I suspect most Trivium fans will welcome a return to the old sound after the more melodic '...Snow'.

2015's 'Silence In The Snow' represented a change in direction for Trivium. Produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, it featured a far more classic and traditional Metal sound than had gone before. It was old-school and guitarist Cory Beaulieu admitted that the band themselves had to go back to school themselves to learn different guitar techniques. The album featured "clean" vocals throughout, also something of a departure for the band.

'The Sin And The Sentence' returns to a sound previously favoured by the band and, it has to be said, by the fans themselves (I do not subscribe to that way of thinking by the way). The growled vocals make a return from the get go on the title track and 'Beyond Oblivion', and yet, as is always the case with Trivium, there's a damn fine chorus to grab the attention.

Those who prefer the more melodic side of the band will no doubt enjoy 'The Heart From Your Hate', but most diehards will be happy to hear the return to out and out aggression on the scintillating 'Betrayer', 'The Wretchedness Inside' and 'The Revanchist'.

With a high standard of musicianship throughout (the band now sport ex-Battle Cross drummer Alex Bent in place of Paul Wandtke), I suspect most Trivium fans will welcome a return to the old sound after the more melodic '...Snow'. Personally, I would have been more than happy if the band had carried on in that vein.

Mike Newdeck