Trivium's Discography: Ranked from Worst to Best
One of my favorite bands of all time is Trivium. They are a 4-piece Heavy Metal band from Orlando, Florida that features Matt Heafy on lead vocals and guitar, Cory Beaulieu on backing vocals, Paolo Gregoletto on bass and backing vocals, and Alex Bent on drums. They were formed in 1999 and have since released 8 studio albums, with a new record set to release on Friday, April 24th.
In honor of their upcoming release, why don’t we comb through their entire back catalogue and attempt to rank their previous albums from worst to best? Before we get started, there are a few disclaimers:
There are no bad Trivium records. Speaking as a fan, you are allowed to take that statement with a grain of salt. But if you’re new to the band, I can promise that almost any one of these albums would make a great first impression. If I were to give star ratings, they would each be at least a 4/5.
This list is not set in stone. The order that’s presented in this article could change at any given point. And in the interest of transparency, my top 3 are essentially interchangeable.
This is only my opinion. Your list may look completely different from mine, depending on your experience with the band. Personally, I was first introduced to them around 2007, in between the album cycles of The Crusade and Shogun.
So without further ado, this is Trivium’s discography ranked from worst to best!
8. Ember to Inferno
Now, I know it might seem unfair to put their debut record at the bottom of the list, but remember what I said up top about their being no bad Trivium records? This is no exception, and if I were judging solely on its own merits, it’s a very impressive debut that was written and recorded when Matt Heafy was only 17 years old. Individual songs such as the title track “Ember to Inferno,” Fugue (A Revelation),” “Pillars of Serpents,” and “Falling to Grey” remain a few of my all time favorites in their entire catalogue. However, when stacked against the rest of their albums, this one just doesn’t hold up as a whole. Fair or not, there are two major criticisms i have that hold the album back. One of them is the production quality, which I find a touch too coarse and unrefined for my taste. The other is the absence of guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto, who wouldn’t join the band until a year later. This was Trivium in its early stages, before they truly discovered their sound.
7. The Crusade
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to this album. Not only was this my introduction to the band (along with their previous record Ascendency, which we’ll get to later), but it was also my gateway into more Thrash Metal bands outside of the Big Four. I was a fairly seasoned Metallica fan at the time I first listened to the record from start to finish, so I could easily pick up on the clear influences they had on this record. I love the use of 7-string guitars that were crucial in defining their sound on later records, particularly Shogun. So why is this only at #7? Well, despite my adoration towards it growing up, the more I learned about what the band really think about this record, as well as their overall negative experience during this album cycle, my own opinion started to sour. It’s still a mostly great album with a very strong beginning and ending, the standout tracks being “Detonation,” “To the Rats,” Becoming The Dragon,” and the title track “The Crusade.” However, the one major flaw is “The Rising,” a song that nobody in the band liked, and was written simply as an attempt to capitalize off the success of their lead single “Anthem (We Are The Fire).” It’s not a bad song per se, but it pales in comparison to “Broken One” and “Vengeance,” which were bumped off and reduced to bonus tracks. This is one of the few entries on the list that I would recommend the special edition if you want a more satisfying listening experience.
6. Silence in the Snow
It’s taken me years, but this album has grown on me. The only reason it’s not higher on the list is simply because I haven’t listened to it nearly enough front to back as I have the rest of their catalogue. Otherwise, for the more traditional Heavy Metal sound they were going for, it’s excellent. This is the only album they recorded with Matt Madiro on drums, and while he may not be as good as Alex Bent or even Travis Smith, he still complements the rest of the band quite nicely. Sonically, this is one of the best sounding Trivium albums, in large part thanks to producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Some of my favorite tracks include the title track “Silence in the Snow,” “Dead and Gone,” The Ghost That’s Haunting You,” and “Beneath the Sun.” I would recommend this album to someone who’s easing into heavy music.
5. Vengeance Falls
I’d say these next two spots are more than fair to place the Nick Augusto era of the band. Augusto was an ex-drum tech who was brought on board to replace Travis Smith shortly after he departed in late 2009. It wasn’t until 2010 that he became an official member of the band. Vengeance Falls is the second and final album to feature Augusto on drums, and it’s one of their most unique records for one specific reason: it’s the first and only album to be produced by Disturbed frontman David Draiman. Some fans consider that a bug, but I strongly disagree. That’s not to say this is their best material, but I can say that (at least at the time) I’ve never heard Matt Heafy sing with such range and confidence. From here on out, picking favorite tracks becomes more difficult, but the three that really stand out on this record are the title track (are you starting to see a pattern here?) “Vengeance Falls,” “Villainy Thrives,” and “Wake (The End is Nigh).”
4. In Waves
Travis Smith’s departure left quite a big hole in the band at the time, so whoever was going to take his needed to make a killer first impression. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Nick Augusto did, by adding blast beats to the classic Trivium formula on his first track “Shattering the Skies Above.” That song, plus a cover of Sepultura’s “Slave New World” and a few other bonus tracks makes In Waves the second album on this list that's enhanced by its special edition. As for the album proper, it’s Trivium in its most pure form, returning to a sound closer to Ascendancy while introducing some subtle new elements. It almost feels like this was an album written to be performed live, which is probably why the title track has become almost a permanent staple of their setlist. Some fans may feel as if this album plays it too safe, especially following their previous record Shogun. Theoretically I could agree, if not for the inclusion of “Dusk Dismantled,” “A Skyline’s Severance,” and “Chaos Reigns,” which are some of the bands heaviest songs in their catalogue. That being said, “playing it safe” is what keeps this record out of the top 3, though it earns its spot by having better production than Vengeance Falls, and more replay value than Silence in the Snow.
3. Ascendancy
I briefly mentioned earlier how instrumental both this album and The Crusade were in introducing me to the more aggressive side of Heavy Metal, but Ascendancy is the only one of the two that I can definitively call a perfect record from start to finish. This was the first album in which everything clicked into place, the first album with Corey and Paolo as official members of the band, and their first album released under Roadrunner Records. This is what a band sounds like when they have everything to prove after being given the opportunity of a lifetime. The album has one of the best opening tracks of all time "The End of Everything/Rain,” that perfectly sets up what’s to come. It’s not often that the singles also happen to be my favorite tracks, but in this case, any one of the 12 (or 14, if you count the bonus tracks) could have been a single. In Waves may be Trivium in its most pure form, but that album couldn’t exist had Ascendancy not come before.
2. The Sin and the Sentence
“But Mike, you said Ascendancy was perfect! What could possibly be better than perfect!?” I have two answers for that. First, The Sin and the Sentence was the result of a much needed change in the status quo for the band. This album marks the debut for then new drummer Alex Bent, who may just be the best drummer since Travis Smith. Alex’s impressive technical skills seemed to have forced the band to step up their game in both songwriting and musicianship, and it shows in the finished product. The chemistry between each member has never felt stronger, as they’ve taken everything that’s made the previous albums great, and put them into a blender. Those who missed Matt Heafy’s screams on Silence in the Snow were glad to see them make a triumphant return in songs like the title track “The Sin and the Sentence,” “Betrayer,” and “Sever the Head,” while those who prefer the softer side of the band still have tracks like “The Heart From Your Hate,” and “Endless Nights.” What I’m trying to say is that this is an album for everyone, and I felt quite vindicated seeing all the critical acclaim it received at the time it was released.
Shogun
Remember when I said earlier that any of the top 3 could have taken the #1 spot? Allow me to explain that further. Yes, Ascendancy is a perfect record, an important milestone not only for myself, but for the band and the emerging New Wave of American Heavy Metal during the early 2000’s. And yes, everything I just said about The Sin and the Sentence I stand by 100%. However, I’ve been saying the same things about Shogun about 9 years earlier. For the most part, they were both trying to accomplish the same thing. Both albums aimed to combine elements from their previous records to create something new. The only real differences are the people involved. Shogun was the last album to feature Travis Smith on drums, and he poured everything he’s capable of in this masterpiece. It was the band’s first time working with a producer other than longtime collaborator Jason Suecof, with Nick Raskulinecz taking his place. He was the one who helped Trivium push their sound into a new direction, introducing more progressive elements to the music. If ever there was a tiebreaker to push this album over the edge, it would have to be the epic 11:55 minute title track “Shogun.”