Published: September 30, 2015
A personal journey from discovering a young Florida metal band to finally meeting them more than a decade later.
Talking about silence and snow with Trivium sounds almost contradictory. There is nothing silent about one of the most powerful contemporary metal bands of the past two decades, and their hometown of Orlando, Florida is far from snowy. Yet the title of their album Silence in the Snow captured attention around the world and marked another chapter in a remarkable evolution.
My connection with Trivium goes back more than a decade. In 2003, I had what felt like a close encounter of the third kind, although it was something far more meaningful. I heard their debut, “Ember to Inferno,” released through Lifeforce Records. I remember asking myself if what I was hearing was real and wondering where this band had come from.
Life continued and I kept writing for Rockum. Two years later, hope returned when I discovered Ascendancy. At that moment, I realized I was witnessing the arrival of the best new band in the world, and that band was Trivium. Some veteran metal fans disagreed, even criticized me for saying it, but I did not care. Trivium filled the void left at the beginning of the new millennium, the absence of a modern act destined for greatness.
Soon enough, major artists confirmed what I felt. Metallica and Iron Maiden invited Trivium to open for them and brought them on the road through Europe, North America, and even Latin America. One by one, the albums arrived through Roadrunner Records, which positioned them as one of their leading names: “The Crusade,” “Shogun,” “In Waves,” “Vengeance Falls,” and eventually Silence in the Snow.
It was precisely during the HardDrive Live Tour that I saw them perform at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, Canada. That night also featured Tremonti and Wilson from Detroit. Trivium opened with the iconic Iron Maiden intro from “Aces High” before launching directly into their title track. Fourteen songs later, they had delivered one of the strongest sets of their career.
I was ecstatic. My wife, exhausted but patient, stood by me. Yet the night was not over. I held in my hands something that would make this concert unforgettable: my meet and greet.
Suddenly, Matt, Corey, and Paolo appeared. And for reasons I still do not fully understand, Matt and the others came straight toward me. Perhaps there is such a thing as divine justice. They greeted me warmly, asked how I was doing, and I told them about the long journey I made to see them perform and to finally meet them after so many years of admiration.
They listened attentively. They asked where I was from. They switched between English and Spanish. They did not rush, despite the crowd gathering behind me and some fans clearly unhappy that the outsider was absorbing their idols. We took photos, exchanged hugs, and for a moment everything I had waited more than ten years for became real.
That was my story with Trivium: the beginning, the continuation, and the fulfillment of a dream. As for an ending, I do not believe a band like this will ever truly have one. Not for me, at least.
Trivium continues forward, and so does the fire they ignited in so many of us.
