Shogun
"Shogun" (released in September 2008) explores new compositional and technical levels, and the result was a brutal and heavy album. Heafy combined perfectly the screaming with clean voices, printing his own personal seal.
Recommended songs: "Kirisute Gomen", "Down from the Sky", "Into the Mouth of Hell We March", "Throes of Perdition" & "Shogun".
A new beginning
While Trivium was touring the United States in the fall of 2009, they announced that Travis Smith (drums) would sit out the second leg of the tour. Nick Augusto (ex-drum tech and a childhood friend of Paolo) was tapped to fill in. However, on February 4, 2010, the band announced that Smith was out and Augusto was replacing him. On the matter, Matt Heafy told Kerrang! magazine: "Travis took time out for personal stuff not directly related to the band. Plus, we were coming to
the point where the band was -not necessarily dissolving, but dissolving in creativity and maybe in live fire and energy, so we had to make a change for the positive. Replacing him wasn't an easy decision. It was the best thing for everybody and Travis will realize that later on."
Nick Augusto made his debut with Trivium when they recorded "Shattering The Skies Above", a song for the soundtrack of the video game "God of War III: Blood & Metal". That song is an indicative of the new direction of the band towards their upcoming album (which is expected to be released in 2011), although it will not be on the next Trivium record.
Musical style
If there is anything that distinguishes Trivium is the constant evolution in their sound. They have crossed various sub-genres of metal, such as metalcore, progressive metal, alternative metal and even death metal, although their roots are in heavy metal and thrash metal. There is clear influence of bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, In Flames, among others, and there are some comparisons with these bands. However, with each album, the band is finding its own sound and style, something we will be able to find out on their following album.