Florida's thrash metal noobs Trivium have returned with their third full length cd 'The Crusade', their second under the Roadrunner banner. It must be said right from the gate that this album sounds nothing like the band's previous releases, and unfortunately, that's not exactly a good thing in this case. 'The Crusade' would be a truly amazing release if it were actually a new Metallica album, and not a new Trivium album, as it could almost qualify as the return to form that the metal community has been waiting for.
Aside from the excellent musicianship on display, there is nothing this album has to offer that wasn't already done 20 years ago. Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu once again prove that they are indeed extremely capable shredders, while Paolo Gregoletto and Travis Smith hold down a precision rhythm section. This album, however, doesn't do much for the band in terms of showcasing any kind of real progression.
There are some great vocal performances, especially during the chorus on the track "Ignition", and lyrically the band touches on politics, as well as racism and sexism. They also once again tackle the rather unconventional topic of Homophobia, which is something that most other bands wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. And while there are moments that bring to mind 80's thrash titans Testament and even the legendary Megadeth, when taken as a whole, a (retro-)thrash homage is about all this album amounts to.Overall, the lyrical content and musicianship are the only things that give this record any crediblity.
Trivium showed so much promise with their debut album 'Ember To Inferno', and completely outdid themselves with the release of their Roadrunner debut 'Ascendancy'. Unfortunately, all good things do indeed come to an end. And 'The Crusade' is fit to be the beginning of the end in the hearts and minds of the core fans, for a band that has decided to trade in their own signature sound for that of a band that they will never quite live up to.......
