Two listens over the weekend, and I'm very impressed. I found the 2nd half to be better than the first, and The Darkness of My Mind was particularly wicked.
Not up to it yet, but it's not surprising. Their bonus tracks are always incredible.
This for me, is Trivium lite. The heaviness in the riffs are defintiely there yet unfortunately, the screaming is not. BUT..........Matt's cleans have improved a hell of a lot and so far, they actually carry what the band are doing here.
You say that like its a bad thing. I wouldn't have bothered if the screaming was there. And this is a great metal album.
As a fan since Ascendancy, yes, the growls are an integral part of their sound. As I said though, even though they are not there, the melodies along with Matt's vocals are strong enough to carry it that it doesn't really need them. I was fearing thinking too myself "Man, it would have been better if this verse was growled, or whatever." But I don't. This is a good metal album and another evolution of the band.
The thing with Trivium is that every album has been very different and I hope the continue to evolve and not get stuck in this style they are doing now. last thing I would want is the screams to be gone, but then the band sounds samey over time. That's a perspective from a long time fan, so I'm going to have opinions where as you guys can just enjoy.
Cease All Your Fire and The Ghost That's Haunting You are incredible.