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Source: Kennerdeigh Scott
As a lad from a pretty small and forgotten about North East town, it’s really quite something when big names in rock and metal show up to bring Middlesbrough to its knees. At the back end of last year we had Bullet For My Valentine tear the Boro a new one, and 2016 brought with it a heavy follow up. Fucking Trivium.
Touring in support of their newest studio release Silence In The Snow, the Floridian metallers brought London thrashers Savage Messiah and UK rock unit As Lions along for a ride fuelled on heavy metal. Walking into a tiny venue like the Empire when a big band is on is like diving into a tin of long-haired, musky sardines. Garnished in leather, with a hint of denim and lashings of metal memorabilia. The place was lively to say the least. A few polite “excuse me’s” were vital in securing a decent view of the stage. The stage which As Lions wasted no time in turning into a battlefield.
Source: Kennerdeigh Scott
The As Lions set was a difficult one to be critical about, what with the ‘The Fall’ being the only unveiled track from their upcoming release. Although the enthusiasm of frontman Austin Dickinson was something to behold. This dude was amped! He owned his stage and was vocally superb. Any fans of Austin’s former band Rise To Remain will gleefully rejoice, knowing that the passion and talent that went into that band has been resurrected with As Lions. The Middlesbrough audience fed off As Lions’s energy like leeches. Igniting the fuse of an atomic night of heavy metal magnificence. With a deep inhale of farts and stale beer, we were away.
Savage Messiah were next to grace the stage with their big hair and even bigger guitars. The Messiah setlist was crammed full of narcotic riffs and solos, a more than adequate fix for anyone suffering from windmill withdrawal. With influences including Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Testament, Savage Messiah brought thrash back to the Boro in a big way. With thrash-tastic tracks including ‘The Faithful Dark’, ‘Cross Of Babylon’ and ‘Hellblazer’ Savage Messiah awakened the beasts within the crowd with the raising of horns, the whooshing of glorious glistening locks and enough shred that would send the Ninja Turtles cowering behind their pizza boxes.
Source: Kennerdeigh Scott
As the notion of Trivium taking the stage of the Empire for the first time loomed, and the giant Oni skulls from the Silence In The Snow album art were uncovered, it was apparent that shit was about to get very real. Very quickly. Even the Trivium entrance was full of drama and was atmospherically sublime. The combination of ‘Snøfall’ and the operatic prowess of ‘Silence In The Snow’ was enough to engulf the entire room in heartfelt screams. When compared to a lot of the of the other Trivium albums; whether it’s your In Waves, Ascendancy, Shogun whatever Silence In The Snow is noticeably more melodic and less focused on screaming than previous efforts. However, anyone who talks smack saying: “Silence In The Snow isn’t heavy, there’s no screaming” needs a smack in the chops. Seeing the new tracks live and witnessing the power of both the instruments and vocals together was mesmerising. The Trivium set wasn’t just filled with all things new though, we had classics like: ‘Down From The Sky’, ‘Dying In Your Arms’ even the timeless ‘Requiem’ from 2003’s Ember To Inferno. The Trivium set was just pure musical gold. Something else that needs addressing is the performance from the band’s new drummer, Paul Wandtke who absolutely smashed his UK debut. Congratulations brother.
To summarise then, it was incredibly difficult to find faults in the entire evening. If you want some criticism, the head of stage lighting was a little shitty and the support acts needed a little more volume but that’s on the venue. However, those minor niggles did nothing to pull us out of an insane night of metal magic. Be sure to keep your eye’s peeled for our pre-show interview with Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu, an incredible performer and even better human. Best of luck with the rest of the tour brothers, and all the best for your travels in Japan and Australia. [/tps_header]
Source: Kennerdeigh Scott
