Ah, Trivium. For all the accolades this band has received over the past year or so, you’d think they are the next coming of Metallica. Apparently, the band also thought this as well. The Crusade is quite likely what you’d get if Metallica continued on the same path after the Black album instead of giving us such gems as Load, Reload, and St. Anger.
For the most part, I don’t blame the kids in Trivium. They’re young and impressionable. Wanting to create the next great metal record is no easy chore, but rule of thumb says not to completely wank off your favourite band in an attempt to gain credibility.
Are they talented? Absolutely. The guitars are amazing pieces of work. The drums can compete with anybody in metal today and the vocals are clean, yet aggressive. The problem is that the vocals are so much in the Hetfield-ian territory that you could slap a Metallica logo on this record and no one would know the difference.
This album is such a disappointment coming off the stellar, if not amazing, Ascendancy. That record has the perfect blend of metal, hardcore, and melodies. This record has the melodies, the guitar solos and the drums of 80’s Metallica.
Sorry boys, but if you plan on crusading through the metal scene and becoming the next generation, become the next the generation. Don’t relive the past and call it your own.
