10 Most Underrated Metal Albums Of The 2000s
7. Trivium – The Crusade (2006)
People were real keen to dump on Trivium upon the release of their third studio, which saw the group veer away from the thrashing metalcore of 'Ember to Inferno' and 'Ascendancy', in favour of a more 80s-inspired speed/thrash sound. This was four lads wanting to experiment with creative changes and therefore, was vilified by the metal community, condemned for doing what they wanting to do, and emulate their heroes, Metallica.
Often lumped in with 'Vengeance Falls' as the bottom tier of Trivium's back catalogue, 'The Crusade' is actually a pretty decent collection of throwback thrash metal vibes with crisp, modern production, and does pay homage to the mighty Met', something that 90% of metal bands formed in the past 25 years definitely haven't done.
Corey and Matt's riff work is top-notch, and Matt's vocals continue (and would continue) to soar, leading to him becoming one of the premiere frontperson in metal. While they would hybridise with metalcore again on the brilliant follow-up 'Shogun', a true return to thrash began on 2017's 'The Sin and the Sentence' and has been a part of the band's rich vein of form in the years since.
As a result, 'The Crusade' feels deserving to be acknowledged as the blueprint of modern Trivium.