Trivium Vengeance Falls
It is hard to give an opinion on Trivium without delving deep into their history, which rides high on the fame wrought of the ubiquitous Metallica Cover Band. Here is no different. Trivium, unable to escape their past, have entrenched themselves within familiar territory with yet another terrible album cover. Unquestionably A Metal Album, the cover for Vengeance Falls stinks of digital painting. A horrible blend of anime and video games, it cries out concept album. Although I could be wrong on this one, I don't think I am. Man struggles to combat the alien slave lords. It comes across as a grimmer Battlefield Earth with its grey & blue tones. Has Matt Heafy has been reading too much Infowars? In that case is it too much to hope for songs about blood drinking reptilians from the great beyond? Perhaps this artwork is the finest representation of the music itself: soulless and overproduced. While the execution is technically flawless, it lives and dies within digital space much like most modern audio production. It offers little context on its own and forces us to delve *ugh* into the lyrics. Could this be Trivium's "Operation: Mindcrime"? It's almost a shame I will never find out. I won't even hazard a guess on the music because being Trivium, I will assume it sounds the same as every other Trivium album and recommend it on that basis alone. Of course, I for one, have never cared for Trivium. More a facsimile of a metal band than a metal band, their soft-rock sensibilities have often worn out over their proclivity to amplify themselves. More Hall & Oates than Weekend Nachos, Trivium sticks a fey toe into the water but their sound is akin to that of a badger scratching against a bass guitar.
Rating: Jockstrap Powerviolence