Another mixed bag, another disappointment.
Trivium have always been a bit of a mixed bag. In recent memory I can't remember a metal band who exploded more into the public consciousness than Trivium did around the release of Ascendancy. The result? Inevitably they became victims of their own success. Live they've always been a powerhouse, but reaction to the discography has certainly been mixed. 2011's In Waves was a massive return to form, plus it gave everyone the chance to just walk around shouting "IN WAAAAAAVES" at random points. Always entertaining. So where now will Vengeance Falls sit in all this? Would this be the seminal Trivium release or another borefest?
Well, the opener Brave This Storm will take your breath away immediately. Powerful riffs clash into each other like, erm waves? (stop talking about waves!), but instantly you find yourself nodding your head thinking "THIS is what I'm after with a Trivium record". But as the album progresses, until you're hit back in the face again by some of the more savage moments, it all becomes a bit generic. Metal by numbers. One of the few exceptions is Strife which will whip crowds into an absolute frenzy live. But again, we end up just trudging along, metal by numbers. It's not bad exactly, not bad at all, in fact it's a pretty solid Metal album, it just lacks any serious imagination. These tracks could have been great, not just "yeah it's ok".
So what of the impact of Disturbed's David Draiman? As well as this being a bit 'metal by numbers' it has this weird 'Trivium do Disturbed' vibe to it. Vocally Matt Heafy is not at his best, going back to the anthemic style roaring which made The Crusade so annoying. So not much then.
This feels like I'm ripping on Trivium a bit, not intended really it's just that as mentioned they were a major victim of their own success. If you throw on Ascendancy it is hard to believe that around eight years later this is would the best they could muster. Really disappointing.