Albums Of The Decade: Trivium – ‘Ascendancy’
Four fresh-faced youngsters from Florida bring the old-school kicking and screaming into the modern-era. Check out the other Albums Of The Decade covered thus far.
Of all of the bands to have broken through in this decade, no metal band has threatened to take the globe by storm quite like Trivium did with the release of ‘Ascendancy’. Mixing early In Flames thrash influences with the song-structures and vocal melodies of Metallica’s first four albums, the album dropped like a nuclear bomb onto the desks of every rock music magazine out there. Every once in a while, an album drops onto your desk that you just know is going to be huge and everyone knew that would be the case with Trivium.
The obvious starting point with this record would be a song that continues to be the greatest weapon in Trivium’s arsenal, ‘Pull Harder On The Strings of Your Martyr’. One of the decade’s biggest metal anthems, it nailed the Trivium template that ran throughout the record. The punishing drums with pounding double-bass drum work throughout, the rampaging guitars that dominate the songs verses, a huge chorus and a middle-breakdown that would make any of their peers proud. (It’s also worth mentioning that the song gave birth to the greatest YouTube parody to hit the web. Our favourite bit has to be Matt Heafy on his bike). Other stunning examples of this formula are shown on the epic ‘Like Light To Flies’, the blood and thunder of ‘Rain’ and the album’s storming title-track.
Trivium’s live shows were also selling out UK clubs and theatres at an alarming rate. Their show-stealing stint on the Roadrunner Road Rage tour sent shockwaves throughout our fair isle but it was with their set at Download 2005 that things kicked-up to the point where fans and critics alike saw the band as the band most likely to smash through the boundaires and into the mainstream. The pogoing masses on ‘A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation’ tell you everything you need to know about their set that day and it remains one of the highlights of the Download-era at Donington.
Trivium also made huge waves towards the mainstream when ‘Dying In Your Arms’ was put on the A-list at Radio 1. Played in amongst the Aguilera’s and Clarkson’s of this world, this achievement cannot be understated. There are multi-platinum artists who have never achieved this but such was the belief in Trivium at that point, mainstream success seemed inevitable.
The ‘…And Justice For All’ meets Skid Row direction the band took on ‘Ascendancy’s much-maligned follow-up album, ‘The Crusade’, saw the initial momentum that Trivium had built up dwindle. Thankfully, the band returned to their roots last year with the ambitious riffathon ‘Shogun’ but can Trivium ever recapture the initial excitement that came with the ‘Ascendancy’ album? We saw label-mates Machine Head breakthrough to mass acclaim, hit a low point and regain their status as heroes of the metal world so it can definitely be done.
As it stands, ‘Ascendancy’ is not only Trivium’s finest moment but also one of metalcore’s greatest albums and is therefore worthy of a place in our Albums Of The Decade list!
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completly agree, well worth the feature
Ascendancy got me into metal, I owe the past few years to it!
Ascendancy is a rapage album, definetly there best, who knows if they’ll ever be able to better it.
Trivium are the current era of metal’s Linkin Park. They will be a good gateway band for a lot of youngsters to get into metal, as Linkin Park were to me, but you soon grow into real metal and get bored of them and to experienced metallers they are weak and pathetic. It’s a shame to see such talented musicianship go to waste on utter shite. They need to form a new band with a vocalist that actually has a metal voice!
great album
Its an incredible album. It got me into metal and I still love it. Trivium rule!!!
All I have to say is BOAT
Definitely a definitive album, the waves that Trivium made upon the release of ‘Ascendancy’ are undeniable. Can’t decide between this and Shogun as to their best album. But where Shogun is the more killer package, this has definitely got more metal anthems. They’ll be around for many years to come yet.
Totally agree.
First Trivium album I bought, and one of the first metal albums I bought, so it is a good starter album for aspiring metal heads until they discover bands even more technical/progressive/heavy/melodic/*intsert other tag here*
It pretty much set the standard by which to judge the rest of their recorded output, and of course the parody is hilarious.
BOOOOAAAAT!
RUUUUUDDER!
good album as it didn’t sound like a metallica rip off like the following 2
Good fucking call. What an absolutely epic album.
I’m gonna have to disagree with everyone here. Trivium SUCK! They don’t even come close to matching the skill, ferocity, and awesome power of MASTODON!
I’m gonna have to disagree with everyone here…Trivium SUCK! They don’t even come close to matching the ferocity and power of MASTODON!
Listening to Declaration as i read this, and i recently got listening to Ascendancy again. Just an absolutely amazing album. And Loman piss off for even saying that to be honest.
LOMAN, you cannot compare Mastodon and Trivium, they’re different bands with different styles. I like both.And for me, Ascendancy is their best at the moment.
Definately one of the better metal albums of the decade. The only one I found to be better was Deicide’s Scars of the Crucifix. Trivium showed me that hardcore can be amazing if you use the elements right. I still dont’ listen to really and hardcore band but Trivium. It’s all because I saw them on that tour.
[...] Link: Albums Of The Decade: Trivium – ‘Ascendancy’ (Metal Hammer) [...]
Ascendancy is Trivium’s golden album. 20 years from now, kids will still be listening to it. I give Trivium props for making Ascendancy, especially at the age they were at the time. Still young. Not many young bands can make an album so pure.
lol mastadon are shite
am sure its a good album, still havent heard it but dying in your arms is a killer song, but i think the crusade is an amazing record. love the music on the new album as well, but not to keen on the growling, which is probably wot ascendancy is based around.
this is the first album i ever heard from trivium-and i thought it was well worth the wait to be fair.its just so fucking heavy and experimental in parts too.people who say they werent metal,why were they chosen as main support for slayer last year then? exactly.because trivium always have believed in their music.and this is a perfect example to back up that fact.
well i agree its the best album and its is rather well lets say …..Fucking AWESOME!!!
I think Shogun is a far better album myself, but this one was a damn good one with some great songs. Someone pointed out that it was this album that got alot of new fans into metal (which was clever of Trivium as their albums got progressivly heavier after this). Thumbs up Hammer!
did anyone else notice there where called metalcore when there actually THRASH metal
For me Shogun & Ascendancy are their best. I cant decide between them though, Shogun is a great platform for their new album soon to be realeased, but Ascendancy.. well who can argue with the great songs it has to offer. And Dying In Your Arms is perhaps my favourite “softer” song, and for it to go mainstream with Clarkson etc. Is truley a defining moment in metal.
Oh and for this massive dickhead LOMAN, your such an idiot.
Trivium is AWESOME! =D
Saw them twice last moth.
So amazing ^^
Great album. And I am quite suprised that no one has mentioned that ‘Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr’ has one of the best (or worst depending on your opinion) metal lryics ever.
yep i am talking about ‘Annihilation your Masturbation’
If you have not heard it, check it out!
Terrible band. Terrible album. The lead guitarist is good, but Heafy is a fool and thinks he’s James Hetfield. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible
metalcore??? really?? despite saying the album sounds like early in flames and metallica earlier in the article. hmmm….
god i hate the term “metalcore”|
i am 31 years old, and have been in to metal since Megadeth released “countdown to extinction” and never looked back, thanks to mustaine’s genious!!!…although i dont live the life style of a metal head anymore, i still love the music, cant, wont and shouldnt shrugg off my love for this music. All i have to say is that in my 16 years of being in to metal, this Trivium album ranks with the best thrash/metal albums of all time, by which i mean are rust in peace, reign in blood, master of pupptets, blood mountain, burn my eyes….this album is fucking revolutionary!
amazing album, was already listening to metal before i bought this, but its brilliant..
cant listen to Pull Harder without singing the parody lines in my head though…
I AM HERE TO RIDE BIKE!!!
Great Album, before Shogun came along it was my absolute fave.
Shogun is awesome, but slightly different style, as I progress in life my tastes change and I’m more into Shogun than the previous albums.
Just like Trivium progress in there life too!
Great album. Pity about the shite they came out with after it! And there is NO possible way the muppet who said Mastodon are shite has any taste whatsoever!!
actually i have plenty of taste thank you
they have talent bit their songs are boring progressive shite
trivium are a shit you could see that after about 3 months of the initial hype there was like 3 songs worth listning to fro mthe first album the rest was shit plus there crap live they just fuckin attract 10 year olds and bum fluf baggey jeand hoody wearing moshers to good bands gigs
I agree, awesome album!
BTG37
I’m with Faysal.
I’ve been listening to metal for a long time, and there are times when you get a bit bored of what bands are bringing out. This album made me excited about metal again, just like when Rammstein broke or the first time I heard Machine Head, the Black album or Testament’s The Formation of Damnation (which has to feature at some point Metal Hammer!).
Fucking awesome album by the Trivium boys, and I reckon they will be huge in the future.
Loman – you are a scum eared dumb fuck! Fuck off!
ascendancy is a masterpiece
An excellent choice.
Best band of all time in my opinion.
I haven’t seen anyone match their musicianship.
Ascendancy is the best album I have ever heard! I am so stoked that they chose it as an album of the decade
Simply put, this was and is a record that will stand the test of time, wether its the harmonies to the blistering solos, there is a song that everyone can relate to.
well done dudes
TO BATTLE!!
Trivium Ruuuule!
They are a kick ass band, produce great metal music, pure genious. Love the band, love the music, Ascendancy rocks
Ascendancy best album of the decade to be honest
trivium ftw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
TRIVIUM have created an album which will never be beaten by any band … even michael jackson himself rofl
its just heavy as fuck and awsome
best album ever
You simply cannot beat an album like Ascendancy. This album made me who I am today, it evolved me ionto a musician, it made me super metal as fuck lols, and I know I will definitly never get sick of this album. This will be my favourite album for the rest of my life.
Amazing work guys.
yeah let it win! it’s the best (:
I liked this album.
But Sylosis’s COAA kills it. FACT.
Amazing album, lots of riffage, harmonies and shredding.
Definetly album of the decade
so many powerfull riffs and solos
definitive album for trivium which jumpstarted there career as gods
all i know trivium is awesome and the ablum ascendancy was the new thing in metal … they would and can engrave their name in the wall of metal .. they are SO METAL THEY SHIT EARLY METALLICA!!!
the best album EVER!