Vengeance Falls

Author: Primož Novak

Artist: Trivium
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release: year_month
Length: 47:44
Rating: 3.5/5

The American band Trivium don’t know the meaning of the word “break.” They spend most of their time out on tour, and whatever time is left goes into writing new music. In their fairly short existence they’ve already put out six albums and dipped into a bunch of different styles, but they’re still at their best when they stick to some kind of mix of metalcore and thrash metal.

For Vengeance Falls they decided to work with a different producer, David Draiman, who’s otherwise known as the voice of Disturbed. There was some controversy here, since with In Waves Trivium won back people’s trust by returning to the sound of Ascendancy. Draiman, though, didn’t seem like the right pick for the band, given the trainwreck that came out of Megadeth’s latest album. It holds true for every band that each new album is supposed to be a step forward. But for Trivium this time around, it’s hard to say that’s the case.

As a whole, Vengeance Falls feels simpler. No doubt the band still serves up a heap of metalcore- and thrash-flavored tracks. But the trouble is that some songs never really get to shine. They feel like leftovers from In Waves. Trivium have a similar problem to Metallica: they’ve got a pretty decent pile of riffs written for the album, but it all doesn’t come across as convincing or cohesive enough.

That said, Vengeance Falls does have a few pretty promising tracks, like Brave This Storm, Strife, At The End Of This War and Villany Thrieves. On Vengeance Falls, Trivium have more or less kept all their trademarks. You get Matt Heafy’s lovely melodic singing and the »aggressive« vocals, which guitarist Corey Beaulieu chips in on too, plus the melodies, the punch, standout choruses, virtuoso solos and a more than solid rhythm section.

The closer the album gets to the end, the more it loses its initial charm. The structures are too similar and, compared to earlier records, simple, and there aren’t as many aggressive tracks as on In Waves. Vengeance Falls is clearly a more commercially minded album, aiming to reach a bigger audience. Trivium are definitely capable of more, but they probably didn’t give themselves enough time on this one.

Vengeance Falls is simply nothing more than an average record, and proof that even a creative outfit like Trivium can run a little low on steam. Next time, we can only hope the guys take more time after their drummer troubles and go on to make another masterpiece.

Lineup

Matt Heafy – guitar, vocals

Corey Beaulieu – guitar, vocals

Paolo Gregoletto – bass

Nick Augusto – drums

Production

David Draiman

Track list