experience with mainstream bands like Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver helps make even their most intense parts accessible.

Trivium's songwriting has improved, as has their musicianship. The riffs are really good throughout the album, starting with the first song "Kirisute Gomen," one of the best songs on the CD. I also particularly liked "Insurrection" and "Like Callisto To A Star In Heaven." Shogun wraps up with the epic 11 minute title track.

The most polarizing thing on this CD will definitely be Heafy's vocals. His melodic singing has improved, and while there are still a lot of similarities to Hetfield, he also sings with a cleaner, more mainstream style on a lot of the songs. The screaming is standard metalcore, angry and not very distinctive. The aggression of some of the songs does call for angrier vocals, and I can see why Trivum decided to return to screaming.

Shogun won't silence Trivium's legions of critics, but I think most fans will like the harsh vocals along with the great riffs and memorable melodies.

Source:

Author: MetalSucks.net
Trivium are a controversial metal band to be sure. Fans of the band cite their musicianship and songwriting ability as a testament to the band's talent at such a young stage in their career while their detractors focus on what essentially amounts to their mainstream appeal as a calling card for "false metal." With Shogun, their fourth full-length album and third for Roadrunner Records, Trivium had a lot to prove: could the band outgrow their sometimes derivative (but still very good to these ears) past work and forge a sound all their own while retaining their mainstream metal appeal? The answer is a resounding "yes;" with Shogun Trivium have truly found themselves. The vestiges of metalcore and Metallica-isms haven't left Trivium's sound completely but instead have seeped into the band's being in a more organic way. Trivium now just sounds like Trivium, and Shogun - though not without shortcomings - is the culmination of the sound they've been building towards throughout their whole career.

Shogun is guitar-driven from start to finish. It's a veritable riff-fest, with riff after riff after riff never missing the mark. Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu have taken it to the next level guitar-wise, melding neo-classical NWOBHM guitar harmonies with big, bombastic riffs that crush and hit that sweet spot that gets your fists pumping all the same. But what's most commendable - and Trivium have always been stellar in this regard thanks to Heafy's knack for songwriting - is that the riffs are never elevated above the overall structure and import of the song as a whole. Though the guitars are often front and center, Trivium never lose sight of the bigger picture that's gotten them this far, and their songs never feel like a collage of mis-matched guitar histrionics.

Read more by clicking the MetalSucks.net link above.