That’s some cover up there isn’t it? I think occult obsessed Trivax have a statement to make ladies and gentlemen..
Heh. I wonder if there are any people out there who bought the debut Trivax album back in 2016 but haven’t seen them live in the last few years. If there are I wish I had a camera for their faces when they hit play on this… No disrespect at all to a decent debut but this.. THIS is Trivax. It was probably around 2018 when something really began to possess this band; a stripped down but perfect line-up of Shayan (guitars, vocals who found it prudent to leave Iran due to religious difference), M. Croton a fantastic UK drummer or primal power and Sully (bass, originally from Syria and again leaving for the UK to avoid jail for his metal beliefs.) But not just the line-up, the mindset. The focus and intensity of this band since around 2021’s superb ‘Into The Void’ EP has been phenomenal. A focus rooted in improvement of both body and mind allowing live performances to be incendiary, confrontational and intense and the musical expression to flower without fear.
So. ‘Azrael’. A whisper of wind, a flurry of Middle Eastern notes and then the rage of a tight, angry black/death riff that engulfs that opening flurry like Melechesh in a fury. It’s angry, death worshipping metal, enthralling and frighteningly serious. ‘Apex Predator’ turns down the speed for real stomp of malevolence. The riff here again is just superb; a sinister sway and swagger to it as the vocals of Shayan gut you. You can almost see him glaring straight into your face as he bellows ‘Behold! For my will is of fire. This hunt will not stop until the funeral pyre’. It also brings in a dark, cold melodic thread, laced with hooks before the drum fury battens it down into the grim stalking stride once more.
The band has never sounded better than here. Tight, burning with hunger and uncompromising in their takedown of the prey.
‘Silent Contemplation’ is an acoustic number, a few keyboards. An intake of breath Another twist to their weapons, perhaps the members time in glorious outsider metal cavemen Wyrdstaef exercising that muscle, honing it to be used in a very Trivax manner. Never to forget, never to forgive.
‘The Serpent’s Gaze’ is a smouldering number. The lyrics delving into the occult interests of the band, an epic quality to the sound opening it out, even choral vocals being used but the weight of the music never letting it become fragile. Physically and sonically this is always a muscular band. ‘Against All Opposition’ pushes it aside with malevolent, thuggish glee. None shall bend my iron will. It has urgency, a huge heft to their black/death sound and utter scorn in their words until the call to Asmodeus rises.
‘Memento Mori’ is a whisper, echoing clean vocals, quiet music. It’s almost gentle and reverent in tone. A subtle swerve, the perfect moment. Before the glorious ‘Twilight Of Death’. A great bassline, a fantastic riff that has that eccentric hybrid sound of heavy and black metal that Slegest have mastered but filtered through the intense gaze of Trivax. Melodic hook. Perfect shifts in tempo. The rich bass of Sully being brought to centre stage. Semi-acoustic passage and all brought together in an almost celebratory song. You can see the crowd head-banging in your mind as this gleeful slice of darkness almost dances into the flames. Just brilliant.
I have no idea how the title of the closing track translates to English I’m afraid. But it’s nearly twelve minutes long and opens with a slow, brooding instrumental and a lead that is pure heavy metal. Some buried, rattling vocals give way to an echoing but quiet clean voice. It picks it’s way slowly and deliberately, almost a touch of Blue Oyster Cult to the slow drip of darkness and the deft arrangement but the buzzing bassline keeps it Trivax. Deep clean vocals take up the reins as the music gathers. There’s a touch of Root at their best, maybe. The guitars take it into atmospheric, black metal places and the song takes on a fire and devotional tone. Slow, haunting and epic it will leave you with so many questions.
Five years in the making from calling down their true energy in 2018, Eloah Burns Out is Trivax now with a grip of iron on their own destiny. The focus and intent is incredible, the flexing of musical muscles is a joy to hear. They have woven arrangements, atmosphere and naked aggression into one of the best UKBM albums in ages and so much of that has to have been forged in the live arena. They have found their path and are not walking it, they are striding along it like a djinn with bared teeth, steel in their hands and single intent in their eyes leaving burning footprints in their wake.
Follow the trail of devastation and despair; it’s easy to follow.
(9/10 Gizmo)
Leave a Reply