OCTOBER 4th, 2022
TRIVIUM

Review by Metalllic Barbie
Photos by Peter Ruttan
http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/trivium/

“ There could not have been a better combination of bands on Tuesday, October 3, at the Vogue Theatre. Each complimented the last and further fired the crowd for the next.  The night opened with Khemmis, a Denver band that smashes together doom, death, and black metals to create their own brand of heavy. Vocalist-guitarists Phil Pendergast and Ben Hutcherson, bassist David Small, and drummer Zach Coleman left it all on the stage whipping the crowd with bangers like opener “Avernal Gate”, “Isolation” and “Conversation With Death”. Khemmis gave way to Whitechapel, the Knoxville 5 responsible for such intense albums such as Mark of the Blade (2016) and most recently Kin (2021). Phil Bozeman (vocals), Ben Savage (lead guitar), Alex Wade (rhythm guitar), Zach Householder (guitar), Gabe Crisp (bass) and Brandon Zackey (drums) made deathcore look easy, seamlessly ripping from one tune to the next. The majority of the set list was from Kin, with a few classics for posterity including “This Is Exile” and “Doom Words”.  The energy was through the roof and the crowd let it be known.  Between the Buried and Me was almost a shift from a 45 to a 33 (for you vinyl lovers out there) and saw fans being led from a fever pitch speed to almost a lullaby.  Formed at the millennium, BTBAM vocalist-keyboardist Tommy Giles Rogers Jr, lead guitarist Paul Waggoner, lead/rhythm guitarist Dustie Waring, bassist/keyboardist Dan Briggs, and drummer Blake Richardson escorted the room down their dark twisted path through a 5 song set list that included “Sun of Nothing”, “Extremophile Elite”, and “The Future is Behind Us”. Their signature soundscapes and weaving melodies ricocheted through the room and ignited fans.  Finally it came time for Trivium to rip the remaining roof off the venue. Their Deadmen and Dragons tour features music from What the Dead Men Say (2020) and In the Court of the Dragon (2021) albums - both quality heavy hitters. Matt Heafy (vocalist/guitarist), Corey Beaulieu (guitars/unclean vocals), Paolo Gregoletto (bass), and Alex Bent (drums) opened with “IX” and “What The Dead Men Say”, followed by several tracks from both tour namesake albums. The big surprise was a performance of “Shogun”, the title track from the 2008 album of the same name, which is rarely done live. Like a well oiled machine, Trivium greased beats, riffs and bellows through the minds of the packed house. Alex’s speed and precision behind the drum kit paved the way for Paolo to thicken the sound with his weighty bass lines. Corey reminded everyone that guitarists are celebrities in their own right as he manoeuvred his strings like an extension of his own self.  Matt brought it all together with his exceptional vocals and brutal guitar work. The frontman was a maniacal ringleader commanding the crowd to jump, circle, and rage with the band. If metal had a Taylor Swift equivalent, Matt and Trivium would be it, writing banger after banger. The room was dense with vigour for the set as in 2018, when Trivium was last in Vancouver, they were shy one Matt for the impending birth of his twins. Head to toe, back to front, from the window to the wall, this night was so full of sweat, satisfaction, and talent that all the Vancouver metal scene will be able to say is ”Bring. It. The fuck. On.”