The reason why Trivium are one of the best live acts around is simple ... they can do it live and they do it better than most!
It really is that simple. You just have to look at the band to understand and believe.
Why
Let's start with the songs. They are brilliant. There are some complex arrangements along with some simple mechanics. At the end of the day they write great tunes and perform them flawlessly live just as much as on record. Where Trivium can take a step above the rest is when it comes to translating that to a live performance they have the dynamic live performance while having it sound like the recorded version.
Whereas you get some bands that have harmony parts and counter melody parts that just don't translate to the live environment, Trivium can. They have the mix of people to do it. Matt sings while Paolo does the "nice" vocal backing and Corey does the growling backing. Simple. Works. And to keep them in time? A machine .... a dynamic machine called Nick!
The band:
Nick, the newest member. He's as tight as it comes when you talk about drummers. He comes across as a quiet humble person, but put him behind a drum kit and a beast is unleashed. He's added a new fire to the band seems to have been missing since just before the Crusade run. In the post-Crusade days (before Nick), the band seemed to have become too comfortable. Shogun is my favourite Trivium album, but listening to In Waves, I can only imagine what Shogun might have been like if Nick had been in the chair.
Paolo, the bands dark horse and hidden gem. He writes more than people realise and is the fan contact of the band. He's a talented little bugger who deserves more recognition than I think he gets. On stage, he's flawless. Hits his mark playing and singing wise every time I've seen the band live ... and trust me, that's a lot. Also, would give a fan off the street the time of day and then some. On stage ... looks like he is loving every minute of it.
Corey. Not much to say about Corey that isn't obvious. He can shred with the best of them. He can play a soulful solo that get right to you. He looks like he's having fun, which seems lost in a lot of bands these days. An under respected guitarist in my opinion, but I dare say that that wouldn't phase him in the slightest as he just gets on with getting the job done. HE is his own person. Look at the band through the years and evolution of how they look. Corey still looks like Corey. He's the Joey Belladonna of Trivium :)
Matt, the front and center spokesman of one of the most exciting bands around. Not an easy place to be, but he carries it with a maturity that you wouldn't see from more seasoned front-men. Again, hits his mark every time. His ability to go straight from strong clean vocals to aggressive growling vocals in beyond belief at times. To sing with the intensity that he has and play guitar takes a lot of talent that I think a lot of fans, metal and non-metal, take for granted with artists. Also a brilliant guitarist that, again, seems so overlooked. Watch the "making of" documentary for the Roadrunner United album. He was even younger then!
Add it all together and you get a band that deserve to be MASSIVE. They have the songs and they have the performance.
Take a track like In Waves. The band are tight and can play it flawlessly. When it comes to the clean "nice" backing vocals Paolo is there and sounding great. For the growling guttural backings Corey steps up. You will NEVER hear a metal band sound so close to a recorded album than Trivium. Ever! And not just sound like the record, but make it sound even more alive and dynamic. They could cover Mad World note for note and make it sound like the best metal track around.
Summary
Not the best argument ever, but just wanted to give my wee input about one of my favourite bands who are still young and can only get better! Metal is in very good hands with these guys in the go.
I know I've strayed off point and just said how much I love the band but I don't care. They are that good a band. I wish I was able to write this better.
Trivium had an impact on me personally like you wouldn't believe. I was stuck in my little Classic Metal bubble, discounting bands with singers who growled more than sang. When I first heard Trivium it gave me the same feeling I had when I first heard Iron Maiden .... and they've stuck with me the same since! Since then, it's opened up a whole new world of appreciation for other styles of metal. Killswitch Engage, Children Of Bodom and Lamb Of God ... I would have written them off as soon as the singer started before I heard Trivium.
I've had the chance to thank them for "saving my love of music" (although I worded it a damn site better than that!) but they probably hear that kind of thing every day.
Even their "miss" album has GREAT tracks, including one of my favourite Trivium tracks (Becoming The Dragon). If that was their miss, it still stands above a lot of bands "hit" albums. The album was taken the wrong way in my opinion. If that had been there debut it would have been taken like a fresh light.
Anyway ... give 'em a shot :)
Here's the track from The Crusade that it in my top Trivum tracks ( Watch this then a newer one and see my point about how Corey, Paolo and Matt have changed looks ;) )
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