Ascendancy [PA] (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Matthew K. Heafy (vocals, guitar); Travis Smith (vocals, drums, percussion); Chad Sunderland, Gizz Butt, Andy Sneap (vocals); Corey Beaulieu (guitar, background vocals); Paolo Gregoletto (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Andy Sneap.

Recording information: Audiohammer Studios, Sanford, FL; Morrisound Recordings, Tampa, FL.

Photographer: Josh Rothstein.

In Trivium's band photo for ASCENDANCY, the four members sport t-shirts from (early) Metallica, Overkill, Guns N' Roses, and black-metal legends Darkthrone. The odd thing is that no one in the group is old enough to have experienced any of the first three bands in their 1980s glory. This doesn't seem to adversely affect Trivium's sound, however, as the band has clearly done its homework.

Riding the wave of bands like Shadows Fall and labelmates Killswitch Engage, Trivium bring together the speed of thrash, the melody of classic metal, and the aggression of hardcore in one seamless package. Founder and guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy uses metal-core screams, James Hetfield-esque growls and sing-along melodies to carry the title track. In the first few bars, "Departure" changes style from acoustic strumming to thrash riffs to full death-metal rage, while "Rain" takes a great opening riff and makes it even better with a subtle and unexpected harmonic shift. Showing maturity beyond his 19 years, Heafy crafts songs packed with power, precision, solos, and hooks. minimize