Trivium's 'Struck Dead' - EP Review

I was only talking recently about how I do not generally write many EP reviews each year. I do not think that the EP as a format is that popular these days, outside of perhaps punk and extreme metal, but every so often one worth my time comes out - and today's piece covers a new one from the Florida-based metalcore act Trivium. I always feel that calling Trivium a metalcore act does them a bit of a disservice - but it is the scene that they are most associated with. It is true that both 2003's Ember to Inferno and, in particular, 2005's Ascendancy were pivotal to the development of the that scene in the early-to-mid 2000s - but since then the four-piece have branched out, channelling various influences from traditional heavy to thrash metal, and from progressive to extreme metal. In my view, Trivium's discography is interesting because most of their albums have a distinct flavour. From the 2003 debut to 2017's excellent The Sin and the Sentence (which I reviewed here), each album featured a subtle shift in tone which made it unique. Each album was identifiably Trivium - but the band never stood still, with each album pushing their sound in new and interesting ways. Since The Sin and the Sentence, though, this has happened far less. I read this as the band finding their true sound and the best balance of all of their influences on the 2017 release - with both 2020's What the Dead Men Say (which I reviewed here) and 2021's In the Court of the Dragon (which I also reviewed here) both largely continuing on its sound. As such I was, and remain, a little disappointed with What the Dead Men Say. It contains a number of strong songs, but I missed that trademark shift in sound - and it felt like a less interesting version of the previous album. I was never disappointed with In the Court of the Dragon, though, as the band upped the heaviness and dialled back in some progressive sounds despite largely sticking to the same formula. The 2021 release remains a favourite, then, and the lengthy post-pandemic tours throughout 2022 and 2023 which celebrated both releases put Trivium on top of the world once again. 2024 was a quiet year for the band - at least publicly. Behind the scenes, though, an epic world tour with Bullet for My Valentine was being planned - whilst the band converted an old aeroplane hanger into their own personal headquarters, rehearsal space, and recording studio. 2025 has been extremely busy in comparison, though. The first half of the year was taken up with the aforementioned tour with Bullet for My Valentine, before the Welsh band reneged on plans to tour beyond Europe and the US - leaving Trivium high and dry. Not one to give up, though, a busy European festival run followed - and as I write this the band are on yet another lengthy US tour. The band's eleventh studio album is due to be worked on and released next year - but given the relative lack of activity in 2024 and the changes in touring plans the band wanted to give the fans a taster of what is to come. The result is the three-track EP Struck Dead - which was also recorded to essentially test out their new studio. The three songs here are self-produced, which is not something the band have done before - although they did bring Josh Wilbur, who produced their last three albums, to mix them. It is not my understanding that these three songs will appear on the next album, making Struck Dead a stand-alone release - and the band's first new material in four years. It also ended up being the last release with long-time drummer Alex Bent - who left the band in October.

Despite containing only three songs, Struck Down is a venomous release. The sound of the last three albums is certainly retained - but there is a rawer edge to the production thanks to the influence of Ascendancy. Playing that album in full night after night clearly had an influence on these songs both in a production and a melodic sense - but, beyond that, the tracks also feel more progressive. There is a huge focus on rhythm throughout - and Bent has signed off on a high, as this EP features some of his best drumming on record. The EP opens with Bury Me with My Screams, a powerful song which certainly harks back to the sound of Ascendancy whilst sounding a lot more mature. Frontman Matt Heafy has spoken a lot about re-learning his harsh vocal style from that era - and it is perhaps this which most links the song to the past. Despite some of the more progressive vibes which occur throughout this EP, the opening riff here is a bit more straight forward - but it is immediately hooky. All three of these songs are extremely memorable, packed with strong choruses, and suitably heavy. The main guitar riffing, verse lyrics, and Heafy's throaty vocals instantly shine a light back on Ascendancy; whilst occasional harmony guitar melodies and thrashy drumming also fuel this overall feel. The melodic chorus feels like a modern Trivium product, though. It has a traditional heavy metal feel - and the anthemic nature of the vocal melodies and the NWOBHM-esque guitar lead in the background remind me a little of 2015's Silence in the Snow (which I reviewed here). As such, the song goes back and forth between raw metalcore/thrash and melodic traditional metal - whilst progressive flair is shown during some groovy breakdown and solo sections, which showcase rhythmic vibes which are going to be expanded upon later. The title track follows and instantly showcases that groovy approach. There is a little bit of a tech metal feel early on, with some strangely mechanical riffing from Heavy and Corey Beaulieu - but the fluid drumming of Bent ensures that the overall feeling never strays into true tech metal territory. The drumming throughout the verses here is spectacular - with fluid bass drum patterns mixed with percussive tom and cymbal work, which is atypical. Heafy lays down some slow-paced, guttural growls over these off-kilter verses, too, which only adds to the vibe - before another soaring chorus takes over. Heafy's clean vocals are as good as ever, although he does add some growls into the background, and the melodies really stick in the brain. Trivium choruses are generally great, and this one is no exception - but the song veers off in a number of directions later, including some thrashy solos and some progressive instrumental sections with intricate riffing. Everything hangs together, though, and I hope there is more of this to come. The longer Six Walls closes out the EP, and it opens up with some melancholic clean guitar melodies - setting a darker tone. A slow-moving drum beat is soon added behind them, and the song builds an atmosphere as a result - before a neck-snapping riff kicks in which Heafy immediately barks over. Some of the early riffing harks back to the band's metalcore days, albeit amped up, but there is plenty of old-school thrash fury here - with more than a little extreme metal intensity. The verses are heavy, then, but the chorus is once again very melodic. Led by clean vocals and a smooth guitar lead, it is another to stick in the brain - whilst a later snappy instrumental section sees Paolo Gregoletto's bass countering some tricky guitar leads. The back end of the song is much proggier, too, with plenty more off-kilter grooves, rhythms, and lengthy instrumental sections. If these three songs represent the direction which Trivium intend to go in the future, then their best album may be to come. These songs feel fresh, heavy, and hooky - and that is all I want from Trivium these days as they have shown they can easily cover many bases.

The album was released on 31st October 2025 via Roadrunner Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Bury Me with My Screams.