10 Best Hard Rock Songs Over 10 Minutes Long
7. Trivium - Shogun - 11:54
Every now and then the stars align for a particular band and they find themselves thrust into the limelight so fast their heads would be forgiven for literally spinning. This was certainly the case for Trivium off the back of Ascendancy. Sudden and unexpected success can be a huge burden to bear and many crumble under the pressure. Any band in this situation would be tempted to play it safe. That was not the case for the Floridian four-piece who set to work figuring out their identity and their place in the rock world over the next few releases.
To this day, the title track of 2008’s Shogun remains the band’s longest and most bold song. In many ways all 11:54 of it represents all of the band’s experiences to date; crossing the boundaries of biting metal and crooning ballad effortlessly, all whilst riding some absolutely crushing riffs.
Matt Heafy and crew really find themselves maturing on Shogun. Pace changes, gorgeous guitar leads, a back and forth of guttural growls and silky clean vocals. If that’s not enough then the middle section may contain one of the smoothest key changes in modern metal. The chorus demands a swing-your-lighter-in-the-air singalong like some power metal great but in between these moments it thunders along with an insane degree of swagger and confidence that wouldn’t feel out of place on your favourite groove metal record.
Without a doubt, Shogun set the stage for the next decade of the band’s career.