They make up for this, however, in hooks. Gargantuan choruses are strewn across the album, from the title-track to Scattering The Ashes – the latter of which may not win a Pulitzer for its lyrics, but is still infectious as hell. Lead single Catastrophist packs a thundering punch, birthing a huge chorus designed for wide-open spaces, acting as a reminder that Trivium’s melodies lie at the core of their artistry. Elsewhere, standout track The Defiant comes out swinging with a classic intro before transforming into an arena-sized behemoth that continues to hulk up with each passing second.
But don’t go thinking that Trivium have forgotten how to be heavy amongst these lung-busting refrains – Amongst The Shadows And The Stones is one of the most ferocious songs the band have ever written. Crashing in with a barbaric roar, the tidal wave of screams conjures imagery of broken bones and corpses, gathering pace with relentless gang vocals and stabbing guitars; it’s a true war-cry from a band once written off as poseurs by metalheads of a certain age.
And that’s what this album feels like: a middle finger to all those who doubted Trivium were the real deal. After a false-start early on in their career to the redemption with Shogun, they’ve spent the intervening years in the wilderness, but now the Florida quartet have found solace in simply doing what they want, displaying an undying love for the genre and community that embraced them so readily as teenagers. It’s not perfect (hello, Bending The Arc To Fear), but for a band previously hindered by wearing their influences so blatantly on their sleeve, they have made it to their final form. They are Trivium, and long may it continue.
Verdict: 4/5
What The Dead Men Say is out April 24 via Roadrunner – pre-order and pre-save the album now.