Trivium Announce New Album + Share "Feast of Fire" Video

 TRIVIUM ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM IN THE COURT OF THE DRAGON

BAND SHARES OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR NEW SONG "FEAST OF FIRE," WHICH IS STREAMING NOW — WATCH

BAND TOURING WITH MEGADETH + LAMB OF GOD THIS SUMMER

Grammy-nominated band TRIVIUM — Matt Heafy [vocals, guitar], Corey Beaulieu [guitar], Paolo Gregoletto [bass], and Alex Bent [drums] — have announced that they will release their tenth album, titled In The Court Of The Dragon, on October 8 via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in the Fall of 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando.

 Pre-orders are live here.

The band has also shared the new song "Feast Of Fire," which is joined by an official music video. Watch it here.

The footage was filmed at the band's HQ — The Hangar in Orlando. It was shot by director John Deeb.

"There's always that one song you aren't expecting when you begin writing a new album," says Gregoletto about the song and, in turn, sharing an inside look at the band's songwriting process. "It could be a riff written on the spot in the rehearsal space, a lyric that pairs just right with a melody, or in the case of 'Feast Of Fire,' sitting right there in front of us in the middle of a demo that Corey brought in. We were well into pre-production at Full Sail when we all decided that something about the demo we had tracked was good but could be even better. Our producer Josh Wilbur even had in his notes: 'Bridge is special, maybe so special it needs its own song.' We tore the song apart and began again on the spot."

He continues, "We went into this album knowing we had time to consider everything and anything that came about during this period, and if need be, we could start again if it didn’t feel right given that no touring was on the horizon."

Further pulling back the curtain, he says, "I had the words 'Feast Of Fire' written in my running list of notes for lyric ideas that I try to amass before we record. Something about the phrase stuck out to me. It felt like the missing piece of the story we were trying to tell with this album, a climactic moment and a real centerpiece for the narrative."

He finishes, "After all these years, I'm still blown away at how a song can really appear out of thin air and take the album to a place you weren't expecting. Those are the moments we are always looking for when making a record."

The album cover is an original oil painting by French artist Mathieu Nozieres (@mathieunozieres on Instagram)

"While the music of In The Court Of The Dragon was taking shape, we knew we needed epic artwork of the type that you might see on the wall of an important museum from a long dead renaissance master," says Heafy. "After extensive research, we found one of the few living artists who is capable of creating artwork like Caravaggio and Gentileschi — painter Mathieu Nozieres. Mathieu took our song title and created an original oil painting on canvas unlike anything we could have ever imagined. It's so staggeringly breathtaking and epic and it looks like what the song and album sounds like." 

The oil painting, which is also featured in both new videos, will be on display at the Bloodstock Festival from August 11 through 15 at the on site R.A.M. Art Gallery. This marks the painting's first public showing. The first 100 fans to view it in the gallery will receive a free poster of the image.

Last month, Trivium shared the album's title track, "In The Court Of The Dragon," which featured an epic intro composed and orchestrated by Ihsahn (Emperor) and was accompanied by an official short film music video directed by Ryan Mackfall. Loudwire called out the song as "a skillful blend of dynamics. And blast beats just sound really, really good beneath Matt Heafy's soothing clean singing" while Revolver labeled it "epic." 

IN THE COURT OF THE DRAGON TRACK LISTING:
"X"  
"In The Court Of The Dragon" 
"Like A Sword Over Damocles"  
"Feast Of Fire"   
"A Crisis Of Revelation"  
"The Shadow Of The Abattoir"   
"No Way Back Just Through"   
"Fall Into Your Hands"   
"From Dawn To Decadence"   
"The Phalanx"   

TRIVIUM ON TOUR:
8/20 — Austin, TX — Germania Insurance Amphitheater
8/21 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
8/22 — Woodlands, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
8/24 — El Paso, TX — Don Haskins Center
8/25 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater
8/26 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion Ballroom (headline)
8/27 — Denver, CO — Ball Arena
8/29 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Federal Theatre
8/31 — Reno, NV — Reno Events Center
9/1 — Irvine, CA — FivePoint Amphitheatre
9/2 — Concord, CA — Concord Pavilion
9/4 — Portland, OR — Moda Center
9/5 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre
9/6 - Boise, ID, Revolution Concert House (headline)
9/9 — Tinley Park, IL — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Chicago
9/10 - Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE w/ Black Label Society
9/11 — Danville, VA — Blue Ridge Festival*
9/12 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
9/13 — Boston, MA — Leader Bank Pavilion
9/15 — Camden, NJ — BB&T Pavilion
9/16 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
9/18 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center
9/19 — Clarkston, MI — DTE Energy Music Theatre
9/20 — Cincinnati, OH — PNC Pavilion
9/22 — Rogers, AR — Walmart AMP
9/24 — Mount Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
9/25 - Des Moines, IA - Knotfest Iowa*
9/26 — St. Louis, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis
9/28 — Minneapolis, MN — Armory
9/30 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
10/1 — Laval, QC — Place Bell
10/2 — Quebec City, QC — Centre Videotron
*Festival Date featuring all 4 bands.

ABOUT TRIVIUM:

Trivium released their ninth full-length, What The Dead Men Say, through Roadrunner Records in 2020. The album was produced by Trivium and Josh Wilbur and debuted at #35 on the Billboard Top 200; at #2 on the Top Current Albums Chart, and at  #3 on both the Hard Rock Albums Chart and Top Rock Albums Chart. The band and album were praised by and featured in mainstream outlets like The New York Times, NPR, Forbes, Billboard, TechCrunch, and Kotaku, as well as Guitar World, Revolver, Alternative Press, and more. 

Trivium released its now-canonical album Ascendancy in 2005. It was recognized as KERRANG!'s "Album of the Year," achieved a gold certification in the UK, and eclipsed sales of 500,000 worldwide. Metal Hammer placed it in the Top 15 of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century." It ignited a string of six consecutive Top 25 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 and five straight Top 3 debuts on the Top Hard Rock Albums Chart, culminating on 2017's benchmark The Sin And The Sentence. That album elevated the group's total stream tally past a quarter-of-a-billion. Additionally, "Betrayer" received a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of "Best Metal Performance." Unanimous acclaim followed from Decibel, Loudwire, Ultimate Guitar, MetalSucks, and Metal Hammer, who dubbed them, "quite simply one of the best bands in modern metal." Not to mention, they performed alongside Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and many others and graced the main stages of Download, Bloodstock, KNOTFEST, and more. After two decades, eight albums, and hundreds of sold out shows, Trivium actualize the all-encompassing ambition they first set in motion back in 1999. Ninth album In The Court Of The Dragon arrives 2021.

TRIVIUM ONLINE:

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The 20 Best Hard Rock & Metal Albums of 2020

To say that 2020 sucked ass would be an understatement. With the corona-virus pandemic everything was affected, not the least of which was the music scene. This was a year mostly without live music. And, while some bands have decided to postpone releases till next year, like for example The Pretty Reckless, there was thankfully some amazing metal and hard rock albums to get us through these shitty times. Among, them legends released some of their finest work in years, while younger bands put out all the stops on their work. Here, then is my annual crop of the creme-de-la creme.

20. Repuked- Dawn of Reintoxication- Repuked's third album is equally repulsive, fun, and crushingly heavy. Read my full review here.

19. The White Swan- Nocturnal Transmission- Yes, I know this is an EP, but I would fucking be completely off if I didn't rank this. Cause, this sludge metal band fronted by Kittie's Morgan Lander is damn, fucking good! My full review. 

18. Incantation- Sect of Vile Divinities- This classic death metal act are back with this smashingly brutal release. My full review. 

17. Poppy- I Disagree- Poppy's I Disagree might be this year's most pleasant and adventurous surprise. She takes the kawaii metal sounds made famous be acts like Babymetal and really improves upon it. And, while I usually hate this brand of metal, I love what she does here. Mixing pop, industrial, metal, and nu-metal sounds, it's a fun, catchy, and original bit of music.

16. Testament- Titans of Creation- One of thrash metal most endearing and classic bands continue to release constantly great music. I slightly prefer the couple of albums before this one, but that just goes to show the quality of their output. As this is a fucking awesome blast of thrash assault! 

15. Annihilator- Ballistic, Sadistic- One of the year's earliest releases remains one of the best thrash metal albums of 2020. My full review.

14. Necrot- Mortal- Necrot continue to bring us the old school death metal, in this their best work to date. My full review. 

13. Deftones- Ohmes- After the disappointing Gore, the Deftones came right back up with this solid return to form. The album is a long time listen, as it takes a few spins to really get its hooks into you. But, once it does it sticks to you and only gets better with every listening. 

12- Napalm Death- Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism- Let it never be said that Napalm Death aren't afraid to add a few new twists to their classic sound. This killer album ranks as their finest release in many a moon. Heavy and angry as fucking hell, this album is an absolute ripper that will leave listeners beaten and bloody on the floor (even without the added bonus of concert mosh pits).

11. Abysmal Dawn- Phyolgensis- This album introduced me to brutality of Abysmal Dawn and with that they gained a new fan. Here is my review of one of the very best death metal albums of the year.

10. Trivium- What the Dead Men Say- Trivium are on a fucking roll after their amazing last The Sin and Sentence. This is a truly worthy follow up to that modern classic. Melodic, heavy, and technically strong, Trivium continue to put to shame many of other bands simialr to them and beyond. What the Dead Man Say is one of the listenable metal releases of this year, with the title track being one of the coolest singles and videos of 2020.

9. AC/DC- Power Up- 2020 definitely sucked a big bag of dicks. But, some good things came from it. And, one of the best things has to be the return of the mighty AC/DC! It's great to have Brian Johnson back signing in what might be the greatest hard rock act of all fucking time. And, Power Up is their best work in many years. Sure, I liked albums like Black Ice and Rock or Bust, but where Power Up rules is in the quality. You see many of the the tracks here rank among the most memorable songs they have composed in many, many years.

8. Lindsay Schoolcraft- Worlds Away- While, not a metal album in purest sense, this incredible record is the most beautiful and haunting release of 2020. My review of this amazing and powerful disc can be found here. 

7. Lucifer- Lucifer III- Three albums into their career, and Lucifer have become one of my favorite bands out there. Their seventies/ early eighties inspired metal sound is magnificently done. And, Lucifer III is their best yet. Songs like "Midnight Phantom", "Leather Demon", and "Lucifer" are some of my most played songs of 2020. 

6. Warbringer- Weapons of Tomorrow- My absolute favorite modern era thrash band continue to put out albums that puta lot other bands in this style of music, both new and old, to shame! The full frontal assaults of Weapons of Tomorrow is proof, yet again of this. Angry, fast, and filled with lyrics on war, this is killer thrash at its finest! 

5. Traveler- Termination Shock- Who would have thought that the best classic heavy metal album of the year, would also be in the top five albums of the year?  And, it comes from a newer band to boot! My full review. 

4. Sodom- Genesis XIX- German thrash masters Sodom are back! This is not only with their best album since their 80s heydays, but the best thrash release of 2020. My full review. 

3. Lamb Of God- Lamb of God- If it works stick with it! And, that's just what Lamb Of God does with groove laden crusher. It features songs that get you pumped up and wanna open a whole can of whoop ass. There are even team ups with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Testament's Chuck Billy for further musical beatdowns.

2. Body Count- Carnivore- Here is another winner from motherfucking Body Count! It's pissed off, badass, timely, and a total ass kicker. In fact, this runner-up fits 2020 like a leather fucking glove that punches your right in the fucking nuts! And, it gets bonus points for having duos with singers like Amy Lee of Evanscence and the late, great Riley Gale of Power Trip.

1. The Black Dahlia Murder- Verminous- And, once again The Black Dahlia Murder top the list with their latest. Killer music, lyrics, and artwork all amount to another yet another masterpiece from their excellent catalogue. TBDM is light years of not just most fellow melodic death metal acts, but I would say death metal in general. A shame we didn't get to experience this killer live, but at least we can enjoy this motherfucking awesome beast!

What are your favorite albums of 2020? Let me know in the comments section below!

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The 20 Best Hard Rock & Metal Albums of 2017, Pt. 2: 10-1

10. Morbid Angel- Kingdoms Disdained- Morbid Angel are back, motherfucker with the best album they have made in years and the best album from an old school death metal band in 2017. My full review: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2017/11/morbid-angel-kingdoms-denied-album.html

9. Myrkur- Mareridt- This might piss of some of the more hardcore cvlt readers out there, but, for these ears, Myrkur- Mareridt is the very best black metal album of 2017. She simply drips with so much talent. The album is bold and complex, with various influences that make sound fresh in a world a of bands trying to be like other bands. She was a wonderful voice that ranges from beautiful and haunting to ethereal to menacing. As much as I adored her last full length, studio album M, this album actually tops it.  Not only is this my most played black metal album of last year, but one of my most played, period! Also, the video to "Ulvinde" is one of the coolest of 2017, beautiful, haunting, and horrific, much like her music is. 

8. Thy Art Is Murder- Dear Desolation- Without a shadow of a doubt, Dear Desolation is THE deathcore album of the year. It is heavy, has a great groove to it, and is awesomely aggressive and seething with unadulterated anger. The unrelenting music adds up to the finest album the band, has put out to date. Dear Desolation is a pummeling aural experience with some the most memorable songs of 2017, like "Slaves Beyond Death", "Puppet Master", and the title track They will make you wanna break some fucking shit!

8. Chelsea Wolfe- Hiss Spun- I fucking LOVE Chelsea Wolfe! There is little else of a way to describe how I feel about her and her amazing music. What is truly amazing is how she gets better and better with each following album. She is continuously putting out classics. Hiss Spun is incredible beyond mere words, an album that is more and more rewarding each time you listen to it. Heavy, in both emotion and sound, there is no way in hell that this is not metal. Her voice is majestic and cannot be compared to anyone else. It is one of the best the rock world has seen in the last couple of years. The excellent production brings every thing to life perfectly. I should also mention that the dark and soul crushing "16 Psyche" is one of my favorite, if not, in fact, favorite, single of the year.

6. Body Count- Bloodlust- From the moment I heard this album, I immediately became obsessed with it. While, the preceding album from them, Manslaughter was a very solid release, this is their first truly great work since their classic debut. Angry, timely, and ass kicking to 100th degree this IS the metal soundtrack for the world we live currently. The violent and pissed off lyrics fit perfectly with the strong musicianship on-hand. Songs such as "No Lives Matter", "The Ski Mask Way", and "This Is Why We Ride" will have you signing along and jumping into that motherfucking pit!

5. Power Trip- Nightmare Logic- This is THE album for those of us who reminisce of the old days of 80's thrash metal. Made to make you want to mosh and kick some fucking ass, this will get you thrashing around like a fucking maniac. Recalling bands like Anthrax and Nuclear Assault, at their peak, it incorporates both Bay Area influences and crossover thrash that has resulted in rave reviews from fans and critics. As the word of mouth swelled over, one might have been worried that this one got overrated. I am here to tell you fuck no, it did not! Songs like "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)", "Soul Sacrifice", and the title track, are ones that you will to not spot listening and banging your head to! On a side note, the video to the aforementioned "Executioner's Tax" is the most wonderfully 80s metal video of 2017!

4. Goatwhore- Vengeful Ascension- A monster of thundering and wholly memorable blackened death and thrash metal, with Vengeful Ascension, Goatwhore have made the definitive classic of their career. My full review: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2017/06/goatwhore-vengeful-ascension-album.html

3. Warbringer- Woe to the Vanquished- Warbringer NEVER fail to make my best of list when they put out an album, and that is with good fucking reason. They are one of the best thrash metal band currently making music. And, Woe to the Vanquished is their best album, yet, and one of the best thrash metal records of the last couple of years. Unrelenting, fast, and crushing this fucker will make you move. In my humble, "Remain Violent" is easily one of the very best singles of 2017.

2. Trivium- The Sin and the Sentence- I am a huge fan of Trivium, and while I like all their albums, to one degree or another, anything after Shogun, just has not felt up to snuff. That is until this album. The Sin and the Sentence is not just their best sine that masterpiece, but ranks among their best work, period. I liked this album from my first listen, but its real power lies in each listen after that. It simply gets better and better after every time you hear it. It is GREAT to hear Matt Heafy scream again, and, of course, the musicianship on display her, from the entire band, is utterly mind blowing. Perfect to sing along and headbang to this is not just the second best album of last year, but the finest mainstream metal album, as well. 

1. The Black Dahlia Murder- Nightbringers- For two albums in a row, a band has topped this list. I maybe mistaken, but I do believe that is a first for a band on this site to accommplish. But, when the band is as great as TBDM, there should be no surprise. Abysmal was a magnificent record, but somehow they topped it with Nightbringers. In many ways, it feels like the real follow up to the perfection that is Nocturnal. From the artwork, to the album title referencing the night, to the very music itself, this is the album for anyone who said that they peaked with that aforementioned disc. Dark, technically strong, and utterly battering this is a masterwork of mello-death. Songs like the absolutely KILLER opener "Widowmaker", the merciless "Of God and Serpent, of Spectre and Snake", the rollicking title track, the awesome "Matriarch", the wait... EVERY fucking song rules on this album, every single one is a fucking 5 out of 5. As such, there is no other choice but to declare Nightrbingers the best album of 2017!

The 20 Best Hard Rock & Metal Albums of 2017, Pt. 1: 20-11

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The 10 Best Hard Rock/ Metal Songs to Listen to in a Blizzard

If you, like I, live in the East Coast, then you are seeing this shitty snow storm that we are getting.  With most transport dead or running really fucking bad, most of us are stuck inside. As much as this type of weather sucks, it has inspired some cool metal music. The following is a list of the 10 best songs to listen to in this awful snow. I kept it to one per band, otherwise, they would all be Immortal songs. Enjoy!

10. GWAR- "Pure as the Arctic Snow"- Hey, if your band's origin states that you come from the freezing world of Antarctica then you know you're gonna make this list! This is a fun, catchy, and punky little tune.

9. Autopsy- "In the Grip of Winter"- Slow, crunchy death metal song from these pioneering masters of the sub-genre. This one feels like blocks of ice that pelt your face hard, until your fucking skull caves in.

8. AC/DC- "Black Ice"- Actual black ice genuinely fucking sucks. This song, however, does not. A badass title track from this AC/DC album, it combines a great groove with ass kicking blues. The result is a great headbanger of a good time!

 

7. Trivium- "Silence in the Snow"- Melodic and catchy title track from the most recent Trivium album has the usual phenomenal musicianship this band is known for. Cool video, too!

6. Betray The Martyrs- ''Let It Go''- Totally ass kicking, metalcore cover of the most popular song off of the overrated Disney flick Frozen. Betray The Martyrs makes you want to get into the pit with this or possibly mosh in the snow.
Added bonus: If you moshed in the snow right now, there would probably be no one to think you are insane for doing so! Go do that shit, right now!

5. Dissection- "Frozen''- This song from black metal masters Dissection feels bitterly cold and distant. It bleeds a dark, evil, and lonely feel with melodic-ism and heaviness.

4. Accept- "Winter Dreams"- Arguably the most beautiful song on here, this underrated Accept ballad has a haunting and heart and soul felt feel that makes it one of the best tracks to listen on a frozen, winter night.

3. Metallica- "Trapped Under Ice"- From Metallica's second, and second best, album comes this lightning (pun not intended) fast all out assault on senses. This thrash metal classic almost topped this list, but honestly only two other bands could have done that.

 

2. Abbath- "Winter Bane"- When former Immortal frontman Abbath had his solo project you knew that there would be some songs about the cold and snow. This single off of the self-titled debut album highlights all that is awesome about one of last year's best albums. Thundering yet catchy black metal at it's fucking best and coldest!

 

1. Immortal- "In My Kingdom Cold''- Oh come on, you knew an Immortal song would be number one! Or at least you should've known! It was just a matter of which song from one of the best black metal bands ever would be chosen. In the end, I picked this blast(beat) of cold air. This IS the definitive blizzard/ snow storm/ winter nor'easter song!

What songs would add to this list? And, to those of you stuck in this craptastic weather, stay warm, safe, and metal!

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The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2008

This has been a killer year for metal and hard rock. So many good bands put out great shit, and some even returned after super long breaks (though none longer than Guns N' Roses). This was not an easy list to make, but I hope you guys enjoy it. And, most of all I hope this gets you to get a hold of the albums from this list that you don't already own.

10. Warbringer- War Without End - I love seeing thrash metal (still the best sub-genre of 'em all) making a revival, but of all of the new thrash bands none are more brutal and ass kicking than Warbringer. America's answer to old school German thrash bands like Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom, these guys are fast as fuck and, this masterpiece of a debut album feels as vicious as World War III.

9. Disturbed- Indestructible - Disturbed deserve a lot of credit for continuing to mature, change, and grow in each of their albums. Heavy, melodic, and catchy this is their best yet. And, to that is saying a lot. From the title track to such totally killer tracks like "The Night", "Criminal", and the first single "Into the Fire" totally stick with you upon just the first listen.

8. Light This City- Stormchaser - Goddamn! It is such a shame this band broke up, because this is their best album, yet. A masterpiece of American melodic death metal, this is a blistering album with thrashy, fast guitars, blastbeats, and the awesome growl of beautiful lead signer Laura Nichol make this an underrated album from an underrated band that simply has to be part of your collection. For added awesomeness checkout Testament's Chuck Billy doing guest duet vocals on the track "Firehaven". Please, get back together guys, we metalheads need more work from you guys!!!!!!!!

7. Metallica- Death Magnetic - Man, I really doubted could that Metallica could ever have another great album, but they proved me wrong. After horrendous attempts at being alt-metal (Load and Re-Load) or nu-metal (St. Anger), they came back to their thrash metal roots with this fast, heavy, and ass kick-releasing. It has all you could ask for in a Metallica album: technically sound, long, heavy songs, and killer ballads like the magnificent "The Unforgiven III". Songs like "All Nightmare Long" and "My Apocalypse" rank among the best tracks of the whole fucking year. By and far the best comeback album in ages.

6. Bleeding Through- Deceleration - This is the finest metalcore album of the year and one of the heaviest and best the sub-genre has ever produced. Brandan Schiappati screams and signs with the best of them and the brutal breakdowns and blistering blastbeats combine with the lovely Marta's keyboards for a vicious music experience that will rip your face right off and then stomp all over it.

5. Slipknot- All Hope Is Gone - It's amazing how good these guys keep getting. But, what is even scarier is that this is their BEST work, yet. A great combination of heavy and pissed-off tracks like "Gematria" combine with catchy, but still brutal, songs like "Psychosocial" or slower songs like "Dead Memories" to make an almost, if not in fact, perfect album. The song "Sulfer" is easily one of the top three songs I have heard released this year.

4. Arsis- We Are the Nightmare - Technically savvy and heavy this melodic death band have given the metal world one of the best albums the sub-genre has heard in some time. Awesome lyrics, clear but heavy vocals, fast riffs, blastbeats, and some of the coolest death metal songs I have ever heard all add up to an album that people who like their death metal to have melody in it should not be without.

3. Testament- The Formation of Damnation - They are back, better than ever. The best straight up thrash metal album of the year, this album proves to all that Testament still fucking matter. Chuck Billy once again proves to be one of the best signers in the entire thrash world. And, he accompanies himself with a band that has the legitimate talent to be seen as gods of their brand of mayhem. Easily ranks with the best work that they, or any other thrash band, have ever put out.

2. Trivium- Shogun - While I enjoyed their last album, The Crusade, it lacked something. There is nothing that this album lacks. By combining technically superior thrash metal riffs with metalcore screaming Trivium have found their sound. No longer trying to be Metallica, Trivium have released their own classic. The songs are long, fast, heavy, and aggressive and make you wanna thrash around your room or office (though I suggest you avoid doing that at work). Fuck the naysayers, Trivium fucking rules.

1. Children of Bodom- Blooddrunk - Debuting at an amazing 22 on the Billboard 200 (the second highest ever for a death metal, beaten only by Dethklok's Dethalbum) this ranks as one their best works, yet. The amazing guitar work, kick ass keyboards (yes, i fucking said it, the keyboards kick ass), the speed, the heaviness, the lyrics, the changing tempos, man everything on this one just fucking works. These guys deserve all the props they get. Signer/ guitarist Alexi Laiho is a fucking guitar metal god. Blooddrunk is an awesome, horns up, headbanging, killer album to get drunk, party, and just plain fucking rock out. To me, this is unquestionably the year's best work. All hail Children of Bodom!!!!!!

There are tons more of great albums released this year, but I wanna give the following honorable mentions (although there were more good metal albums released in 2008):

AC/DC- Black Ice
Cradle of Filth- Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
Sister Sin- Switchblade Serenades
Death Angel- Killing Season
All That Remains- Overrcome
Amon Amarth- Twilight of the Gods
In This Moment- The Dream
Origin- Antithesis

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Now playing: Metallica - The Day That Never Comes
via FoxyTunes

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