Ember to Inferno
In the alternative metal field, there are plenty of bands offering a heaven/hell and melody/brutality sort of contrast -- bands that include, among many others, Hopesfall, From Autumn to Ashes, and the Postman Syndrome. One minute, they're being brutally ferocious; the next minute, they lighten the load and become more melodic. And that is exactly the type of approach that Trivium favors on Ember to Inferno. Throughout this CD, the Florida trio's 2003 lineup -- Matt Heafy on lead vocals and guitar, Brent Young on bass, and Travis Smith on drums -- fluctuates between metalcore ferocity and something more forgiving. Typically, a Trivium song will go from metalcore harshness -- suffocating density, sledgehammer cruelty, screaming vocals -- to a more melodic style of power metal/fantasy metal.