Band:	Trivium
Album:	Shogun
Style:	Alternative metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	September 2008

Disc I [CD]
01. Kirisute Gomen
02. Torn Between Scylla And Charybdis
03. Down From The Sky
04. Into The Mouth Of Hell We March
05. Throes Of Perdition
06. Insurrection
07. The Calamity
08. He Who Spawned The Furies
09. Of Prometheus And The Crucifix
10. Like Callisto To A Star In Heaven
11. Shogun
12. Poison, The Knife Or The Noose [Special Ltd. Edition bonus]
13. Upon The Shores [Special Ltd. Edition bonus]
14. Iron Maiden [Iron Maiden cover] [Special Ltd. Edition bonus]

Disc II [DVD]
+ The Making Of Shogun
+ Shogun: The Riffs - Instructional Videos

Trivium's latest album Shogun is one of the pleasant surprises for me this year, although I am new to the band and to the genre they play, which I would define as Thrash/Metalcore. To Thrash I am of course not new, but Metalcore is something that has never attracted me, but as I said Shogun surprised me, and I do think it deserves some attention from fans of both old school Thrash and all kinds of new bands that represent the genre. To be frank I was even a little blown away by this album after just the second listen, and I was even thinking about reviewing this album without checking out the rest of Trivium's discography, but I did listen to the other three albums, so the review will be objective.

So what actually astonished me so much? Very simple; the songwriting. I am a fan of catchy songs, which Shogun has in abundance. Songs like "Kirisute Gomen," "Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis," the chorus on "Insurrection," to which I just want to bang my head and never stop, and, of course, the epic title track "Shogun" are examples. Most of other songs are great as well. They basically follow the same formula, which Trivium have used throughout all their albums: Metallica, Iron Maiden, and other great bands-influenced riffs, a combination of clean metalcorish vocals with grunts/shrieks, intense drumming, well-executed tasteful solos and great - almost flawless - production. Not much in the originality department, I agree, but this doesn't spoil my impression of this album because the songs are really good. And after all, being original is not the point of making music.

The thing that may bug people about this album is the aforementioned metalcorish vocals, which bring in a mainstream-like/pop sound to some songs, and which is probably one of the problems most haters of the band have with them. However, being a pretty open-minded listener, I have no grudge against this manner of singing.

My opinion is they have evolved a lot since their first album, gradually getting better, with Shogun becoming their best and most mature work. The last song, which traditionally is the longest on the album - this time the longest epic in Trivium's discography up to date - symbolizes the band's growth as well. Running for almost 12 minutes, it doesn't bore you because of all the riff changes, break-downs, and two great solos; a very memorable song.

As for the Limited Edition and the documentary DVD: they are not really worth attention. The two bonus tracks are nothing but mediocre just like the Iron Maiden cover. The Making of Shogun and Instructional videos are not that interesting either, but since the bonus materials cost only $3 more, go ahead and buy it, especially if you are a fan.

I want the last words of this review to be positive. Shogun is a great treat for an unbiased listener, so give it a shot, even if you are not into Metalcore.