Trivium conjures a soulstorm for the ages
by Christine Leonard
Monday 25th, January 2016
Monday 25th, January 2016
No strangers to the cyclical nature of the music industry, Floridian heavy metal band Trivium have successfully weathered a decade and a half of outrageous fortune, but not without gaining a few battle scars along the way. The fact that the quartet’s latest album, Silence in the Snow, debuted at 19 on The Billboard 200 charts demonstrates not only their ability to resonate with audiences across the heavy metal spectrum but their resolve to achieve ever greater heights. According to bassist and backing vocalist Paolo Gregoletto, the powerfully melodic seventh studio album marks a high point in Trivium’s artistic and technical trajectory.
“Every time you go into making a new record you’re always trying to find a new angle on your band and your music,” says Gregoletto, who joined in 2004 (the same year they were signed to Roadrunner Records).
“It’s funny how one song can change everything. We broke new ground on this record because of the path that ‘Silence in the Snow,’ a song we had had in our books for about eight years, sent us down. It opened up doors to what would gradually become something different. For example, on the tracks ‘Dead and Gone’ and ‘Beneath the Sun’ we used seven-string guitars, which is something we haven’t done for the two previous albums, so it was refreshing to get back to it.”
The already daunting task of following up their wrathful previous release, Vengeance Falls (2013), took a serious turn when Trivium’s lead vocalist-guitarist Matt Heafy damaged his vocal cords while on tour and found himself at a critical crossroads in his career as a thrash-throated singer.
“We were lucky it wasn’t anything serious. It was a culmination of the stress of performing in Canada at Rock on the Range and then enduring a border crossing 12 hours later. The general strain led to him having vocal issues, which were resolved when Matt was turned onto new vocal coach Ron Anderson by Matt [Shadows] from Avenged Sevenfold. Sometimes going through a crisis turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Going into this latest record we were all realizing it was going to be a heavy singing challenge, but having been through that earlier in the year helped strengthen his voice and he learned to scream in a new way that benefited us. Thankfully this record is an accurate reflection of how we are live.”
The atmosphere of discovery on Silence in the Snow was conveyed thanks in part to the production values of Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Slash, The Amity Affliction, Alter Bridge) and master mixer Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Gojira), who facilitated their transition to a more sustainable albeit classic metalcore sound.
“It’s cool to see how quickly the new songs have caught on with people after only a few months. I think Shogun (2008) needed time to sit with people, you don’t take it all in on the first listen, yet it became a fan favourite. Silence in the Snow is also very metallic and progressive, but we also made sure there are lot of big hooks and distinctive vocal and drum parts, as on the tracks ‘Until the World Goes Cold,’ ‘Silence in the Snow’ and ‘Blind Leading the Blind.’”
Another contributing factor to Trivium’s ever-shifting tempos has been the turnover of drummers including the departure of Travis Smith (Eternal Exile), Nick Augusto (Maruta), and most recently Matt Madiro. Breaking in the “the new guy,” Paul Wandtke, together with Heafy and long-time guitarist/backing vocalist Corey Beaulieu, gave Gregoletto pause to appreciate his bandmates’ resilience and desire to continue their artistic evolution. Reflecting on a platinum-plated past, the recharged Trivium seems primed to engage whatever surprises the future holds in store.
“The best way for us to honour Trivium’s legacy is by playing the back-catalog perfectly and giving the people what they want to hear. It’s been cool for us to perform songs we haven’t played live in years and we’re having fun pairing up old songs to help introduce the new ones. We’re at the peak of our abilities and we’ve got a pretty big selection of songs. It’s exciting again and it feels like a real breath of fresh air.”
