Trivium Albums Ranked

Trivium is a great example for progressing. Since their first album Ember to Inferno, band improved themselves and prooved that they can take the "metalcore influenced heavy metal" a step forward. Band showed that they are more than a metalcore band with some of their riffs being progressive. Clean and heavy vocal transitions are child's play for the band thanks to Heafy's and Beaulieu's double vocal techniques.

Band wasn't so lucky about finding a consistent drummer. Before their latest record "The Sin and the Sentence", Alex Bent joined the band and changed their music completely. Hope that Bent would stay. That dude is a killer drummer!

It's time for us to rank all eight studio albums by Trivium. Let's check it out!

8-) The Crusade (2006)

Sorry, die hard fans, I had to place The Crusade here. According to Loudwire, The Crusade was Trivium following Metallica's steps. I'm a hardcore Metallica fan but no guys, it wasn't a complete and consistent record. They were going top of their career with Ascendancy, I really don't know why they wanted to try something different. Their passion for 80's metal didn't come up with a good result. Change is good but not like this. Sorry.

Highlights: "This World Can't Tear Us Apart", "Anthem (We Are Fire)"

7-) Vengeance Falls (2013)

Trivium decided to hire David Draiman from Disturbed as a producer! That was a huge deal but unfortunately didn't satisfy the expectations. Had to admit, album started so good that we all felt that butt-kicking. "Brave This Storm" and "Strife" was the strongest songs on the album. Especially Strife was their best song for a long time. Title track and "No Way To Heal" has strong beginnings that pulls you into in no time. Of course, Vengeance Falls is not a bad record. Fun to listen but not as memorable as their previous ones.

Highlights: "Brave This Storm", "Strife", "No Way to Heal"

6-) Silence In The Snow (2016)

Well, this one, I believe, very underrated. Just because there was no heavy vocals, doesn't mean it's bad. This album contains very good and improved vocal performance by Matt Heafy; title track and "The Thing That's Killing Me" are good examples for this.

Band tried something different and it got mixed results. It was always hard to please die hard metal fans. They want exactly what they want, nothing less. Trivium fans expacting something like Shogun, literally since it's released. For me, I'm happy for this album released by the band. It's straight heavy metal record. It has strong "band your fucking heads" moments (just go check out 'Until the World Goes Cold'). Even sometimes riffs sounded same, Silence in the Snow is a record that should be appreciated.  

Highlights: "Silence in the Snow", "Dead and Gone", "Until the World Goes Cold"

5-) Ember To Inferno (2003)

This one started it all. Very first record by Trivium. Straight blast of metalcore combined with thrash metal elements. Heafy's impressive vocals feels like a pro but he was just seventeen years old when this one released. Pretty impressive, right?

Production of this album maybe weaker than later records, well it's something we shouldn't find strange. Sometimes weaker and raw production creates the atmosphere. Ember to Inferno is a good effort especially for this fact. Also, production is weaker but this doesn't mean that it's making the listener uncomfortable. It's just weaker than the other records. Bass tone and drums in this album absolutely killers. Vocal mixing is a strong one too.

Highlights: "Ember to Inferno", "To Burn the Eye", "Pillars of Serpents

4-) In Waves (2011)

Heafy's haircut brought so much heaviness! This is not like 'Ascendancy' kind of heavy, this is something different. Ascendancy and Shogun had something old school. In Waves is modern heaviness. Also, it's a strong decisive element for next records.

Have to admit, In Waves has some filler songs, for me. Especially, "Drowning in Slow Motion". I really couldn't connect with that song. It's like they tried to do something so heavy but they don't have a good melody. Well, give the devil his due. Filler songs doesn't mean that In Waves don't have brilliant moments. It has lots of it. In fact, we should take a moment and appreciate the beginning of the title track. With combining with "Capsizing the Sea", title track has best intro the band had ever done.

In Waves defined Trivium's way forward and also shaped modern metalcore bands. This is a really important record.

Highlights: "In Waves", "Caustic Are the Ties That Bind", "Forsake Not the Dream", "Shattering the Skies Above"

3-) Ascendancy (2005)

After Ember to Inferno, band was sure that they can capable to do better. So, they recorded Ascendancy. Ascendancy was not just better than the first record, it was better much more metal records that released that year. Ascendancy was one of the best example of new wave metal music. It's been 13 years, it still contain it's heaviness and modern pieces. They were ambitious, that's for sure. They tried more of catch riffs and melodies, more improved vocal transitions had been recorded. Ascendancy is the record that you can bang your head from beginning to end.

Highlights: "Pull Harder the Strings of Your Martyr", "Ascendancy", "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation", "Like Light to Flies"

2-) The Sin and the Sentence (2017)

This is the album that Alex Bent recorded the drums. Why did I especially told that fact? Because, it's the most defining fact for this album. Of course, if I don't mention any other improved things about the band, it would be unfair. The Sin and the Sentence is completely step forward for every member of the band. It also has progressive metal elements. Guitar solos, riffs, vocals and that goddamn drums! Just watch his tutorials for the songs. Yes, he did tutorials because songs were so fucking hard. With Bent's expressive drumming, band found themselves a newer and better path to follow. Previous album "Silence in the Snow" had some bad reviews and for some of the fans it's worst album by Trivium. Well, I don't agree with them, as you see above. Bu I totally agree the fact that The Sin and the Sentence is way more improved and impressive record than Silence in the Snow.

Trivium got bigger and bigger everyday and with this album, they made us believe that they will define so many future projects by other young bands. Also, for their next record, we all have highest hopes!

Highlights: "The Sin and the Sentence", "Beyond Oblivion", "The Revanchist", "Thrown Into the Fire"

1-) Shogun (2008)

So, I praised The Sin and the Sentence that much and placed Shogun in number one. Well, this maybe weird but I had to. Trivium is Shogun, Shogun is Trivium. That's cliche but true. Best sound they have ever had. Shogun has strong heavy and thrash metal elements with Heafy's strong vocals. This album contains best vocal performances by Heafy. Songs like "Kirisute Gomen" and "Down From the Sky" prooves my point very well. 

Technique that they had used with this record is phenomenal. What they recorded after, totally based on this one. I wish Matt's vocals still be like that. You can hear Hetfield influences with a little cracked voice and believe me this is so friggin' cool. 

Top of their discography and one of the very best of new wave heavy metal. This is a milestone for the band. 

Highlights: "Kirisute Gomen", "Down From the Sky", "Throes of Perdition", "Shogun"

Anthrax "For All Kings" Album Review

Here's an underrated album by one of the biggest thrash metal bands out there. Anthrax has lots of lovers and haters. Some say back vocals like "football chants" are lame, some say Belladonna is not good enough for the band. But above all this, there is a almost fourty years of experience. Personally, I love Anthrax. Their style and their ability to string along with time is fantastic. When the departure had been accured with Joey Belladonna, John Bush joined the band and Anthrax began to travel on different path. Their choices was experimental. Bush era albums didn't get many good reviews, except "Sound of White Noise" album. But hey, they did what they want. Love it or hate it, this is musical spirit.

2016 was the year of "The Big 4". All members of The Big 4 family released a new record. Metallica released "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" and in my opinion that was the best album of 2016. Megadeth went through some line up changes and released "Dystopia". Slayer had been living harsh times after passing of the legendary guitar player Jeff Hanneman and departure of long time drummer Dave Lombardo; after changes they did "Repentless". With "For All Kings" by Anthrax, cycle completed. This was the best present for all the metalheads out there.

In 2011, Joey Belladonna joined Anthrax one more time and they did a marvellous comeback record called "Worship Music". "Fight 'Em Till You Can't" was one of the bands finest moments and with Rob Caggiano's (currently Volbeat's lead guitar player) tasteful solos, album was a complete work. Of course expectations would be higher after Worship Music. After five years, they released "For All Kings" and left me hanging between these two albums.

I don't wanna compare Worship Music and For All Kings, but I think I already crossed that line. Comparing two good record is always a trouble. That's why I tried to focus on the best songs on each album. Songs like "The Devil You Know", "Fight 'Em Till You Can't" and "In the End" are the highlights of Worship Music. Give it a listen you will get why. It's like Anthrax collected riffs since Joey Belladonna's departure. Fight 'Em has one of the strongest riffs Anthrax has ever written since today. Even in 2010's, they succesfully perform good old thrash. In the End has more melodic moments. But that opening riff is the definition of hard headbang. You hear the dead rising!

Let's not go so far and talk about For All Kings. Songs I mentioned above are so strong that one of them named as one of the best metal songs of 21st century. But after I heard the new record, some of the songs changed my mind. Not in a bad way of course. I just thought For All Kings has some stronger songs. "You Gotta Believe" got me in no time with that opening riff. Anthrax showed us that they still has good old thrash spirit.

Biggest highlight of this album is "Blood Eagle Wings". I just couldn't believe my ears. It's not just best song on this album, it's one of the best songs Anthrax ever recorded. I witnessed a different Anthrax with this song. Slow, clean and strong opening riff is a very good build up choice. We can't consider this song as a "thrash metal" song. This is pure heavy metal and almost eight minutes long masterpiece! Blood Eagle Wings shares the spotlight with Metallica's "Moth Into Flame" and both rise from 2016's heavy metal scene.

Anthrax was always enjoyable. Tasty riffs and fast tempo songs is what we usually receive from this band. For All Kings is a slightly different album. You will receive stong thrashy riffs and fast tempo songs with some slow interludes and slow but heavy build ups. After Blood Eagle Wings, you get another legendary song called "Breathing Lightning". This album offers you so much. Anthrax gave me hope with this one and the previous one. I strongly believe that next round of Anthrax discography will be another hard punch on our faces. Rock on, guys!

Must Listen: "Blood Eagle Wings", "Breathing Lightning", "You Gotta Believe", "For All Kings", "Monster at the End"
Ranking: 4.5/5

Best Songs From Metallica's Load & ReLoad Era

This two album was the biggest change in metal community. These albums was the style change from the biggest metal band on the planet, Metallica. Imagine, you live in '96 and you've been through Metallica's golden years. You listened "Kill 'em All" and felt the raw energy. You heard "Ride the Lightning" and fell in love with that band. With "Master of Puppets", you've witnessed the best heavy metal album. Release of "...and Justice for All" fired up new sub-genres and you've heard them all. Finally with The Black Album, you know that Metallica will rule the world. After all that thing, you got a hard rock album from that band, and some of the songs from that hard rock album was "listen and forget" type of songs. This is a reasonable anger. Your expectations were higher also in a different way. Load and ReLoad dissapointed Metallica fans, back then. But if your anger is based on prejudices, that's unreasonable. We have to admit that Load and ReLoad era was weaker. We can't compare Load with Master of Puppets or ReLoad with The Black Album. But we can give them the credit that they deserve. Load and ReLoad was weaker side of Metallica, not weaker side of music. Metallica prooved that they can perform different kind of music. With that statement, they ruled the hard rock world too.

Let's take a detailed look to Metallica's five best songs back in Load & ReLoad era. 

5-) Until It Sleeps (Load)

Touching lyrics, strong rthyms and catchy melody. This is Metallica. That's what they usually do. Difference is, this one is hard rock. It's still good music. And we all know that James Hetfield's love for rock 'n' roll never faded. That's why he wrote hell of a sincere songs during these two records. This one was way too personal for him. Hetfield's family was religious. His mother refused to be treated and died because of cancer. That blind fate effected Hetfield so much, that we can clearly notice this between the lines. 

4-) Fuel (ReLoad)

This is the must-play song of Metallica with every setlist. Every Metallica concert we expect this strong vocal line: "Give me fuel/ Give me fire/ Give me that which I desire"! Fuel is the most dynamic song of Load and ReLoad era. And now they play it faster live, you can't resist to headbang, believe me I listened it live. 

3-) The Outlaw Torn (Load)

Metallica has slow interludes, beginning arpeggios and sort of things like that. But they have never done something like The Outlaw Torn. Slow tempo based song intertwined with heavy riff and carries the song to the verse you have never witnessed. James' strong lyrics and Lars' following drum part combined and created the strongest atmosphere on the album. If you watch the live recording, you can feel James' emotions through his mic. 

2-) Fixxxer (ReLoad)

Most requested Metallica song. And they never played it live. It's been twenty-one years. Also you may consider this one as most underrated Metallica song. If you need help, a close listen to its chorus would be enough. Hetfield knows how to pass emotion through a strong riff. His riffs and lyrics works together to bow us down. Fixxxer is a long road. It's about 8 minutes and some more. It has long interlude sections that Metallica did only during Load and ReLoad era. Some people don't like these interludes, I just recommend you to close your eyes and let it flow into you. 

1-) Bleeding Me (Load)

Strongest song of the Load and ReLoad era. This song has it! That acoustic riff  started it all. Transitions through the whole song is just phenomenal. Kirk Hammett's back up with solo sections offers you a different Metallica, again. This song physically carries itself to the upper levels with every note. Especially that breakdown riff... Watch the live recording from Woodstock '99 and pay attention to James when he started to play that riff, then you'll know what I mean. Lars Ulrich is one of the most criticized drummers of all time. They always talk about his lack of talent and his fails during concerts and rehearsals. What he did during Load and ReLoad era was full of emotions. As you did with James, pay close attention to Lars too. This is the pure feeling of music. Experiencing Metallica is the way of feel the music physically.