TRIVIUM: New Album Recording Sessions Now To Begin In January

Florida metallers TRIVIUM will enter Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida on January 2 with the production/mixing team of Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY) and Martin "Ginge" Ford to begin recording their new album for an early 2011 release via Roadrunner Records.

In a July 18, 2010 interview with the WMHB 89.7 FM metal radio show "Metal Mutilation", TRIVIUM guitarist Corey Beaulieu stated about the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2008's "Shogun", "We got done [touring in support of 'Shogun'] at the end of March [2010], and we weren't planning on the [new] record coming out until February or March of next year, so we had the rest of the year to just work on it. And it's worked out really good for us — we didn't feel rushed and we were able to take the time to make sure everything is right." He added, "We did more work on this record than we've done on any other record. The stuff is sounding really awesome and we're having a lot of fun doing this."

Regarding how the addition of drummer Nick Augusto has changed TRIVIUM's sound, Beaulieu said, "I think he fits more of our writing style, 'cause we play a lot of fast, heavier stuff and his drumming is kind of really on the heavier, aggressive side, so, really, just writing the TRIVIUM songs we [normally] do it, his drumming style adds a lot of energy and intensity to the music — he adds a lot of really cool, creative stuff that makes it really interesting and brings the music to the next level. And just working with him, everything is moving pretty fast. He's like a sponge, like the rest of us — he can grasp new songs really fast. If we have a new song, we can start jamming it really quick and kind of move forward and get to the point where we can just focus on the details of the song instead of just trying to get the song down in the first place. It's really helping propel the songwriting to another level where we can move along quicker and get a lot more work done in a shorter amount of time.

"When people actually get a chance to hear the record, I think they'll be pretty impressed with what's going on, 'cause he's doing some really cool stuff and adding a new flavor to what we do and giving it a new twist. Compared to the last couple of records, the intensity and the energy has really gone up a lot."

When asked if the new tracks are as "shred-happy" as some of TRIVIUM's recent material, Corey replied, "We've been concentrating more on [making] more to-the-point, catchier songs without going off too much — there's no seven- or eight-minute songs on this one. There's a lot of really cool riffs and a lot of really cool parts, and, obviously, there's guitar solos all over the place. It doesn't sound like 'Shogun', but it sounds like TRIVIUM. It's a got a different feel than 'Shogun' — it's a lot more in your face and heavier and faster. It kind of balances out everything — we've got four or five songs that are all screaming, we've got a couple of songs that are all singing, and huge songs that are kind of a mix — kind of 'Acendancy' [2005] kind of vocal style, [with both] screaming and singing, so there's a good variety, which makes it really interesting to listen to, because each song has its own thing going on, so they all stand out really well and fit together, too. It's got a good balance of everything, but the energy and the intensity is just a lot more up there. I guess if you compare it to anything as far as being aggressive, it's probably more towards 'Ascendancy' than anything else."

With regards to the direction of the new TRIVIUM lyrics, Corey said, "Everything is not finished, but [guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy is] further along in the lyrics than he has been on the last few records. I think there are six or seven songs where the lyrics are pretty much there and then there's some of the newer songs that we've put together that he's still piecing together and figuring out what the songs are. All the lyrics are really cohesive and really kind of all fit together, have the same kind of vibe. It makes the whole record one cohesive piece instead of each song being just randomly about something else."

A new TRIVIUM song, "Shattering The Skies Above", appeared on the extended play (EP) soundtrack for the highly anticipated PlayStation3 (PS3) exclusive videogame "God of War III". The EP, titled "God of War: Blood & Metal", was made available on March 2 via Roadrunner as part of the "God of War III Ultimate Edition", and featured five exclusive unreleased songs from Roadrunner artists, including KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, DREAM THEATER, OPETH and TAKING DAWN.