Review Summary: Have Trivium finally found their own unique stride with the Sin and the Sentence? With vocalist, Matt Heafy on the verge of finding his own sound and the addition of new drummer, Alex Bent, this album is a damn good start.
I was very excited to see where Trivium would go with this album. They have had their ups and the downs throughout the years with Ascendancy and Shogun to The Crusade and Vengeance Falls. Heafy gained his own vocal style rather than robbing one from Hetfield, during SitS (Silence in the Snow)...so we can take that as a positive. To people who know the genre, Trivium is infamously known for changing their style from one album to the next so I decided to give this album a go, and I'm glad that I did.
When I heard "The Sin and the Sentence" (song) before the album was released, I was pleasantly surprised by mainly two things. One is Alex Bent, who is yet another new drummer for Trivium. Blast beats can often be a hit or a miss and were a big part of "In Waves". While they always sound cool, they can often become overpowering. Bent adds fills everywhere throughout this song and the album and it is a pleasure to listen to. Secondly is the vocal style of the song. Heafy decided to stick with this new sound he acquired from SitS, which is fine. The song feels well put together and comes in at roughly 5 minutes 48 sec. Oh and the harsh vocals are back.
This album again, is an improvement from their previous records and you will hear elements from most of their older work, notably the well-received "Ascendency" and "Shogun". Is it a breakthrough for the band? Yeah perhaps. Is this a breakthrough in the genre? Unfortunately no. The band has stated that they are returning to the harsh vocals giving this album a more "extreme" feel which is clearly heard in the title track. The stand out for this album is the addition of Bent, though that's not to say the rest of the band doesn't show up. Heafy's vocals have improved, though seem slightly forced at times and the rest of the band still hold true to the Trivium we know.
Throughout the album you will get a roll of blast beats and typical sing/scream style vocals we expect from the genre. There are a few songs that stand out such as the groove oriented "The Wretchedness Inside" which will have you head banging the moment it starts and the more vocal focused "The Revanchist" which highlights Heafy's new vocal approach. Unfortunately the album isn't all good. There are a couple songs that fall short. "The Heart from your Hate" starts with a catchy riff then just skips to a misplaced verse. The song isn't necessarily bad but it does not take any chances and just comes off as boring. The song "Endless Night" feels out of place on this album and uses the basic song layout which the rest of this album is seldom to follow. There are a couple interesting, though short lived parts in the song but I doubt they will save it from being skipped.
You can hear a lot of "Ascendancy" in the intro and the heavier vocals in the song "Sever the Hand". The song "Other Worlds" plays Heafy's clean vocals from start to finish and is one of my favourites on the album. To wrap up their heaviest record to date they close with arguably the heaviest song on the album, "Thrown into the Fire". This again has Trivium’s newest member in the spotlight
This album is not perfect. It has moments of repetitive lyrics and song layouts that can somewhat feel messy, though with that being said, the good still outweigh the bad. As I enjoy some songs much more than others, the roughly 57 minute ride is a great step towards what could be the "new" Trivium.
