From the Death Metal stronghold of the sunshine state of Florida comes what could be quite easily described as the next big thing. If technical metal, with more than a healthy serving of Thrash roots, is your thing - then you need look no further. "Ascendancy" is the second full length release from the Floridian thrashers. However such is the development in the bands performance and writing abilities since the 2003 "Embers To Inferno" debut, that you could be forgiven if you thought this was a different band.

"Ascendancy", the debut album with new label Roadrunner Records, makes an immediate impression with the acoustic, almost operatic opening track "The End Of Everything". You are then thrown headlong into the bedlam that is "Rain", a pocket-sized mosh pit crammed into 2 minutes 21 seconds. Heufy and Beaulieu's guitars are as tight and as precise as an SAS sniper, with all the crunch and brutality of a wrecking ball; whilst still keeping the technical accuracy and wizardry to Merlin-like proportions. It is not difficult to see the extensive Thrash influences that the band bring to the table when it came time to writing "Ascendancy". This particular brand of music owes a great deal to the forefathers of Thrash, the twin guitar assault and catchy hooks that made the likes of Exodus, Vio-Lence and Testament what they were/are and in essence defined the genre are here in spades.

It would however be an injustice to label a band as creative and imaginative as Trivium a simple Thrash band. There are enough variation of influences on display to suggest these boys have a wider back catalogue than just Overkill or Anthrax. With numerous tempo and vocal changes, "Ascendancy" in songs such as "A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation" has an almost radio friendly cleanness to it's sound while still offering a ferocious bite that Jaws would be proud of. With the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon forging extreme musics place into popular culture, it is safe to say the Trivium are not far behind.