The Crusade is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band, Trivium. The album lasts a duration of 57:25. It was released on October 10, 2006 through Roadrunner Records.

Lineup:

Matt Heafy – lead vocals, lead guitar

Corey Beaulieu – lead guitar, backing vocals

Paolo Gregoletto – bass, backing vocals

Travis Smith – drums

Production:

Produced by Trivium and Jason Suecof

Background:

The Crusade was Trivium's first major change in musical direction. Instead of the metalcore sound that listeners had become accustomed to, Trivium employs a thrash metal style that ditches the screaming vocals and breakdowns of metalcore completely. This caused mixed feelings from both fans and critics upon its release. I enjoy this complete change in style because it demonstrated the band's ability to change genres seamlessly. Trivium also incorporated socially aware lyrics addressing the horrible acts of violence and hate that had been committed in recent years. The album debuted at No.25 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has since sold 100,000 copies in the US.

Track Listing:

1. "Ignition" 3:54

This is how Trivium introduced their new sound to us and I just so happen to really like this song. It has speedy thrash riffs, catchy vocals that are all cleanly sung, audible bass playing, great drumming, and of course excellent lead guitar work. This is a great track to open up the album with because it is a catchy tune that many metal fans will definitely enjoy.

2. "Detonation" 4:28

The follow up to "Ignition" is naturally "Detonation." This song is definitely the heavier and more sinister of the two. The lyrics are definitely very dark and the song features some growls from Heafy for a very short period that work well. The first of three guitar solos on this song utilizes the whining style that had never been utilized by Trivium prior to this album. Another strong effort to continue the success of the album.

3. "Entrance of the Conflagration" 4:35

Now comes one of my favorites from the album. The lyrics are inspired by Andrea Yates and her infamous actions of drowning her five children. This is definitely the darkest place that the band had ever gone lyrically up to this point. I love the guitar riffs and solos that really drive this track home for me. Heafy's vocals also sound great.

4. "Anthem (We Are the Fire)" 4:03

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this track. The guitar work is killer and fits this song's style and tempo very well, but as far as lyrical content goes, I feel like this is a significant decline compared to many of the other tracks on this record. Still, the song is extremely catchy and fun to listen to. With all that being said, I would still recommend this song.

5. "Unrepentant" 4:51

This is another extremely dark track from this album that's lyrically about Nazir Ahmad's murder of his three daughters and stepdaughter. He did this in response to his oldest daughter marrying a man he did not approve of so he slit her throat in her sleep and preceded to murder his other daughters because of a fear of them following in the oldest daughter's footsteps. The guitar riffs and solos are great in this song and the chorus is dark lyrically, but very catchy and memorable.

6. "And Sadness Will Sear" 3:34

Now comes the most emotional track from the entire that is based on the horrible murder of Matthew Shepard. Matthew Shepard was beaten and tortured to death for his homosexuality on the campus of Wyoming University. There are some beautiful lyrics, a soaring chorus, and an amazing guitar solo.

7. "Becoming the Dragon" 4:43

This is my favorite song from the entire record. It has amazing guitar riffs, great vocals, an awesome chorus, and pure thrash aggression. The lyrics are based on the Japanese mythological story of the dragon when the koi will swim up the waterfall known as "Dragon's Gate" where it is thus transformed into the mythological beast. This song is probably the heaviest from the album and has one of my favorite Trivium outros ever.

8. "To the Rats" 3:42

This is where the album takes a wrong turn for me. This song is one that is generally well liked, but for me its one of the weakest from the record. It has some awesome guitar work, but lyrically its boring and heavy for the sake of being heavy. It's catchy, but I really wish it was not because it is a song that I think should have been cut from the record. It has its moments, but is just an average effort from the band in my opinion.

9. "This World Can't Tear Us Apart" 3:30

This is definitely the weakest song from the entire album. It is supposed to be an uplifting track about how no matter how bad this world seems as long as we stick together, we won't be torn apart. It's a nice concept, but the execution is somewhat lackluster and boring.

10. "Tread the Floods" 3:33

This song is pure thrash metal goodness that really picks this album back up after a couple of very mediocre tracks. From the opening riff, I had a feeling that this song was going to kick ass and that is just what it does. The chorus is awesome and one of the most memorable from the band's entire discography. I love the lead guitar work throughout the song. This track is definitely one of my favorites from this band's entire catalog.

11. "Contempt Breeds Contamination" 4:28

This song is about the death of Amadou Diallo, when he was tragically shot by four NYC police officers. From the opening riff, I knew this song would be a really dark and heavy one. The verses are a bit unspectacular, but the chorus is amazing and really helps take this song to heights that it would otherwise not achieve. The guitar solos are good as per the usual for Trivium.

12. "The Rising" 3:45

Now comes the song that the band themselves do not enjoy and wish had been replaced with another song on this record. Personally though, this song has grown tremendously on me. I love the lyrics about coming together and unifying. This song has an epic 80's metal vibe to it that would fit right in on MTV. The chorus is so catchy and the slowed drum beat makes me bob my head up and down every time. The lead guitar work is not the most impressive from the album, but it fits this song perfectly. Overall, this is probably the most overly hated song in the entire Trivium discography.

13. "The Crusade" (Instrumental) 8:19

I must say that this is quite an effort from the boys in Trivium. I love this instrumental and it is without a doubt one of my all time favorite instrumental tracks. It may last a long time, but because of its catchy beats, impressive musicianship, and well timed tempo changes, this song is very well balanced and enjoyable from start to finish.

My Verdict:

Production:

This album sounds strong from the opening track. Each instrument sounds fantastic and Heafy's vocals are also clear. This was a slight improvement in production in comparison to the band's previous release, Ascendancy.

Score: 17 / 20

Album Flow:

This album is a bit inconsistent, but is still an enjoyable listen when listening all the way through. The album was definitely a bit shocking to hear considering how different it is from the band's previous two releases. Despite this, over time this album becomes more and more enjoyable to listen to.

Score: 15 / 20

Song Writing:

There is definitely a significant change in song writing on this release. For me, I am part of the unpopular opinion that Trivium's song writing is actually stronger than they were before this record. The lyrical content is dark for the most part, but there are many songs about people unifying against the evil in this world. The vocals are definitely an improvement over previous records, because Heafy's voice sounds well suited for thrash metal. Instrumentally, the album possesses more interesting rhythm guitar work than the band's previous two releases. The drums, bass, and guitar all feel well balanced making this a record in which no single instrument seems to take away from the others.

Score: 49 / 60

Overall Scoring Scale:

0-19: Garbage

20-29: Very Poor

30-39: Poor

40-49: Below Average

50-59: Average

60-69: Above Average

70-79: Good

80-89: Awesome

90-100: Must Own

Overall Score: 81 / 100

Trivium's The Crusade is a very ambitious effort that is often considered a miss for many fans, but I actually believe this release shows further diversity and growth that was needed to make them stand out among other heavy metal groups.