08082011

Trivium - In Waves (2011)

(melodic metalcore)

Generally the most descriptive term most people who rate albums on a frequent basis are able to find for Trivium and the whole genre of metalcore is balls. I wouldn't concur that this is the most metaphorically figurative noun that can be said to depict the music of the given band into the minds of people. Yet, unfortunately it also holds some truth within, and the fiftfh studio album of Trivium exaplains why.

Capsizing The Sea is probably the most outside-the-box thing that Trivium has ever done musically and it blends quite well with the follow-up title track In Waves. The haunting piano melody and Heafy's crushing growls start the album off and lay out great expectations on the table cleaned by the previous effort, Shogun, which I actually found quite enjoyable. Normally I listen to metalcore when excercising and I had to try this album as a possible replacement for Shogun before I could critically review it. 

The result: replacement unsuccessful.

The album is crammed with short tracks that are connected to each other with instrumental interludes, yet it lacks the straight-forward coherency that this lay-out should create. Single tracks are able to stand out from the line of musical privates and Forsake Not The Dream and Of All These Yesterdays actually sound great booming out loud. These alone can't create an aura of excellence around the album, though.

The lyrical thematics get lost somewhere between obscurity and obsolescence and provide me with nothing I would not have known already, which I find to be a problem in quite a few metalcore bands. Overall, a decent follow-up to Shogun but when you're expecting a band defining themselves musically and are faced with a band defying your musical taste, you can't help but to feel slight disappointment.

Generic, over-produced, flat.

.i'm falling in this colossal void.