The Sin and the Sentence
Studio album by
Trivium
ReleasedOctober 20, 2017 (2017-10-20)
StudioHybrid Studios, Santa Ana, California
Genre
Length57:15
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerJosh Wilbur
Trivium studio album chronology
Silence in the Snow
(2015)		 The Sin and the Sentence
(2017)		 What the Dead Men Say
(2020)
Singles from The Sin and the Sentence
  1. "The Sin and the Sentence"
    Released: August 1, 2017[1]
  2. "The Heart from Your Hate"
    Released: August 24, 2017
  3. "Betrayer"
    Released: October 15, 2017[2]
  4. "Endless Night"
    Released: April 9, 2018

The Sin and the Sentence is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 20, 2017, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Josh Wilbur. The album is the first to feature fifth drummer Alex Bent (formerly of Battlecross and currently of Brain Drill and Dragonlord), who replaced drummer Paul Wandtke. With the release of the album's title track, this album would also mark the return of frontman Matt Heafy's screaming vocals since the band's 2013 album Vengeance Falls, which were completely absent from the band's previous album Silence in the Snow due to an injury which caused Heafy to blow out his voice.[3]

Upon its release, the album received critical acclaim, with the song "Betrayer" being nominated at 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019 for Best Metal Performance.

Background and promotion

Following the release of Silence in the Snow, then-drummer Mat Madiro left the band. An established touring drummer Paul Wandtke took Madiro's place in Trivium. In January 2017, rumors began to circulate which suggested that Wandtke would be leaving the band and would be replaced by Alex Bent. After a short time, both parties would confirm Wandtke's departure from the band as well as Bent's involvement with them.[4]

In late July 2017, the band began releasing teasers online with cryptic images, lyrical passages, and video clips, with the accompanying Roman numeral "VIII.I". This would later be confirmed as representing August 1, the release date for a new single, "The Sin and the Sentence", with both the song and accompanying music video featuring Bent on drums.[5] A second series of online teasers by the band would come just a few weeks afterwards, utilizing similar cryptic video clips with accompanying lyrical passages. This led to the eventual release of a second single, titled "The Heart from Your Hate". The song was first premiered exclusively on Octane on August 23. The next day, the band released both the song and a music video worldwide, as well as the track listing and release date for their eighth album, titled The Sin and the Sentence, on which both singles would be featured.[6]

The song "The Wretchedness Inside" is taken from a demo Heafy ghostwrote for a different band in 2014. The song was never used, so the band re-recorded the song which appeared on The Sin and the Sentence instead.[7]

In an interview with hardDrive, Heafy stated that the working title for the album was "The Revanchist" and that the album was going to have gold and neon colors, however those plans were changed once Heafy's wife, Ashley, presented the band with symbols for each accompanying song. The band then decided to use that artwork instead.[8]

Composition

In an interview, bassist Paolo Gregoletto stated that new material is more 'extreme' and that the band would return to featuring screaming vocals on the new album.[9] Speaking about the album at the Bandit Rock Q&A session, Paolo Gregoletto said that the album is "the perfect culmination of what we've been doing throughout the years", saying the band found a way to balance their heavy side with their melodic side.[10] 7-string guitars are once again being used on The Sin and the Sentence, with the album being referred to as thrash metal,[11][12][13] heavy metal,[12][14] metalcore[15] and progressive metal;[16] hearkening back to the sound of Ascendancy, Shogun, Silence in the Snow[17] and In Waves.[18] Paolo also goes on to say this album was not only one the band made for themselves as metal fans, but for loyal fans who have followed the band for years.[19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Blabbermouth.net[15]
Exclaim![21]
Loudwire[22]
Metal Hammer[23]
MetalSucks[24]
Ultimate Guitar[25]

The Sin and the Sentence received critical acclaim.

Metal Hammer awarded the album four out of five stars, saying the album is "the first to meld every previous release into a 'very best of Trivium'" and praised the band that "determined to absorb all of their past and better it, showing once and for all who they are and what Trivium are: quite simply one of the best bands in modern metal."[23]

Loudwire gave the album a positive review, noting the album's variety in featuring heavy, aggressive songs and ambitious songs as well as more melodic and accessible tracks, concluding that "Their songwriting and musicianship are as strong as they have ever been, with The Sin and the Sentence delivering a quality listen from beginning to end."[26]

Decibel also wrote an editorial in which they recommended that readers "Give the new Trivium album a chance" despite acknowledging that the band's style of metal might not align with many of their readers' preferences, and highlighted the song "Betrayer", writing "Heroic guitar harmonies! Screaming vocals! Clean-singing choruses that stay in your head for hours! This is what I look for in a Trivium song."[27]

AllMusic wrote a positive review, noting that "the band has never sounded more confident, delivering a positively lethal 11-song set that strikes the perfect balance between unhinged and meticulously crafted." They also added that "the addition of Bent, a powerhouse, hammer-of-the-gods-style kit man, and the newfound conviction of vocalist Matt Heafy, seem to have put a charge into the group," and that "The riffage is meaner and leaner, and the songs themselves -- especially the singles 'Heart from Your Hate' and the combustible title track—feel both lived-in and visceral, with highlights arriving via the serpentine, gang-vocal-led 'Beyond Oblivion' and the throat-mangling closer 'Thrown Into the Fire'."[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Trivium

No.TitleLength
1."The Sin and the Sentence[lower-alpha 1]"6:23
2."Beyond Oblivion"5:16
3."Other Worlds"4:49
4."The Heart from Your Hate"4:03
5."Betrayer"5:27
6."The Wretchedness Inside"5:31
7."Endless Night"3:38
8."Sever the Hand"5:25
9."Beauty in the Sorrow"4:31
10."The Revanchist"7:17
11."Thrown Into the Fire"5:29
Total length:57:15
Japanese edition[28]
No.TitleLength
12."Pillars of Serpents[lower-alpha 2]" (re-recorded from Ember to Inferno)5:03
Total length:62:18
Japanese deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
13."I Don't Wanna Be Me" (Type O Negative cover)3:49
14."Drowning in the Sound"3:43
15."Kill the Poor" (Dead Kennedys cover)3:16
Total length:73:04
Note
  1. ↑ The digital version of the album cut out the intro of this song, making it a length of 5:49.
  2. ↑ Recorded in 2017 and initially released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition and, later on, as a single with the title "Pillars of Serpents (2019)" despite being the same audiotrack.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[29]

Trivium
Additional musicians
  • Too Late the Hero – gang vocals (track 10)
  • Josh Wilbur, Jon Paul Douglass, Thomas Oliveira, Mike Miller, Josh Brooks, Gerardo Carrero, Jonathan Carrion, Kevin Martincowski, Daniel Rodriguez, Brandon Diaz, Elijah Rojas – gang vocals
Production
  • Josh Wilbur – producer, engineering, mixing, mastering
  • Nick Rowe – engineering
  • Kevin Billingslea – engineering (track 10)
  • Ashley Heafy – cover art, layout, design
  • Jon Paul Douglass – art direction, photography

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[31] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 34
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[33] 41
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] 11
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[35] 9
French Albums (SNEP)[36] 71
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] 12
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[38] 28
Irish Albums (IRMA)[39] 35
Italian Albums (FIMI)[40] 84
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[41] 33
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[42] 32
Scottish Albums (OCC)[43] 12
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[44] 43
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 21
UK Albums (OCC)[46] 18
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[47] 1
US Billboard 200[48] 23
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[49] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[50] 3

References

  1. ↑ "TRIVIUM Releases Video For New Song 'The Sin And The Sentence'". Blabbermouth.net. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Instagram post by Paolo Gregoletto • Oct 13, 2017 at 10:34pm UTC". Instagram. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ "TRIVIUM To Release 'The Sin And The Sentence' Album In October; Listen To New Single 'The Heart From Your Hate'". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Paul Wandtke Confirms He's Exited TRIVIUM, New Touring Drummer Announced - Metal Injection". Metalinjection.net. January 23, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ "TRIVIUM Drops Powerful New Song "The Sin And The Sentence" - Metal Injection". Metalinjection.net. August 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  6. ↑ "TRIVIUM Drops New Song "The Heart From Your Hate," Announces New Album - Metal Injection". Metalinjection.net. August 24, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  7. ↑ "The Wretchedness Inside". Kiichichaos.com. August 8, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  8. ↑ "0095 - Trivium". BlogTalkRadio. September 25, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  9. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Paolo Gregoletto - Trivium - Distorted Sound Magazine". Distortedsoundmag.com. February 22, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  10. ↑ "TRIVIUM: 'The Sin And The Sentence' Is 'The Perfect Culmination Of What We've Been Doing Throughout The Years'". Blabbermouth.net. September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Trivium - The Sin And The Sentence - Single Review - Worship Metal". Worshipmetal.com. August 1, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Trivium / The Sin And The Sentence (2LP)". Collectomania.ru. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Trivium - The Sin & The Sentence (Track Review)". Metal Master Kingdom. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  14. ↑ "TRIVIUM To Release 'The Sin And The Sentence' Album In October; Listen To New Single 'The Heart From Your Hate'". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Ray Van Horn, Jr. "CD Reviews - The Sin And The Sentence Trivium - Blabbermouth.net". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Trivium The Sin and the Sentence". Guitar World. September 29, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Trivium Unleash Video for New Track 'The Sin and the Sentence'". Loudwire. August 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Trivium Premiere New Song, "The Sin and The Sentence" - MetalSucks". Metalsucks.com. August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  19. ↑ brownypaul (October 16, 2017). "Wall of Sound: Up Against The Wall feat. Paolo Gregoletto of Trivium". Wall of Sound.
  20. 1 2 James Christopher Monger. "Trivium - The Sin And The Sentence". Allmusic. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  21. ↑ Morin, Max (October 20, 2017). "Trivium - The Sin And The Sentence album review". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Trivium - The Sin And The Sentence album review". Loudwire. October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  23. 1 2 Stephen Hill (October 9, 2017). "Metallica – Hardwired...To Self-DestructTrivium - The Sin And The Sentence album review". Teamrock. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  24. ↑ Neilstein, Vince (October 23, 2017). "Review: Trivium's The Sin and the Sentenceis Among Their Best Work Ever". MetalSucks. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Trivium - The Sin And The Sentence album review". Ultimate Guitar. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  26. ↑ Bowar, Chad (October 20, 2017). "TRIVIUM, 'THE SIN AND THE SENTENCE' – ALBUM REVIEW". Loudwire. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  27. ↑ Zalucky, J. Andrew (October 20, 2017). "Why You Should Give the New Trivium Album a Chance". Decibel. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  28. ↑ "CDJapan : The Sin And The Sentence [Japan Bonus Track] Trivium CD Album". Neowing. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  29. ↑ The Sin and the Sentence CD liner notes (1686-174462). Roadrunner Records. 2017.
  30. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Trivium Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Trivium: The Sin and the Sentence" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  38. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 27 October 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 43 (dal 2017-10-20 al 2017-10-26)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  41. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 30, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes — Semana 43: del 20.10.2017 al 26.10.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  46. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  48. ↑ "Trivium Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Trivium Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Trivium Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
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