Trivium: heavily into this'n'that

There is a scene in the legendary ‘Sunset Boulevard’ when the film’s passed-it idol, portrayed by Gloria Swanson, makes the immortal assertion that she wasn't a faded star but the movies had become much smaller. The blockbusters, the mainstream's crap products, the Reality TV, the visual ‘spliffs’.

Fifty-five years on, media’s in the state of subservience, flattery and truth-management. We’ve become a pathetically sycophantic bunch who do not probe but fondle stars’ [misguided] mono-esteem under a notion of being ostracised by the hallowed subjects, their managers, companies, PRs, aides, minders…

But, in its feeble defence, media simply reflect the public’s interest which is so low to border on indolence… Humans have become so selfish to need only artificial strokes on their curiosity. We don’t need no heroes, desire not to know about egos of our showbiz idols and their ids simply remain deeply disengaging.

Dope of the nation is regarded as if it were a cure for pollution. Traditional journalism led by its TV counterpart have erased any pride left in the world of reporting and simply endow with the simplistic, obvious and trivial for the effigies of banality in the revisionist culture where the truth is twinned with propaganda.

Pop coverage reflects lowered dosage of the mass’ narcotic to replace it with the whitewash of cool. The bigger fakers and fame takers. Yet, as always, alternative end exists: place and instance; yield phrase. But the alternative today is not yet what grunge was but it looks like HM could take its place. With bands as different as HateBreed and Open Hand opening avenues that seemed to lead into deep underground only months ago.

Trivium, a quartet of youngsters (18-22) sound like they could take Slayer on as well as Mars Volta. There is riffing, power, axe-technique, blasting bass and drums from the Styx river bank. The latter are provided by co-founder Travis Smith who, with vocalist Matt Heafy, formed the outfit in 2000 in Orlando, Florida.

‘Ascendancy’, featuring a new bassman Paolo Gregoletto, is the band’s second album; Corey Beaulieu (guitar) joined before the band released their debut ‘Ember to Inferno’ album [on Lifeforce, 2003]. Aggro, angst, anti-ism, teen-issues, underground-allure… Heavy, layered, prog-matic, faster, harder, epic - there are many attributes to the Floridians’ music.

‘Rain’ kicks ferociously, ‘The Deceived’ picks apart, ‘Suffocating Sight’ flips a lot! ‘Pull Harder On The Strings of Your Martyr’ is about the US foreign policy of aggression, ‘A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation’ addresses domestic violence/abuse, whilst ‘Like Light To The Flies’ is about everyone’s fave sport - schadenfreude.

“This album deals with many realisations based around this theme,” explained Heafy. “‘Ascendancy’, to me, means the overcoming of life’s obstacles to rise above everything and overcome the corruption of the world around me.” Right-on, bro! [And then, when you are a decade older, you realise it ain’t that simple due to life cropping arrogance and siphoning off élan.]

Metal, the new grunge? Buy it!

8/10