Overview
Hello friends! Today I am listening to Trivium’s ninth studio album “What the Dead Men Say”. This album was released April 24th, 2020 from Roadrunner Records. This album features their singles, “Catastrophist”, “What the Dead Men Say”, “Amongst the Shadows & the Stones”, and “Bleed Into Me”. This album is pretty crazy and really shows off their high levels of technical ability.
Song Analysis
The album starts off with the instrumental track “IX”, it has an intro so beautiful with very classical sounding electric guitar and a lot of very nice layering, which transitions into pounding drums and intense classical guitar. This song ends with some very nice riffs, which transition into the next track “What the Dead Men Say”. It really pulls you in and it kind of gives me chills, the classical guitar themes continue throughout. There are a lot unique moments in this track.
“Catastrophist” starts off with some gnarly solid riffs, it’s hard not to bob your head along. The lyrics are so catchy:
You’re a catastrophe
The one who’s come to devastate
Catastrophist
You stole our innocence
You’re a catastrophe
The one who’s come to devastate
Catastrophist
We never had a chance”
I don’t know what the lyrics are intended to be written about, but to me it seems to be about the world in general and all of the problems that can corrupt us as we age. I love the drums after he sings “never had a chance” and then the next guitar solo it pretty dope too. The guitars and drums are so well placed together throughout this track.
Starting off pretty intensely, “Amongst the Shadows & the Stones” is in your face in many ways. Even the lyrics are in your face as well, which are somehow pretty catchy in this song, “bloody corpses, broken bones reveal”. There are nice guitar solos half way through, which start sounding pretty classical again like they did at the start of the album. I love the guitar and drum solos together, they compliment each other so well. The guitars toward the end make you want to get up and run around.
“The Defiant” starts off so fast and rad, it really pulls you in, urging you to headbang. I love how the words “I stand in defiance of your ways” are sung, it sounds beautiful. There are very nice solos after the words “Nothing can absolve you from this hate / This hate, this hate”. Toward the end of the solos, it gets even better when the guitar follows the same melody as when he sings, “I stand in defiance of your ways”. Ahhh, so good. I love how this song is sung, it ends so strong.
“Sickness Unto You” is a very emotional track, the lyrics are insanely depressing. I am wondering the story behind why these lyrics were written:
I felt your heart stop beating
With my own two hands
I felt my life lose meaning
I’ll never be whole again
I held you in my arms
As she injected you with death
We made you feel like there was nothing wrong
It won’t stop replaying in my head
The opened eyes and mouth of my beloved
Who now is dead”
These lyrics definitely have an obvious literal meaning, you can extract whatever meaning out of it that you want. There are crazy solos sprinkled all throughout this song. The guitars and drums amaze me with how well they fit together. A lot of things in this song are incredible, I feel that I need to study drumming more to make better comments about this hahaha.
The beginning of “Bending the Arc to Fear” has some pretty grim riffs and there is some buildup that leads into some gnarly drumming. Half way through the song gets pretty intense, I love trying to dissect the guitars, drums, bass, and vocals. There are so many changes in this composition to really keep track of. I could listen 100 times and still hear something new I think. The song ends with the guitars and drums doing some fantastic work together
“The Ones We Leave Behind” has this optimistic sounding enjoyable opening riffs. Just after half way, there is a really great guitar solo, and another strong one right after it too. The guitars and drums complement each other so well, every time there is a shift in the composition, maybe a change in time, rhythm, riff, it always fits so well.
This album has more incredible moments than I am able to mention in writing. Every couple of seconds there will be dramatic shifts in various parts of the composition, I really enjoy the complexity and plan on listening to this album many more times! After hearing this I am definitely feeling the need to take more music classes to really get a better grasp of everything. Trivium has really blown me away and I cannot wait to hear the new album “In the Court of the Dragon”!
“The Ones We Leave Behind” has this optimistic sounding enjoyable opening riffs. Just after half way, there is a really great guitar solo, and another strong one right after it too. The guitars and drums complement each other so well, every time there is a shift in the composition, maybe a change in time, rhythm, riff, it always fits so well.
Final Thoughts
This album has more incredible moments than I am able to mention in writing. Every couple of seconds there will be dramatic shifts in various parts of the composition, I really enjoy the complexity and plan on listening to this album many more times! After hearing this I am definitely feeling the need to take more music classes to really get a better grasp of everything. Trivium has really blown me away and I cannot wait to hear the new album “In the Court of the Dragon”!