Orlando’s Trivium, named after the Latin term meaning a three-way intersection, chose their name to describe their triumvirate of metalcore, melodic metal, and thrash, all rolled into one. They performed the first night of The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour at the Factory in Chesterfield, and were as heavy as the booming of the thunder and storms of this morning. Their sold-out, jam-packed show, plus three worthy opening acts, was the large, heavy-metal topped pizza served piping hot and right out of the oven.
Japanese-American lead singer and guitarist Matthew Kiichi Heafy was the focal point of energy, sporting his usual range of expressive facial expressions, including a Maori-like warrior tongue and manic eyes. He was a bundle of Red Bull, double espresso energy, and stage moves, and broad gestures that reached the last row. Their stage lighting, background, and raised drum riser made for a visual spectacle of fury and might.
Trivium took the stage at 9:40 PM to the pre-recorded strains of “The End of Everything” and launched into opener, “Rain,” from 2005, and segued right into “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr.”
They also played the title track “Ascendancy,” “The Deceived,” “Departure,” and more. They played a total of 12 tracks, including a drum solo. They returned to play two encores, including “Capizing The Sea,” and final closer, “In Waves.”
Trivium inhabits its musical universe, defying trends, and creates an intoxicating blend of thinking-man’s and woman’s metal, featuring big themes and complexity. The fans got their money’s worth tonight.
Along with openers Bullet For My Valentine, August Burns Red, and Bleed From Within, it was a most excellent night of loud, furious, glorious, and hard-hitting new metal music for the movements’ leading acts and newcomers. There are lots of metal tours hitting the road, but this will remain one of the most memorable spectacles of 2025.
