The band formed in 1999. At his eighth-grade talent show, Matt Heafy performed a cover version of "No Leaf Clover" by Metallica.[4] Singer Brad Lewter noticed Heafy and later asked him to try out for his band as lead guitarist. The pair went over to drummer Travis Smith's house where they played a rendition of Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Impressed with Heafy's performance, they accepted him into the band known as "Trivium", which is a Latin three-way intersection they used to explain their music as combining metalcore, melodic death metal and thrash metal.[5] Lewter played a number of local gigs with the band before departing about a year later. In mid-2001, Trivium parted ways with its bassist. Trivium asked Richie Brown from local black metal band Mindscar to fill in on bass duties until a full-time member could be brought in. A string of successful shows followed and then a search was conducted for a permanent bassist.[citation needed] In 2001, the band played at a fundraiser for Chuck Schuldiner.[6]
In late 2002, Trivium went into the recording studio to record its first high-quality demo disc.[7] A copy of the demo was heard by German label Lifeforce which signed Trivium, and the band entered a studio to record its debut album, Ember to Inferno.[8] Lead guitarist Corey Beaulieu joined after the recording of the album. In 2004, Paolo Gregoletto joined as the band's bassist, replacing Brent Young, before a tour with Machine Head.[9] The album Ember to Inferno managed to garner the interest of Roadrunner Records representatives, who later signed Trivium to the label. The band then began writing songs for their major label debut.[8]
Ascendancy (2004–2006)
In 2004, Trivium recorded its second album, Ascendancy, in Audiohammer Studios and Morrisound Recording in Florida.[10] Produced by Heafy and Jason Suecof, the album was released in March 2005. The album debuted at No. 151 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 4 on the Top Heatseekers chart.[11]Allmusic reviewer Johnny Loftus stated on Ascendancy, Trivium are a "ridiculously tight quartet, unleashing thrilling dual guitar passages and pummeling kick drum gallops as surely as they do melodic breaks and vicious throat screams."[12] and Rod Smith of Decibel magazine praised "Smith's impeccably articulated beats, bassist Paolo Gregoletto's contained thunder, and, especially, Heafy and guitarist Corey Beaulieu's liquid twin leads."[13] The album was also recognized as the "Album of the Year" by Kerrang! magazine. Later in 2007 the band received their first Gold Record in the UK for more than 100,000 Sales.[14]
Ascendancy was re-released in 2006 with four bonus tracks and a DVD containing all of the band's music videos and live footage.[19]
The Crusade (2006–2007)
The band in 2007
In April 2006, after a headlining tour with Mendeed and God Forbid as openers, Trivium entered the studio with Suecof and Heafy producing again.[20] The band played the Download Festival for a second time, again on the main stage, with Korn and Metallica. Trivium released The Crusade in October 2006. Debuting at number 25 on the Billboard 200, the album sold over 32,000 copies in its first week of sales.[11][21] Heafy's vocals had changed from the metalcore scream of the previous albums to clean singing. This new singing style, along with the band's thrash metal music, were criticised as sounding too much like Metallica, who was a major influence on the band.[22]
Trivium started working on a new album with producer Nick Raskulinecz in October 2007.[27] Heafy stated he wanted to bring back the screaming that was found on Ascendancy, and the band said they chose not to work with Suecof again because they already recorded three albums with him and wanted to explore new ideas.[28] Recording ended June 2008.[29] In an interview with the UK's Metal Hammer magazine in May 2008, Heafy said that their new album was to have "more thrash influences, more screaming."[30] He told Revolver magazine, "For the first time, we can't look at our songs and say who the riffs sound like. We're really making our own stuff and our own kind of music and art form, and that's exciting."[31] In September 2008, Trivium released their fourth full-length album, Shogun. The album sold 24,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, debuting at number 23 on the Billboard 200 chart as well as number 1 in the UK Rock Album Charts.[32]
Trivium toured extensively throughout 2009 in support of Shogun, with two headline legs of the US, a headline slot on the Mayhem Festival second stage, an Australia/Japan leg,[33] as well as a conclusive UK run in March 2010. Throughout their headline runs, they were supported by Chimaira, Darkest Hour, Dirge Within, Whitechapel, Rise to Remain and Black Tide. They were also booked as a co-headliner for Australia's Soundwave Festival in February 2010.
Travis Smith unofficially left the band on the second leg of the "Into the Mouth of Hell We Tour" tour. On February 4, 2010, the band announced that Travis had indeed officially left the band and fill-in drummer, ex-drum tech, Nick Augusto, was replacing him. Augusto is a former member of Maruta and Metal Militia, in which he played with Gregoletto. The band has not yet stated the reason of his departure.[34] While Trivium's relationship with Smith had deteriorated over the years, the band had no immediate plans to replace him when he announced in late October 2009 that he would be sitting out the 'Into the Mouth of Hell We March' tour to take care of "some personal business."
Trivium contributed to the God of War III soundtrack by recording the song, "Shattering the Skies Above". It is exclusively included on God of War: Blood & Metal, a digital EP that comes with the Ultimate Edition of the game and is available from the iTunes Store.[35] The band has also recorded a cover of the song "Slave New World" by Sepultura. "Shattering the Skies Above" was also released exclusively to their fanclub (TriviumWorld) on February 12, 2010 and was released widely on February 15.[36] The next day their Sepultura cover "Slave New World" was released as a free download for members of the UK via Metal Hammer UK. Both of aforementioned songs re-issued on their deluxe version of the album "In Waves".[37]
In Waves (2010–2012)
In an interview with Guitar World, it was stated that for their fifth studio album, Trivium would move forward by looking back. The group will forgo the complex epic compositions, tricked-out leads and seven-string guitars that characterized its past two albums. Trivium will take an approach similar to that of its second album Ascendancy (2005) by using uncluttered riffs, Drop C# tuning, and more straightforward solos. "When we did Ascendancy, we were writing specifically for the songs, not to show how well we could play," says frontman and guitarist Matt Heafy. "That wasn't exactly the case with our next two records."[38]
In the bonus content for the November 2011 issue of Guitar World, Matt Heafy talked about why the band decided to record this album in Drop D♭ as opposed to Drop D. "For the whole record of 'In Waves' we're in Drop D♭, so it's kind of like (Ascendency), just a half step lower, and everything that we do from all of the albums is half a step flat. It's mainly for the vocals. (It's) not that I can't sing higher, it's just easier with the amount of shows we do."[39]
On June 6, Metal Hammer revealed that the band have decided to entitle their upcoming album In Waves and that it would be released on August 9, 2011.[40] On June 19, Trivium debuted two new songs live in Birmingham entitled "Dusk Dismantled" and "Black". On the June 28 "Dusk Dismantled" was released to TriviumWorld users only; it was released to general public on the 29th. On July 13, the premiere of "Inception of the End" was released to the general public on the website Hot Topic.[41]
In Waves was released in August 2011 worldwide, and received generally positive reviews. Kerrang! described the album as "draws from the band's entire repertoire and shapes what it finds into a defining and definitive set". A special edition was released featuring the tracks: "Ensnare the Sun", "A Grey So Dark", "Drowning in Slow Motion", "Slave New World" cover and the single from the God of War III soundtrack "Shattering the Skies Above".
The band toured for In Waves until the end of the year. Matt Heafy also stated that they will start recording a new album in February 2013 and they already have around 13 demos made.[43]
On January 14, 2013, Matt Heafy announced via Twitter that the band had entered the studio. It was later revealed that they hired David Draiman of the heavy metal bands Device and Disturbed as a producer. In an interview, David Draiman revealed to Thrash Hits that the title of Trivium's forthcoming sixth album is Vengeance Falls.[44]
On July 23, 2013, Trivium announced a United States headlining tour, co-headlining with DevilDriver, with supporting acts After the Burial and Sylosis, which would reveal the first information of the new album.[46]Vengeance Falls was released on October 15, 2013.[47]
On July 31, 2013, the new song "Brave This Storm" was released for streaming and made available to download for free.[48] On August 23, 2013, it was announced that Trivium would be playing at Australia's Soundwave Festival in late February and early March 2014.[49] Trivium recorded a music video for the single "Strife" with director Ramon Boutviseth (All That Remains, For Today, Fear Factory)[50] which was made available for free download to anyone who pre-ordered Vengeance Falls.[47]
On October 8, 2013, the album was made available for streaming on the band's website.[51]
On May 7, 2014, it was announced that drummer Nick Augusto had departed from the band. He was replaced by Mat Madiro, who had been the band's drum technician.[52]
Silence in the Snow and departure of Mat Madiro (2015–2016)
In fall of 2014, guitarist Corey Beaulieu announced that the band would be working on the follow-up of Vengeance Falls in 2015, and that he hoped that the album would be released in Fall of the same year.[53]
On July 17, 2015, the band launched a website "snow.trivium.org" teasing the new album. They also changed their Facebook profile to the same picture as on the website, hinting at the release of the new album.[54]
On July 24, the band posted a six-day countdown on their website.[54] An unofficial picture surfaced online on July 29, suggesting the new album title to be Silence in the Snow and revealing three new featured songs: "Silence in the Snow", "Dead and Gone" and "Until the World Goes Cold". This picture also suggested a release date of October 2, 2015.[55] This information was confirmed on July 30 when the band premiered the music video for the title track once the countdown ended.[56] On July 31, 2015, the band revealed the track list and the album artwork, and Silence in the Snow was made available for pre-order.[57] On August 7, the band premiered two new songs, "Silence in the Snow" and "Blind Leading the Blind" during their performance at Bloodstock Open Air.
On August 27, Trivium premiered the music video for their third single "Until the World Goes Cold",[58] and the album was indeed released on October 2.[59]
On December 2, Trivium re-released Ember To Inferno, titling it Ember To Inferno: Ab Initio. The deluxe version of the release contained two discs. The second disk included 13 bonus tracks which consisted of the early demos Ruber (the "Red Demo"), Caeruleus (the "Blue Demo") and Flavus (the "Yellow Demo").[60]
On December 5, the band performed at Knotfest Mexico, where it was revealed that drummer Mat Madiro had been replaced by Paul Wandtke. The band didn't make an official announcement until three days later, on their Facebook page.[61] Paul Wandtke joined the band after Matt asked Dream Theater's John Petrucci for suggestions; John then asked Mike Mangini who recommended Paul.[62][63]
Arrival of Alex Bent and The Sin and the Sentence (2016–2019)
On October 14, 2016, Trivium headlined at the Rock And Shock festival at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.[64] In late 2016, guitarist Corey Beaulieu stated that the band would spend most of 2017 working on their new album.[65] In an interview, bassist Paolo Gregoletto stated that new material will be more 'extreme' and that the band will return to featuring screaming vocals on the new album.[66] The band was announced as one of the acts on the 2017 edition of Wacken Open Air.[67] In early 2017, the band parted ways with drummer Paul Wandtke. The replacement Alex Bent, formerly of Battlecross, was announced on January 23.[2]
On July 26, 2017, the band began teasing on their web page with the message "VIII. I.", indicating the date "August 1".[68] On August 1, 2017, the band released the new single "The Sin and the Sentence", accompanied with a music video for their forthcoming new album, which aimed to be released later that year.[69] To promote the album, the band announced a co-headlining North American tour with Arch Enemy in fall 2017 with While She Sleeps and Fit for an Autopsy as support acts.[70] On August 24, the band released the second single "The Heart From Your Hate" and revealed the tracklisting and release date of their new album. The Sin and the Sentence released on October 20, 2017, and was received positively by both fans and critics alike.[failed verification]
On October 25, 2018, just over a year after the album's release, Matt Heafy announced that he had to fly home to Orlando to be with his wife for the birth of their children, and as a result, would be sitting out the remainder of Trivium's ongoing North American tour with Light the Torch and Avatar. He announced that the band would be working with Light the Torch and ex-Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones and Avatar frontman Johannes Eckerström, as well as YouTube personality and musician Jared Dines to continue the tour without him. Dines would take over Heafy's guitar parts, while Beaulieu, Gregoletto, Jones and Eckerström would handle vocals.[failed verification]
What the Dead Men Say and In the Court of the Dragon (2020–2023)
Trivium was announced as an opening act for Megadeth and Lamb of God on their summer 2020 tour called "The Metal Tour of the Year", which was rescheduled for the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Flames was originally slated as an additional opening act, but were forced to withdraw from the tour due to international visa issues caused by the pandemic, and were later replaced by Hatebreed.[71][72]
In February 2020, the band started posting cryptic images and videos possibly pertaining to their new upcoming album on their social media pages. On February 25, the band posted a teaser video on their social media pages teasing a new song titled "Catastrophist", which was released on February 27. At the same time, the band announced their upcoming ninth studio album titled What the Dead Men Say set for release on April 24, 2020.[73]
On March 9, the band previewed "IX" and "Scattering the Ashes" in a new "Spawn" trailer for Mortal Kombat 11.[74] On March 26, the band released their second single and title track "What the Dead Men Say" and its corresponding music video.[75] On April 16, a week before the album release, the band released their third single "Amongst the Shadows & the Stones".[76] On April 22, the band released the final single "Bleed Into Me" before the album release along with its visualizer video.[77]
In June 2020, guitarist Corey Beaulieu revealed the band is already working on the follow-up to What the Dead Men Say while being in COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, saying the material they've been working on sounds "really pissed-off".[78]
On September 25, the band's former guitarist and bassist Brent Young died at the age of 37. At the time of his death, he was in the band BlackNova founded with another former Trivium member, drummer Travis Smith.[79][80]
On July 7, 2021, the band teased that they were planning to release new music on July 9, with a two-minute video trailer hinting at some potentially new music.[81][82] On that day, the band officially released the single "In the Court of the Dragon" along with its music video.[83][84] On August 12, the band released the second single "Feast of Fire" from their tenth studio album, In the Court of the Dragon, along with a corresponding music video. At the same time, the band revealed the album cover and the track list. The album was released on October 8, 2021.[85][86] On August 19, a collaboration between Trivium and Bethesda Game Studios has been announced that will include The Elder Scrolls Online-themed music video.[87][88] On October 1, one week before the album release, the band unveiled the third single "The Phalanx" along with an accompanying music video. The single is the album's final track and a re-recording of a scrapped song from the Shogun sessions.[89][90]
A music video for "The Shadow of the Abattoir" was released on November 17, 2022.[91] On January 13, 2023, Trivium released their cover of Heaven Shall Burn's "Implore the Darken Sky" on streaming music services. It is part of a split single to commemorate both bands touring together in Europe and the UK, released on January 27, 2023, on which Heaven Shall Burn covered "Pillars of Serpents" from Trivium's 2003 debut album, Ember to Inferno.[92]
20th anniversary tour of Ascendancy and upcoming eleventh studio album (2024–present)
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Ascendancy, the band announced 'The Poisoned Ascendancy' Tour with Bullet for My Valentine that will take place in 2025, in which Bullet for My Valentine are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of their successful album The Poison.[93] Trivium also announced that they are in the studio to record their eleventh studio album, which will feature a guest appearance by Bullet for My Valentine vocalist Matt Tuck.[94] Trivium vocalist Matt Heafy has stated that the upcoming album will show the band "getting back in the headspace of Ascendancy."[95]
Their style has evolved over the years: from their earliest work on Ember to Inferno right through to In Waves, there is a clear thrash influence from Metallica and Machine Head, as well as a melodic death metal influence from early In Flames.[109]
Upon the release of their second album Ascendancy,[110] Trivium were identified as melodic metalcore with strong elements of thrash metal, with the third track on the album "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr" becoming a permanent fixture in the band's set lists and the rest of the album selling itself to gold status.[110]Ascendancy was even featured as one of Metal Hammer's Albums of the Decade.[109] Later releases have marked changes in the band. The Crusade was seen as a major shift in musical direction due to the change in vocal style, namely the absence of screaming, and some of the melodies featured.[111]
The Crusade is a much more thrash-oriented album and lyrical content was also different in direction, citing current affairs, such as famous killings. In Autumn 2008, Trivium released Shogun, which has a heavy Japanese influence on its title track as well as the first single release "Kirisute Gomen", which translates to "authorization to cut and leave". Acknowledging Matt Heafy's Japanese heritage,[112] the album also was described more favorably as more their own style, as previous references to Trivium sounding like Metallica had been made on the back of The Crusade.[113]The Crusade made sparing use of seven-string guitars, which were featured heavily on Shogun.[114]
On In Waves, the band featured a sound closer to Ascendancy than The Crusade and Shogun. The guitar tuning instead of being in drop D, they went half a step lower to drop C#. The album has several songs, such as 'Built to Fall' or 'Dusk Dismantled', featuring mostly clean vocals or solely screamed vocals from Matt Heafy. Seven-string guitars once again returned on Silence in the Snow tuned to B-flat,[115] and have since been used in subsequent albums along with the previously used six-string drop C# tuning. Trivium has also used Drop G# tuning on seven-strings on the songs 'Dead and Gone' and 'Beneath the Sun' from Silence in the Snow, 'Other Worlds' and 'The Wretchedness Inside' from The Sin and the Sentence, and 'Bleed Into Me' from What the Dead Men Say.
Matt Heafy asserted that "without Iron Maiden, Trivium surely wouldn't exist."[122]
Lyrical themes
The band's lead singer, Matt Heafy, has also been the primary lyricist since his early days as a member. He is known for his poetic style of lyrics and the usage of archaic words. Growing up, Heafy experienced anxiety, teenage angst, and occasional thoughts of suicide; several songs from the album Ascendancy, such as "Rain", "Suffocating Sight", and "Departure", deal with these issues. Although not a victim himself, he also wrote the song "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" on the topic of domestic violence and child abuse, inspired by the stories of some of his peers.
Lyrical themes on the album The Crusade includes famous killings. "Entrance of the Conflagration" is about Andrea Yates's murder of her five children, "Unrepentant" is about Nazir Ahmad's murder of his three daughters and stepdaughter, "Contempt Breeds Contamination" is about the death of Amadou Diallo, and "And Sadness Will Sear" is based upon the murder of Matthew Shepard.
Ascendancy is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on March 15, 2005, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Jason Suecof and Matt Heafy.
Ember to Inferno is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 14, 2003, through Lifeforce Records and was produced by Jason Suecof and the band themselves.
Matthew Kiichi Heafy is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for heavy metal band Trivium. He was also the lead vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason Suecof. In 2017, Heafy was voted sixth on the Ultimate Guitar list "Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen".
Paolo Francesco Gregoletto is an American musician best known as the bassist of the metalcore band Trivium.
The Crusade is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 10, 2006, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Jason Suecof and the band themselves. The album marked a significant musical change from the metalcore sound of their preceding album Ascendancy, with the band utilizing thrash metal influences. Accordingly, vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy sings with primarily 'clean' vocals throughout The Crusade, rather than utilizing the 'screaming' style heard on Ascendancy.
"Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr" is a song by American heavy metal band Trivium. It appears on their 2005 album Ascendancy and was released as the album's second single in the same year. Metal Hammer named it "one of the decade’s biggest metal anthems".
"Anthem (We Are the Fire)" is a song by American heavy metal band Trivium. The song was released as the third single from the band's third studio album The Crusade. The single failed to chart in the United States, but was a moderate success in the United Kingdom, reaching number 40 on the UK Singles Chart and number 1 on the UK Rock Chart.
"Like Light to the Flies" is a song by American heavy metal band Trivium and is the first single and music video from their 2005 album, Ascendancy. The band originally considered using the song "Ember to Inferno" as their first single but changed their minds after recording this song. "Like Light" was released in January 2005 and features a mix of screaming and singing. The song contains two guitar solos which are played nearly consecutively to sound as one longer solo; a small interlude is played in the middle of them. The music video features original member Brent Young, and the version of the song used in the video is not the album version but rather the demo version, found previously on the MTV compilation album MTV2 Headbanger's Ball: Volume 2.
"A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation", often referred to as "Gunshot", is a song by American heavy metal band Trivium. Written by Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu, both of whom perform vocals and guitars on the track, it was featured on the band's second studio album Ascendancy in 2005. The song was also released as a promotional single in May 2005, with an accompanying music video following in September.
The discography of Trivium, an American heavy metal band, consists of ten studio albums, three extended play, two demo albums, 42 singles and 34 music videos. Formed in Orlando, Florida in 1999, the group's first recording lineup included vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy, bassist Brent Young and drummer Travis Smith, who together released Ember to Inferno on Lifeforce Records in 2003. After the addition of guitarist Corey Beaulieu and new bassist Paolo Gregoletto in place of Young, the band signed with Roadrunner Records and released Ascendancy in 2005, which reached number 151 on the US Billboard 200. It also reached number 79 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The Crusade followed in 2006, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's second single "Anthem " reached number 40 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart, while its third single "The Rising" was the band's first to register on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, reaching number 32.
Shogun is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. The album was released worldwide on various dates between September 23, 2008, and October 1, 2008, through Roadrunner Records. It is their last release to feature original drummer Travis Smith. Work on the album is noted to have begun with producer Nick Raskulinecz in October 2007, with the band stating that they chose not to work with Jason Suecof again as they wanted to explore new ideas.
In Waves is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released worldwide during August 2011 through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Colin Richardson and Martyn "Ginge" Ford.
"Built to Fall" is the second single of American heavy metal band Trivium's fifth studio album, In Waves. This song was released on August 16, 2011. It is the second single to feature drummer Nick Augusto. The album featured a sound closer to Ascendancy than The Crusade and Shogun and features a more metalcore sound than thrash metal. It reached 31 on the UK Rock Chart.
Vengeance Falls is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released October 10, 2013, in Japan, October 14, 2013, in UK, and October 15, 2013, in US through Roadrunner Records and was produced by David Draiman, the lead vocalist of the band Disturbed. It is the second and last album to feature drummer Nick Augusto before his departure from the band in May 2014.
Silence in the Snow is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. Released on October 2, 2015, through Roadrunner Records, it is the band's only album to feature third drummer Mat Madiro, who joined the band in May 2014 and departed in December 2015. It is also the band's only album to date to not feature any harsh vocals. Michael "Elvis" Baskette was hired as the producer whom the band had met while recording In Waves album back in 2011.
The Sin and the Sentence is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 20, 2017, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Josh Wilbur. The album is the first to feature fifth drummer Alex Bent, who replaced drummer Paul Wandtke. With the release of the album's title track, this album would also mark the return of frontman Matt Heafy's screaming vocals since the band's 2013 album Vengeance Falls, which were completely absent from the band's previous album Silence in the Snow due to an injury which caused Heafy to blow out his voice.
What the Dead Men Say is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on April 24, 2020, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Josh Wilbur.
In the Court of the Dragon is the tenth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 8, 2021, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Josh Wilbur.
↑ Matt Heafy (October 24, 2017). "Foreword". In Axl Rosenberg, Christopher Krovatin (ed.). Hellraisers: A Complete Visual History of Heavy Metal Mayhem. Race Point. p.7. ISBN9781631064302.
↑ Zuurmond, Marcel. "Trivium". Lords of Metal. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
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