Trivium - In Waves

I'm going to make this short and sweet. I've already wasted enough of my precious time by actually listening to it. You may fire when ready.

This sounds very familiar. Oh that's right. This dead horse and been beaten countless times by talented guitarists without a shred of originality.

And it sounds like just about every other Trivium album.

The harsh vocals are uninspired. The clean vocals are weak and whiny.

There is clean and harsh vocals. Metalcore bad/goodcop style.

18 tracks? Really? I thought Track 1 was just on repeat.

Nothing really grabbed my attention about this. I mean it. When I first listened to it, I was cutting grass. Mindless pacing back and forth. And In Waves failed to distract me even once.

The best track is the Sepultura cover. (Slave New World) Nothing special about it either. Note for note reiteration. Good choice though.

Somehow, I listened to it 3 times. That's 3x68 mins of my life I will never get back. In this case, I'm so glad I rarely have the time to dedicate solely to music. I got the grass cut, the kitchen cleaned and some reading done.

68 mins! That's a long time to listen to the same handful of riffs and chugs recycled ad nauseum. Somehow, random bits would get stuck in my head. And it annoyed the hell out of me. Catchy does not equal good.

Honestly, if you are even reading this, then you must be a metal fan. And if you are a metal fan, you probably know who Trivium is. And if you know who Trivium is, you know what they sound like. And if you know what they sound like, then you either think they kick major ass, or they need their asses majorly kicked.

Damn it! I just wasted another half hour on this crap. Good thing it wasn't the only thing I was doing.

Trivium, Transistor Transistor, and Testament

Testament - The Formation of Damnation: Remind me again why Testament was never as big as "The Big 4" of thrash? Because musically, they are just as thrash-tastic. And Chuck Billy is probably a better vocalist than Jaymz, Mega-Dave or whoever happened to be singing for Anthrax. This is the first Testament album I have heard front to back and since I own all the albums by Metallica (except Some Kind of Monster), Megadeth (studio anyway), Slayer (I might be missing an EP) and Anthrax ( I think), I should probably start working my way through their back catalogue. Horns up!

Transistor Transistor - Ruined Lives: When I first started listening to this I was kind of wishy-washy about it. But when I was driving home, as soon as I got the slightest but pissed off (gas pedal is on the right, fuckwad!) it clicked. Now, whether it was coincidence that the album got good at that moment, or if I just had to be in the right mindset, I won't know until I listen to it again. And I will be listening to it again as it impressed me enough that is just might make my (not so) short list for Top Albums of 2008. It's a band I could see myself in. The vocals are adequately pissed off and the riffing is simplistically punk-derived enough that I could actually play it. Horns up!

Trivium - Shogun: Good rebound album. Their last album (name escapes me at the moment) was a step backwards. It was technically good but vocally plagiaristic and lyrically silly. Trivium have seemed to have matured on Shogun. The aggression is back in the vocals and the guitars are shred-erific. It's a tight, tight album. Did Jason Scuecof produce again? Matt Heafy and Co.should be a force for years to come. Horns up.