Trivium: Struck Dead
For a band two decades into their career, Trivium still sound like they’ve got something to prove. Struck Dead, their surprise new EP, is a lean, blistering distillation of everything that’s kept them vital and everything that’s held them back. Across its three tracks, the Florida quartet revisit the melodic ferocity of ‘Shogun’ and the thrash precision of ‘In Waves’, but with a raw immediacy that feels newly unchained. There’s a hunger here, the sense of a band testing their own endurance, seeing how far they can push before the seams tear. Yet for all its fire, Struck Dead isn’t immune to old habits: the production’s slick sheen sometimes dulls the grit, and the choruses, while massive, edge close to formula. Still, it’s hard not to get swept up when Matt Heafy roars like he’s clawing his way out of the grave the title promises.
Opening with ‘Bury Me With My Screams’, Trivium hit the ground running although maybe a little too comfortably. It’s a five-minute onslaught of the band’s most familiar trademarks: galloping riffs, a hook built for festival singalongs and Matt Heafy’s seamless pivot from venomous growls to clean, melodic catharsis. It’s the kind of song that could slide into almost any era of their catalog, which is both its strength and its limitation. The execution is razor-tight and Paolo Gregoletto’s bass work gives the midsection a satisfying pulse, but there’s a sense of déjà vu that lingers beneath the polish. Still, as an opening salvo, it reminds you why Trivium remains such a dependable force. They might be treading old ground, but they’re doing it with renewed fire.
The title track, ‘Struck Dead (Pain Is Easier to Remember)’ wastes no time hitting full stride. Fast, sharp and unapologetically heavy, it’s Trivium operating in their purest, most instinctive mode. The riffs bite hard, the rhythm section surges like a machine under pressure and Heafy’s vocals balance fury with control, a reminder of how naturally the band marries precision and chaos. It’s all executed with near-flawless confidence, even if the mid-song breakdown feels a little too predictable like the kind of chug-heavy detour that once made them genre heavyweights, but now feels more like muscle memory than revelation. Still, when everything locks together in the final chorus, it’s impossible to deny the adrenaline rush. Trivium might not be reinventing themselves here, but they’re reminding everyone why they’ve lasted this long.
Closing track ‘Six Walls Surround Me’ stretches past the seven-minute mark, making it an ambitious move that pays off. It opens with a deceptive calm, a brooding, almost meditative minute that lulls you into thinking Trivium might end in restraint. Then it detonates. The shift is sudden, jarring in the best way, as the band unleashes a torrent of riffs and double-kick fury that feels both punishing and purposeful. The song’s structure gives it room to breathe; moments of stillness break up the chaos, letting each surge hit harder. It’s Trivium at their most dynamic, their most unafraid to let tension build before tearing it apart. By the time the final notes fade, Struck Dead feels less like a quick release and more like a statement of endurance, proof that even when you think you know exactly what Trivium will do next, they can still find a way to catch you off guard.
If Struck Dead proves anything, it’s that Trivium knows exactly who they are for better and for worse. There’s no wild experimentation here, no grand reinvention or unexpected left turn. The band stays firmly within their established comfort zone, and at times that familiarity borders on predictability. Yet, that same steadfastness is part of their enduring power. Few metal acts can summon this level of precision, conviction and sheer adrenaline twenty years in, and fewer still can make it sound this effortless. Struck Dead doesn’t rewrite the Trivium playbook, it reaffirms it, loud and clear. They may not be pushing the boat out, but when the hull’s this solid, maybe they don’t have to.