Trivium @ The Palace,Melbourne (15/05/09)

Sun 17th May, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Returning to Melbourne for the second time in a couple of years, Trivium hit our shores for the ‘Into the Mouth of Hell We Tour’ with some great support acts in tow in Black Tide and Heaven Shall Burn. As a guitarist I was keenly anticipating seeing Trivium play live again because they are widely regarded as some of the best metal guitarists within the more mainstream international metal scene.

Prior to doors opening the line of eager punters snaked around the alleyway next to The Palace and extended a significant distance down Bourke Street. While this seemed an indication of a large crowd, the venue was not sold out which allowed free and easy movement to different parts of the venue to assess the live sound quality.

Black Tide kicked things off in emphatic fashion with their thrashy / groove metal stylings and were well received by the crowd in what was their first trip to Melbourne (and Oz). Judging by their age, they are in the early stages of their international touring career and it looks like they will go far based on the quality of their music.

Next up was Heaven Shall Burn, a German metalcore outfit that had been supported by Trivium back when they completed their first international tour outside of North America. There were clearly many punters there specifically to see them judging by the enthusiastic crowd response. While the fist couple of tracks had some sound issues in the further reaches at the back of the venue, moving up to the front made a massive difference in the sound quality. Their lyrical content is often uplifting and deals with commentary on social issues and it was great to see them play live. The set featured some tracks of their most recent studio album Iconoclast and older tracks including Behind a Wall of Silence and The Weapon They Fear.

Following the curtain raisers the crowd was restless and Trivium’s entry onto the stage didn’t disappoint. It was immediately clear that their live sound was better than the preceding bands but I don’t know if this was due to luck or design.

Their set was focused almost predominantly on their most recent studio album Shogun (which is the basis for this tour) and Ascendancy later in the show (which is arguably their greatest album). The bulk of the tracks from Shogun were covered with the standouts being Kirisute Gomen, Throes of Perdition, Down From the Sky and Into the Mouth of Hell We March.

Their live work ethic was tireless throughout and guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy showed why he is a great front man with his ability to keep the crowd excited and engaged throughout the set. Undertaking regular guitar changes to allow for the various tunings, they ploughed their way through numerous tracks including Becoming the Dragon, Like Light to The Flies, Fugue (A Revelation) and the addictively anthemic Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation. Heafy and lead guitarist Corey Beaulieu nailed most of the live solos perfectly, which was awesome to witness.

Every time they play live I realise that they have and are still setting themselves apart from the rest of the US metalcore pack with their song construction abilities and truly advanced guitar playing prowess. A key difference is also Heafy’s powerfully melodic vocal style, which is at times a refreshing change from the screaming vocals that have become such a norm in today’s metal acts and are sometimes used to veil a lack of vocal ability.

They finished with the first three tracks from Ascendancy including Rain and the absolutely bullet proof Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr, a track that encapsulates all of their style and ability in a short five minute burst. Adding a nice touch were the lads from Black Tide who helped out with the gang vocals in the chorus for this track.

Given the extent of their back catalogue I guess they couldn’t fit all of their classics into a live show but I was hoping they would have played several tracks off The Crusade which have helped define their sound over the years including Detonation, Entrance of the Conflagration and To the Rats. However having said that, this show was great in the value for money stakes for all of the punters in attendance. Trivium played for the better part of 90 minutes with very little break in between tracks.