Trivium Frontman Rejects 'Metalcore' Tag
Band Photo: Trivium (?)
Lucas Aykroyd of Straight.com reports:
According to naysayers, TRIVIUM is to METALLICA what GOOD CHARLOTTE is to the SEX PISTOLS. The Orlando-based thrash-metal quartet has faced its share of criticism since forming in 2000, despite high-profile gigs at Ozzfest, Sounds of the Underground, and Britain's Download Festival. Perhaps there's some envy due to its youth: the senior member, at age 24, is drummer Travis Smith.
"If we were acting like a bunch of 16-year-olds, I could understand it," says vocalist-guitarist Matt Heafy, reached aboard his tour bus in snowy Buffalo. "But we've got our shit together live and as people. Age is such a trivial thing."
The outspoken 20-year-old frontman also claims TRIVIUM should never have been accused of pandering to metalcore teenyboppers: "Metalcore is a combination of metal and hardcore, and we've never been into hardcore. We don't draw any influence from that scene. Even our second record, 'Ascendancy', was a metal record. Sure, it had screaming and heavy/soft parts. But only a small number of people would consider it metalcore."
Read the full article at Straight.com.
Source: Blabbermouth
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40 Comments on "Trivium Frontman Rejects 'Metalcore' Tag"
Former Contributor
2. writes:
Theres never been anything "genuinely" hardcore about Trivium....
There were some hardcore style vocals on Ascendency but for real hardcore check out the NY and DC hardcore bands of the 80's....Most of the modern hardcore and metalcore lot leave a great deal to be desired.
Trivium jumped from the sinking metal-core ship with The Crusade, but he shouldn't pretend to be unaware of the very sound that got him where he is today...they wouldnt have changed formulas if they didn't see a stigma attatched to that vocal delivery method.
4. writes:
i think the whole "metalcore" thing is just f***ed up anyways....i mean, its not that i dont like what is considered today as "metalcore" but a lot of people just throw bands right into that genre without reason or a lot of bands consider themselves to be or really are metalcore...i think its a lot of both....but thats just my opinion...
Founder, owner & programmer
8. writes:
Regarding the metalcore label, the same happened with nu-metal and happens with any "trendy" trend (such as emo). People who don't really know what makes up the label or subgenre hear one small similarity (shouted vocals=hardcore, cleany/whiney vocals=emo, radio-friendly=nu-metal) and they start calling bands those things when the label really doesn't fit. Usually it's in a derogatory manner too, which makes the person look like an ignorant hater for trashing a band when they don't even know what they're talking about in such cases.
13. writes:
trivium is da greatest band of the current decade, and arguably the next metallica, which at one point that title was given to shadows fall, but it seems has begun to be considered like that, leading musical experts to believe that trivium owns shadows fall.....
Former Contributor
17. writes:
If I had to label them for the sake of discussion, I'd call them nu-thrash, pop post-thrash or some other sub-genre that makes me sound like I have a major case of musical snobbery.
But genre labels help those accustomed to a certain sound but not familiar with a certain band get a rough idea of a band without hearing them.
I would think that many metal-core fans would enjoy "Ascendency" because it does infact contain many elements used by bands like Unearth, Poision the Well, Killswitch Engage and to a lesser degree Shadows Fall.
People recoil from the term metal-core because it's going the way nu-metal/rap-metal, grunge, glam, prog all went. It stands to reason that Trivium would want to distance themselves from the metal-core heard but you can still be good or popular and fit into a genre niche....
Other than hair/glam I can find at least one or two bands in every genre that I like.
Supporter
18. writes:
dude the whole fake genre of "metalcore" is f***ing gay. i think that people should stop trying to be metal when they listen and play sh**; such as trvium. their new direction is soo much better than their old gay growls/squeals. trivum is just playing like old metallicas sh**, is that soo bad. but my last comment is that the whole metal core thing is gaytarded and it should be shunned by todays society
19. writes:
"trivium is da greatest band of the current decade"
CORRECTION
"zyklon is the greatest band of the current decade"
NORWEIGIAN BLACKEND DEATH METAL>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;>;n00bcore
21. writes:
black and death are not the only good kinds of metal, please, i like some black metal like emperor but to say it is the best is pretty ignorant. and death metal sucks period, just a bunch of noise, at least black metal has complex melodies and cool orchestral sounds. there is nothing wrong with trivium, they are a good and talented band.
and on the whole metalcore thing, its a term i personally hate, there is really nothing that defines the genre, its just a genre that people throw metal bands into when they get a little bit popular. same with nu metal, what started out as just hard rock was falseley labeled metal by the mainstream and the metal enthusisats didnt want to claim it so they labeled it nu metal and then shunned it. the bottom line is, look at the actual and not what f***ing label they carry when deciding if they are good or not.
Member
23. writes:
i like a very little bit of metalcore (Diecast, Heaven Shall Burn, Killswitch Engage, some people lable Darkest Hour as metalcore but i dont, and the only thing i link Shadows Fall to metalcore is Brian Fairs vocals) but trivium isnt metalcore nor would i call them thrash
25. writes:
the first cd was good because it was screamimg, but it was metal screaming, there was a difference that was noticeable between the vocals of accendency and hardcore style screams. and yea, this new cd sounds like a rip off of metallica, not cool. i love trivium, but not this new sh**.
Supporter
26. writes:
agree autumn eyes.....the best thing that ive read in a while regarding metal was in terrorizer mag. their review of trivium's new album out of a possible 10....... 3.5. and i agree w/ them. nice testament tribute album guys, now time to get real or get the f*** out....
27. writes:
I have not heard the new album, but i am a huge fan of old school metallica so i will have to check it out. ANyway two comments, to the person who does not consider darkest hour metal core, they are. The last album the singer used hardcore type vocals and the music was pure speed metal/thrash. As far as the glam rock hair metal bands goes, The only good band now doing that and im not sure if they sound like glam but they sure as hell look it. That would be orgy.
34. writes:
Trivium aren't copying Metallica, they're just influenced by them.
But why does it matter if they do sound like Metallica? It's not like Metallica are sh**. Ascendancy beats Trivium's new album though. I go for the heavy stuff.
Is Matt Heafy really that young?
Dude.
So far in such a short length of time.
37. writes:
i'm a f***in fag with no life so that why i impersonate coco red devil and anti-slayer, but i forgot to put my name in there because i'm the one in my fantasies dreaming of gettin coco c*** in my a$$ anti-slayer c*** in my mouth while i'm layin in the bed gettin semen pouring in my chest by red devil. i hate girls, girls are always takin my man away from me, but when i saw coco c*** while i was vouyering him buttf***in a hot sexy girl i wish i could be i didn't care about anything but a taste of his c***, unfortuanetly he always reject me, but i don't care, i love you coco and i'm goin to do anythin to get you to love me, even if i know you never will cuz you only like girls, but please i'm here in tears and in knees begging for your love as i bow down to your c***. (sniff) i love you coco.
38. writes:
ignore the post above me. thats coco impersonating me. coco ur saying i have no life, no u have no life. your on the computer at 10:38 am in the morning typing this sh** above me. dont u work or go to school or something. see unlike u, i was at work while u were on the computer typing. but u probably live at home with mommy living rent free doing nothing with ur sorry ass. f*** u coco, u f***en loser. granted at times ur funny but u are just an annoying f*** who needs to get a life. and as far as me impersonating u three fags, well i have a feeling im not that far off from the truth about u three losers.
39. writes:
I agree with alex earlier. Let them play what they want to play, and don't listen to it if you don't like it. I'm digging the 80's thrash sound in their new album. It is Heavy, Brutal, and Beautiful. It is what good thrash sounds like. And I agree that they don't have any hardcore elements as well. And to 6(sic)6 up top, Cannibal Corpse is FAR from Hardcore. Norma Jean is Hardcore, Cannibal Corpse is Death Metal dude!!!
Former Contributor
40. writes:
Trivium are gumball metal.
They make metal easier to get into than say Morbid Angel.
I like em...I take them with a grain of salt, but I like em.
The lyrics can and often do suck (especially throughout the new one) but they play with speed and conviction, and for what it is, it's actually heavy......
Whose to say one can't enjoy Trivium and then Opeth, Behemoth, Pig Destroyer and Converge?.....
Trivium aren't going to make believers out of elitists and the narrow but so f***ing what.
To minimize comment spam/abuse, you cannot post comments on articles over a month old.
Supporter
1. 6(sic)6 writes:
matt just makes me laugh.
but 20 years old?
he's younger than i thought...kinda close to my age...but this ain't the love connection so i'll shut up.
BUT
i don't really see the hardcore in them either. when i hear the word hardcore...i think of the word brutal..and the word brutal makes me think of bands like cannibal corspe.
soo...hmm...trivium and metalcore?
*thinks*
nope.
not metalcore.