2. Trivium - Vengeance Falls
At number two is Trivium, a band who since 2005 have been a band dogged by a multitude of negative attitudes from the very fan base they are wholeheartedly a part of. Whether it be criticism of frontman Matt Heafy's so-called "generic" screamed vocals in the early part of their career, or sneery comments regarding the bands preference of cleaner, more technically accomplished vocal styles in their later work, Trivium have always had to deal with what seems to be an initial desire from some corners of the metal community to see them fail. In fact, the contradictory nature of some fans reactions to Matt Heafy's vocal styles over a period of 10 years and 6 studio albums (and counting) shows how some could call into question the logic behind the constant criticisms of one of the most popular metal bands to spawn from the 2000's; a band who are not only widely regarded as one of the most professional, technically gifted and badass live acts on the metal circuit, but also a group of musicians who are respected by both their peers and idols alike. This brings me to the bands latest release, Vengeance Falls, released this month via Roadrunner Records. Much of the talk in the build-up to the release of this album was not actually related to the band members themselves, but to the producer of the album, David Draiman of Disturbed and now Device fame. To say that the news of Draiman's involvement with the record was met with apprehension would be an understatement - whilst Disturbed are undeniably massive in the US, David Draiman's unique and often overtly animalistic vocal sensibilities were never really accepted to the same extent over in the UK. It was therefore inevitable that any differences between this record and the band's previous five releases would immediately be attributed to the producer, but whilst Vengeance Falls may not sound exactly like any other Trivium album, it manages to do so while at the same time sounding exactly like each one of them. What the band have done with this release is take elements from each of their previous efforts and sprinkle them throughout an album which showcases the extent to which their musical abilities have increased - and this is the key outcome of David Draiman's involvement. Matt Heafy's vocal skills have come on leaps and bounds since the bands debut, Ember to Inferno, but the leap made between previous effort In Waves and Vengeance Falls is often unbelievable, even with repeated listens. Here is a man who is now supremely confident not only in his skill with a guitar, but also in his ability to hit notes that cannot be heard on any of the bands previous records, from the eerily deep crooning of "With my hands around your throat / That's the way I like you most / When you're choking on the feelings rushing out" on closer "Wake (The End is Nigh) to the layered backing vocals in mid-album rager "To Believe" reaching octaves higher than those on any previous album. Draiman's desire to push the band to the best of their abilities is showcased in guitarist Corey Beaulieu's blistering solo's on title track Vengeance Falls, in which the guitar leads come crashing completely out of left field, and also in No Way To Heal where they burst into a song as if Beaulieu bursts out of a cage just as the bridge transitions into the solo. Bassist Paolo Gregoletto and drummer Nick Augusto form a polished, tight and highly effective rhythm section which provide a solid base for the guitar work to lay over, practicing restraint when necessary, but also knowing when to break free and shine in their own right, as seen in Gregoletto's evil bass solo in Incineration: The Broken World and Augusto's furious double bass in album opener Brave This Storm. Overall it feels as though with Vengeance Falls, Trivium have refined their sound to become a streamlined, straight-to-the-point metal machine, and have written the album that so many predicted them to write when they first burst onto the scene all those years ago.