Location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia
Date: Monday, 02.04.2018
When the American metallers Trivium’s show in Slovenia got canceled a few years back, it looked like there just wasn’t enough interest to draw a bigger crowd. The albums after In Waves (2011) weren’t received all that well, either. Last year, though, Trivium turned things around. The album The Sin and the Sentence got good responses, and the band started touring extensively. After a successful US tour, it was time for a European run too, which Trivium set out on together with Power Trip and Venom Prison. Those two bands don’t exactly fit the Trivium context all that well, but Trivium picked them themselves, because both have potential. It was Easter Monday, and the crowd in front of Kino Šiška was slowly filling up. You could hear foreigners among them too, so the show definitely promised a lot.
First on stage were Venom Prison, a young death metal band from Wales with one album and one EP behind them. In a measly half hour, Venom Prison tried to win people over with aggressive, chaotic noise. The music was undoubtedly death metal-flavored, with traces of black metal and hardcore thrown in. The performance was confident, with the aggressive vocalist Larissa Stupar standing out, but sonically the whole thing was pretty exhausting. It all sounded like a disorganized “racket,” and during the solos in particular all you heard was random squealing. All of it was far from how they sound on their studio records. The ideas are interesting, but a bit more polish wouldn’t hurt.
The American band Power Trip became a full-on sensation last year when they released their second album, Nightmare Logic. The Texas quintet’s sound touches on a tried-and-true combination of thrash metal and crossover. At first glance nothing revolutionary, but the live show convinces even more than the album itself. The quintet is tight, suitably aggressive and energetic. The songs hit just hard enough, and the sound was clear, so you could really enjoy the band’s set. With their performance, Power Trip showed they’re on the right track. For fans of Slayer, Cro-Mags, Pantera and the like, Power Trip are required reading. The band prefers old-school patterns over modern ones. There are no frills here, and even in the soloing it felt more like the inspiration came from Slayer. Power Trip stick to proven formulas, but judging by the energetic show and their tightness, they can still climb high. At least to Lamb of God’s level, if the guys keep going in the current direction.
Trivium don’t need a long introduction. Quite a few people in the crowd had seen them abroad before, and a few confirmed that Trivium weren’t in the best shape two years ago. But after a lineup change and an album that restored faith in the band, you simply have to give them another chance. As an intro, the band played Iron Maiden’s Run to the Hills, then opened their set with The Sin and the Sentence from the latest album, the first song where the band can prove what shape they’re in. Mostly because it has all the ingredients Trivium are known for. Doubts were quickly silenced, the band is tight as a drum. The instrumental side really convinces, and Heafy’s vocals sounded convincing too. The new drummer Alex Bent shone as well, staying metronome-precise through the entire show. If a note slipped by during the solos, Bent seemed not to miss a single hit. The setlist was carefully picked, and the fans helped out a little with their votes beforehand.
Next came Throes of Perdition from the album Shogun, which with its groovy thrash riffing is definitely made for headbanging. Then back to the current album with Betrayer, and after that they remembered the album Ascendancy, which is what really got them noticed in the first place. The title track made it clear that they’ve still got some metalcore moves, and as a bonus the guitar duo of Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu threw in a fast solo duel, confirming their virtuosity and precise playing. Another jump to the current album: behind the pompous chorus of Sever the Hand hides a strong thrashy section that really gives the song its power and is perfect for going wild at shows. The good sound overall helped make the show truly enjoyable. Trivium’s aggression didn’t let up until Until the World Goes Cold, a catchy song from the album Silence in the Snow with a standout chorus that the crowd sang along to quite loudly. A slightly more technical dose was served up with Becoming the Dragon, where bassist Paolo Gregoletto also showed off his chops. Matt Heafy even walked through the crowd with his guitar during the song. There was nothing to complain about in the setlist: it could be fast and punchy, melodic and catchy, and virtuosic all at once. After a good run, Trivium wrapped up the main set with the current song Beyond Oblivion, which combines aggressive and softer elements and shows where the band stands right now. There was plenty of stylistic variety, and they still hadn’t run out of room. The band announced their return with Shattering the Skies Above, which hadn’t been in the setlist for a while, but a little variety never hurts. The evergreen Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr from the album Ascendancy is a staple. It’s the song that launched them out of the underground back in 2005. Heafy managed to talk the crowd into a circle pit up the stairs. During the closing song In Waves the crowd went wild one last time, and Trivium successfully finished their set and lived up to their reputation.
With their first show in Slovenia, Trivium showed incredible tightness and the kind of professionalism that only comes from a lot of miles on the road. Power Trip convinced in a similar way and definitely look promising, while Venom Prison will need something more. All in all, a show we’d gladly look forward to seeing again.
author: Primož Novak
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
