The American heavy metal scene in its current state started some years ago with bands like Slipknot and Killswitch Engage. Since then, there's been a plethora of bands that, for all intents and purposes, sound very similar: Caliban, Bleeding Through, even Slipknot themselves. However, every now and then a band rises above the generic aggressiveness to become a stand out. Trivium is one of these bands (also see In Flames, who are just as good).
Whilst their efforts since their breakthrough masterpiece Ascendancy have failed to reach the same levels of success, In Waves is still an excellent example of why Trivium are great. If their previous album, Shogun, proved anything it was that, sometimes, metal songs don't always work at a length of more than 5 minutes. The band have clearly taken this into account, with many of the tracks peaking at just over 4 mins resulting in a quicker, more intense experience. It fleets from commercial (Caustic Are the Ties That Bind) to bordering on full blown death metal (Dust Dismantled), creating an album that is never less than interesting, even if some of the tracks feel like filler.
But on trying to regain that spark that made Ascendancy such a great album, In Waves is the closest effort so far, but alas, falls just shy. Once you establish this, you can get on and listen to a terrific work from a band at the top of their game.
4/5
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