Trivium, one of America’s hottest metal bands, is soon going to be very busy. After bursting onto the heavy metal scene with the critically acclaimed “Ascendancy,” Trivium stopped by Columbus a few times with In Flames, Chimaira, DevilDriver and Children of Bodom, and was one of the most popular bands at Ozzfest 2005. After taking some time off to finish a new record, Trivium is about to make a lot of noise.
Trivium has recently received a lot of press after Rita Haney, girlfriend of 20 years to Dimebag Darrell, sang the band’s praises to Guitar World and Guitar One magazines. Haney also gave band members Matthew Heafy and Corey Beaulieu each one of Dimebag’s famous Dean guitars.
The band recently finished work on its second album, “The Crusade,” which will be on store shelves early in the fall. They are soon departing the United States to play the legendary summer festivals of Europe, including Rock Am Ring, Rokslide and Download.
Following the trek across Europe, Trivium will be co-headlining the Sounds of the Underground Tour, one of the summer’s largest indie metal tours which will feature In Flames, As I Lay Dying, Machine Head and Terror. Trivium and the rest of SOTU will be in Cleveland, July 8 at the Plain Dealer Pavilion.
Recently, Trivium’s label, Roadrunner Records, has decided to re-release “Ascendancy” with a bonus disc which includes four new tracks and a DVD containing all of the band’s music videos and more than a half hour of live performances. The bonus songs include “Blinding Tears Will Break the Skies,” a five-minute thrash metal tutorial that calls Slayer and Exodus to mind, and is getting heavy play on satellite radio.
Perhaps the crown moment of the bonus material is a cover of Metallica’s metal landmark, “Master of Puppets.” Their version originally appeared on a CD packaged with the April 5 edition of Kerrang! magazine to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “Master of Puppets” album, widely considered the best heavy metal album ever.
The re-release of “Ascendancy” is a perfect introduction to the band for new fans. For Metallica fans everywhere, the “Master of Puppets” cover is alone worth the sticker price. Listeners will be floored by Trivium’s music. These kids have an average age of barely twenty, and their music is being compared to Metallica and Slayer. Fan favorites like “Pull Harder,” “Strings of Your Martyr,” “Dying in Your Arms” and “Like Light to the Flies” combine harsh verses with melodic choruses, but the virtuosity of the band is what sets Trivium apart from its peers.
Roadrunner Records has a history of reissuing records which have gone on to become must-haves in metal fans’ collections, such as Type O Negative’s “Bloody Kisses,” Soulfly’s self-titled debut and Slipknot’s debut. “Ascendancy” will soon be added to that list.
