Trivium are coming at us In Waves!!! Bringing us great music on the simpler side of things but still managing to keep it catchy and headbang worthy. Matt Heafy’s vocals are the best I’ve ever heard from him while Corey Beaulieu produces some mean lows as well. The guitar’s rhythm section has gone a more simple route however the solo’s are still really really good. Also, being simple about your guitar riffs is not a bad thing at all. The under lying rhythm is still great while the guitar lead melodies continue to perform and this is where Trivium excels. The melodies and harmonizing guitar playing on this album is great. Musically it ranges from acoustic guitars and soft vocals to fast guitars, double bass drumming with blast beats and shouting from Matt and Corey.

Songs like “Inception of the End, Dusk Dismantled & Drowning in Slow Motion” show us that they are still very much a metal band. Trivium has found that fire that they had when they first signed onto Roadrunner. The interesting “Ensnare the Sun” track, I was expecting Max Cavalera to shout “UN, DOS, TREY, QUAD” and it break into a Soulfly/Sepultura heavy guitar riff. The track is definitely weird for Trivium and sorta just put on the album but it is a reminder you are at the halfway point. Trivium turns down the heavy and play calm parts during “Caustic Are The Ties That Bind” and “Of All These Yesterdays.” These tracks are done really well and while they are definitely more subtle than the rest of the album, they fit in perfectly.

I liked this album and the songs are all done well. Great musicianship and well written music make “In Waves” one of Trivium’s best releases to date.

Pros: Great catchy metal songs, Heafy’s vocals are so good, the album never loses you

Cons: While it’s not a short album, the songs are so good it makes the album seem short!

Best Tracks: In Waves, Inception of the End, Dusk Dismantled, Black, A Skyline’s Severance, Caustic Are The Ties That Bind, Drowning In Slow Motion, Chaos Reigns

4.5 out of 5