For more than 20 years, Florida’s own Trivium have been bringing unapologetically heavy and melodic metal to masses, and on April 24th, 2020, they will be releasing their 9th studio album entitled, What The Dead Men Say on Roadrunner Records.
Nine albums in, and the band is truly finding their groove and melding their love of hardcore, death, and black metal with elements that lean more towards straight forward melodic metal, that is still really freaking heavy!
The instrumental track “IX” opens up the album. Lush acoustic guitars lull you in for the first minute and then like a ton of bricks, those might riffs crash in and lead the way to the album’s title track, “What The Dead Men Say.”
Right out of the gate, Trivium makes their presence known with blistering guitar and thunderous double bass. Vocalist/Guitarist, Matt Heafy’s seasoned voice still sounds amazing as he alternates between bellowing screams and clean vocals. The chorus is proof that this band has mastered the art of using melody and metal madness.
“Catastrophist” is noticeably heavier with the dual guitar attack of Matt (Heafy) and Corey (Beaulieu) taking command of the song. Love the changing in tempos throughout the song. Pay close attention once that 2:44 mark hits. All hell breaks loose and the guys shift into overdrive to close out the song.
On “Amongst the Shadows and the Storms”, Matt (Heafy) goes for the throat with aggression and venom, Drummer, Alex Bent absolutely kills it on this track. I think the guys is using baseball bats as drumsticks the way he hits those skins. Way to bring the heavy, fellas!
“Bleed into Me” has a sinister bass into courtesy of Paulo Gregoletto that sets the tone for the rest of the song. Slower in tempo, but it sure has movement and groove. Another great example of Trivium’s melodic tendency.
“The Defiant” undoubtedly kicks things back up about 1000 notches and is quite possibly the best track on the album. Every element of what makes Trivium great is present here. From the blistering riffs and solos to the anthemic sing-along chorus, it really is the perfect Trivium track.
Closing the album out is the heavy hitter, “The Ones We Leave Behind.” The band goes out with all guns blazing. Matt (Heafy) sings with such heart and aggression. Fantastic guitar outro leads the song into the proverbial sunset.
This is truly a career defining album for the boys in Trivium. Faithful fans of the band will love every second listened. Every track balances power with passion and melody with madness. When April 24th hits, get to your music retailer and grab a copy of this album. It will honestly be worth every penny you spend.
Rating: 9/10 Stars.
I’m Music Magazine Writer Jason “Supes” Mesa
PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM BUNDLES HERE: https://store.trivium.org
PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER DIGITAL FORMATS: https://trivium.lnk.to/WTDMS
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