4. Shogun Is A Masterpiece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnnozycxCx0 Switching gears into something we can all agree on, Shogun is (so far) the band's greatest achievement. Yes, Ascendancy kicked the doors in and became the benchmark for metalcore in the mid-2000s, but it was with this you really got a sense Trivium had taken the best of what they were attempting on The Crusade, before marrying it with the heavier stuff they could already do better than the rest. That meant songs that confidently straddled the line between clean and harsh vocals, instrumentation that was the most impressive the band have ever produced, tracks like the titular Shogun that progressively advanced their compositional skills - and the most solid collection of songs they've ever had. Old school fans point to Ascendancy as the band's early high point, but alongside the entirety of In Waves (another scream/clean combo barnstormer), it's Shogun that truly showcases everything Trivium do better than the competition.