Trivium - Ascendancy review
| Band: | Trivium |
| Album: | Ascendancy |
| Style: | Alternative metal, Metalcore, Thrash metal |
| Release date: | March 15, 2005 |
| A review by: | jupitreas |
01. The End Of Everything
02. Rain
03. Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr
04. Drowned And Torn Asunder
05. Ascendancy
06. A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation
07. Like Light To Flies
08. Dying In Your Arms
09. The Deceived
10. Suffocating Sight
11. Departure
12. Declaration
13. Blinding Tears Will Break The Skies [2006 reedit bonus]
14. Washing Away Me In The Tides [2006 reedit bonus]
15. Master Of Puppets [Metallica cover] [2006 reedit bonus]
16. Dying In Your Arms [video mix] [2006 reedit bonus]
The word trivium is an academic term from the middle ages used to describe the three subjects that were taught in universities at that time. It also serves as the root for the word trivial and indeed, Trivium more that lives up to its name as not only is it trivial, it is also mundane and superficial.
Trivium is yet another in the ever growing line of bands that sound like Killswitch Engage ie. - they play the commercial hybrid consisting mainly of metalcore and having some elements of thrash metal and Gothenburg melodic death metal. We all know the drill - growled/screamed verses, refrains sung in an off-key and whiny manner and an almost inhuman, sterile production which makes the whole thing seem like it was designed and not composed. Every record label these days must have one of these little bands in their arsenal and Trivium is reportedly Roadrunner's secret weapon. Well, RoadRunner must be keen to shoot blanks...
All the tracks on this album follow the exact same formula. Hear one and you've heard them all. Therefore, all you actually need to hear to know everything about Trivium is the song "Drowned And Torn Asunder". It happens to be the most impressive use of the afore-mentioned formula on this album. The other 'highlight' that you might find interesting (albeit only during your first listen as it will get old quickly) is "Dying In Your Arms" where Trivium sounds a little like Icon/Draconian Times era Paradise Lost. The album closer "Declaration" is a whopping 7 minutes long and this proves to be way too long for this sort of music as the track is a snorefest.
Bands like Trivium trivialize another thing in todays world: the musicians' abilities. The music on Ascendancy is executed with great precision and the production is so clear that it is impossible to find a single flaw in the entire album. It sounds perfect. Too perfect. The result is that the technically apt playing is simply not impressive. It makes you think - just how many takes did the band need to make the music sound like this? And how much was cleaned up in the studio? Besides, all of these bands sound almost exactly the same and there is really no telling the difference between Trivium's drummer and guitar players and those of other bands in this genre. For all I know, these could be the same people playing under different pseudonyms. Seems like there is no place for uniqueness here. Thus, any sort of technical and musical abilities that the musicians might have are completely lost in the superficiality of the whole product, which this album too obviously is.
The bottom line is that what record companies these days don't realize is that this is Rock music and its fans can feel if its honest and sincere or not. These fans will find listening to Trivium as empty and pointless an experience as it was for me. No, actually - who am I kidding? The masses will eat it up since they know no better and they have by now been totally brainwashed by the commercial media... Sad but true.
 | Written on 11.05.2005 by With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool. |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 76
Visited by: 348 users
| Opium Magnet Account deleted |
Opium Magnet
Account deleted Written by Mega-Slayer on 12.11.2006 at 09:17 Wait, let me get this, you categorise Trivium as "extreme"?
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| Mega-Slayer Posts: 828  |
Written by [user id=12867] on 12.11.2006 at 13:40 Nah,I was joking,thats why I had a lol smiley after it.
---- Intestinally Punctured Smurf
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| Dangerboner Lactation Cnslt Posts: 7262  |
Well, apparantely Metallica is the band they want to copy their sound from so I wouldn't say they're inspired by death metal lol.
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| Opium Magnet Account deleted |
Opium Magnet
Account deleted Written by Mega-Slayer on 12.11.2006 at 21:57 Ok  I was a bit worried there man...
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| BlankFile Posts: 705 |
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| Sonic MrSumo Posts: 449  |
From what I've read above, I think the problem you're all having is that YOU'VE all be brainwashed to NOT LIKE anything slightly commercial, no matter what it is. I take every album on it's own merits, not on what I hear on the radio or read in reviews. This is a rockn' good album. How many bands are truly original these days? I've been listening to metal for close to 20 years now, and anything new that comes out can be likened to something I already have in my collection. And please note that I do listen to some very heavy stuff - such as Anaal Nathrakh, Meshuggah and Grave. I implore you, give this album another chance...
---- All the bridges in the world won't save you, if there's no other side to cross to. - Rock poetry from Silverchair.
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| Syk myspace/bonerama Posts: 1504  |
But Sumo, the problem here is that it actually is utter shit. As shaming as it is to say, I just put on my only Trivium mp3, Gunshot to the Head... which I hadn't heard in months and months. I deleted it as soon as it ended - absolutely nothing was memorable. The riffs are completely generic, the leads are technically skilled but go nowhere and the vocals... we all know the vocals. Ugh. I literally thought to myself, "Ew, I don't think I'd want to listen to that ever again." Trivium, begone I say!
---- death ? thrash ? death/doom/prog ? Hail Zoldon! he's not the kind you have to [url=../bands/album.php?album_id=28982]wind up[/url] on Sundays
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| Bsquared Posts: 33 |
People, do remember that Opeth & Dream Theater are also with roadrunner, don't hear people complaining about them 
---- http://www.last.fm/user/Hobflop
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698  |
Probably the worst review I've read. It's clearly shown that you were badly influenced towards the band before writing this, so it's not accurate at all. Trivium are not the Satan in metal... They might not be playing the classic metal, but it's definitely not Rock. Just to know, I don't find them bad at all, and I also might be buying this in the future. I don't know why all this hate for this band exists...
---- Bitch! Please
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| In Chaos Posts: 69  |
I don't know why people find this album so bad, I really like it. but then again I like Trivium too so. but it is also fun too read about all those who whines about that this band being so bad.
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| ER_Guyra Posts: 3 |
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023  |
I just want to point out that the review was very well written, not because I agree but I really liked the way it was "composed". Ehm well, I do agree though...
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| +{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat Posts: 4955  |
Written by iaberis on 10.11.2007 at 02:26 Hey same here. I find this album pretty cool actually.
---- "Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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| Nicko's Nose Posts: 490  |
The only reason why most of you hate Trivium is because they aren't tr00 metal!1!!eleven or for another reason that has nothing to do with the quality of their music. Its incredible how fucking close minded some "metalheads" are... Trivium could release the best metal album ever and a lot of "metalheads " would hate it simply because... Its Trivium.
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| Shadowcross The Summoner Posts: 481  |
this is their only good album in my opinion the following albums are terrible.. the cover art for this one is wrong, by the way
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| Plaguebearer Posts: 57  |
Written by Shadowcross on 10.10.2008 at 12:40 No.....I'm pretty sure thats the cover art dude.
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| Biedrik Posts: 143 |
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| Xeros612 Posts: 30  |
Solid album. It's metalcore, so of course I don't expect much, but Trivium is one of the few metalcore bands I can actually stand, even if Heafy has a sucky scream voice(as with most metalcore vocalists). EDIT: Actually, after re-listening, his scream voice is actually pretty good. Very catchy.
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| TerminatorDrums Account deleted |
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| Panterica Posts: 341  |
I don't get it, why every metalcore band immediately tagged as commercial music and media controlled? This album is very good.
---- Li'ed - Prog-Metal from Jerusalem https://open.spotify.com/artist/7aZWDrAAvDSLMaSmDSE8zA https://www.facebook.com/LiedBandMusic http://lied-band.bandcamp.com/
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by Panterica on 11.08.2009 at 16:15 Because it sounds so fucking gay.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| +{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat Posts: 4955 |
Written by Xeros612 on 28.04.2009 at 20:14 Same here, although I agree on teh production part of the review, it's too perfect.
---- "Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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| Umideath Posts: 178  |
Master of Puppets >>>>> Exactly MetallicA m/
---- My Top 90 Metal Albums Of 2023 - Part 2 >> https://youtu.be/6Yi7zV9Xo58 - Part 1 https://youtu.be/8F0E_CAfmMM
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| Sword_Chant Posts: 717 |
Written by Nicko's Nose on 01.10.2008 at 01:30 Exactly what I was thinking! If this was the first metal CD someone heard without knowledge of the bands hate base, it would be seen differently. This was the first metal album I ever bought. (no doubt I will have people saying 'poor brainwashed guy') But to all you people, since then I have discovered almost every genre of metal and alot of other incredible underground bands - because of Ascendancy. You could at least kudos that, right? But besides any of that, this album is actually pretty good. Surely it's got good about it - otherwise I would have been put off discovering many other metal music after listening to this. It was seen as the bands breakthrough album anyway. I know it's not 'the best thing in metal', far from it. But it's still technically a good album. Yeah, somewhat over inspired, but what band isn't at some part of their musical career? I know my opinion won't change any one elses here; I guess that makes me someone of the minority that actually found something great in Ascendancy (and behind the image). On a last note, the new album Shogun has been rated 8/10 based on all votes - that's the highest i've seen on this site for anything Metalcore 
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
These fucking metalcore screams are gonna kill me someday... -_-... God this sucks...
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| LucasCollins93 Posts: 2 |
Quote: ^ My thoughts exactly.
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