From Ember to The Court Of The Dragon - Trivium's Albums RANKED

Floridian heavy metallers Trivium formed almost 25 years ago - with their debut album releasing in 2003, it really is crazy to think this band started out as teenagers. As a long-time fan, attempting to rank the 10 widely diverse albums in their catalogue has been no easy feat. Trivium currently consists of Matt Heafy on vocals/guitar, Corey Beaulieu on guitar/unclean backing vocals, Paolo Gregoletto on bass/backing vocals and Alex Bent on drums. The guys have come a long way since Ember to Inferno and with the newly announced 20th anniversary tour of Ascendency with BFMV looming, it felt like the right time to go through their discography with a fine tooth comb and rank them from 'worst' to 'best'.

10. Silence In The Snow (2015)

Released just a year following Matt Heafy blowing out his voice, it may seem a little unfair having this record at number 10 on the ranking - but that’s not to say it’s not a great traditional heavy metal record. It’s the most vocally tame album from the band, therefore probably the most radio-friendly and less epic sounding record in their discography. There’s definitely some solid ‘catchy’ tracks, beautiful clean vocals and diligent musicianship across each member of the band but ultimately it just doesn’t pack as much of a punch as many of the band's other iconic albums.

Highlights: Dead and Gone, Until The World Goes Cold

09. The Crusade (2006)

It was never going to be easy following up the masterpiece that is Ascendency, the band took a different approach here and created probably their most misunderstood album to date. Matt and the boys were already in the firing line amongst the elitists, with the band still in their late teens/early 20’s they had the weight of the metal scene on their shoulders and the pressure was on. It’s heavy, it’s thrashing and mixes an array of different metal styles to create one of Trivium's lesser celebrated releases. With rock anthems like ‘We Are The Fire’ and ripping bangers like ‘Becoming The Dragon’ it’s a complete mix bag and you can definitely hear the bands influences on this record, regardless of any critique, it was absolutely paramount to the future of the Trivium that we know and love today.

Highlights: Becoming The Dragon

08. Ember To Inferno (2003)

A 17 year old Matt Heafy stunned the scene with Trivium’s debut album, all while gaining an interest from Roadrunner Records. To me, this record showcased a promising glimpse of what was to come from this band, there’s a complexity and animalistic rawness that really gives Ember To Inferno the charm it has maintained so well for over 20 years, the unrefined, unpolished production sound just adds to the overall feel of the album and to it's nostalgia factor in the current day.

Highlights: Collapse The Masses, Ember To Inferno

07. Vengeance Falls (2013)

Vengeance Falls is in my opinion, one of the most underrated and equally unique records from Trivium, with Disturbed's David Draiman on board, the record hyped up a lot of fans and ultimately left them feeling a little on the fence. There’s undoubtedly some bangers here, one of the bands now live staples 'Strife' being one of them. The album showcases a much broader range of what Trivium can do, it’s definitely aggressive, has some interesting lyrical content and another incredible vocal performance from Matt Heafy. Granted, Vengeance Falls is possibly lacking a bit of the magic that makes Trivium, ‘Trivium’, but I can’t deny tracks like Wake (The End Is Nigh), Villainy Thrives and the unexpected punchy cover of REMS 'Losing My Religion' aren’t still heavily in my rotation.

Highlights: Villainy Thrives, Brave This Storm, At The End Of This War

06.What The Dead Men Say (2020)

WTDMS has some incredible song writing with bassist Paolo contributing huge portion of it. The album consists of some ferocious thrash elements, melodeath riffs, duelling guitars and another insane performance from Alex Bent, now confidently settled in to the band and it shows. There’s an obvious peak in quality here across the board, 'Amongst The Shadows and The Stones' was originally written by Corey and become possibly one of the heaviest tracks in the band's discography. It lays in the middle ground of this ranking as I would say it's one of the albums I've spent the least time with from the entire catalogue, though it would certainly be hard to forget, as it’s impossible to get this records infectious title track out of your head.

Highlights: Amongst The Shadows and The Stones, The Defiant, Sickness Unto You

05.The Sin and The Sentence (2017)

Starting the top five is TSATS, I really feel we enter a new era for Trivium here, following the addition of the monstrous, technical beast that is Alex Bent on drums and Matt’s obviously now recovered voice, I feel the band found their final form. We have some longer epic tracks, beautiful melodic leads, and ferocious raining drums. This album perfectly showcases Trivium's skill of always progressing forward while maintaining true to who they are. While it may not have the complexity of some earlier releases, the record definitely displays the band's masterful and meticulous dedication to what they do, TSATS is an incredibly rhythmic mixed bag, showcasing yet again Matt's perfect mix of clean and harsh vocals, it certainly homes a fair few ear worms while still maintaining its aggression.

Highlights: Betrayer, Beyond Oblivion

04. In Waves (2011)

It's epic, it's aggressive, with the tuned down guitars, thunderous blast beats and a Shogun-esque brutality, In Waves is a perfect example of what Trivium is all about. Masterfully taking and amplifying elements from each era of Trivium that came before it. This record has some of the band's heaviest songs they’ve released without a doubt, and with the title track now a hugely renowned live staple. Another prime example of Trivium moving forward in capability while maintaining their integrity.

Highlights: Built to Fall, In Waves, Dust Dismantled

03. Ascendency (2005)

Third from the top is the legendary metalcore masterpiece, Ascendency, an absolute staple of its genre. With 19 year old Heafy clearly giving it his all, and Corey Beaulieu and Paolo Gregoletto firmly on board, you really feel the quality jump from the band's debut album and thus creating an record that secured the band their first main stage spot at Download and ruffled some feathers along the way. As we approach the record's 20th anniversary, I can almost guarantee that it still remains heavily in the rotation of any Trivium fan. Although the record was an introduction into the genre for a lot of younger listeners it would be unfair to say that nostalgia is the main reason for this being so high up the ranking, with some of the bands most well known tracks, Light to Flies, Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation, Pull Harder On Strings Of Your Martyr, it’s an absolute classic and I'd go as far as to say it completely and utterly birthed Trivium and their success in a big way.

Highlights: Rain, Dying In Your Arms, Pull Harder

02. In The Court Of The Dragon (2021)

In second place is the bands newest album, ITCOTD. It’s heavy, it’s theatrical and it blends all the key ‘Trivium’ ingredients to create an powerful amalgamation of the bands existing catalogue. The title track absolutely punches you in the face and felt like an instant classic from the first listen. The bands performance feels stronger than ever here, between the concept song writing, the relentless machine gun drums, Matt’s commanding cleans and ferocious screams along with Corey's gutteral vocals. The record has a Shogun energy about it while seamlessly incorporating similar more modern styles from the bands previous two releases.

Highlights: ITCOTD, Sword Over Damocles, Crisis Of Revelation, The Shadow Of The Abattoir

01. Shogun (2008)

Taking a predictable yet equally deserved number one spot on the ranking, Shogun is widely considered a classic of it's genre and the album that cemented a lot of fans' love for the band. Shogun was the last album to feature original drummer Travis Smith. It’s a masterful display of Trivium at full throttle, it’s aggressive, complex, beautiful written and yet brutally executed. Between the blistering solos, technical riffing, and a focus on ancient mythology and Japanese lore, the record is an all time classic and it's certified staples solidify the number one spot.

Highlights: Kirisute Gomen, Shogun and Throes Of Trepidation.. (the whole album)