After touring their latest album, “In The Court Of The Dragon” for the best part of two years, metal icons, Trivium, have took it upon themselves to wind down with a rather lengthy tour of the UK, dubbed the Goblins and Wizards tour. Taking place across 13 dates and covering cities and venues they likely haven’t played in years, this can be considered quite the intimate tour for a band who more often than not find themselves towards the top end of every festival poster they end up on.

Tasked with opening proceedings are Sweden’s own Orbit Culture. They presented themselves as a no frills, no bullshit metal collective. It’s easy to see where their influences lie, however it spans a vast plain of the metal spectrum, encompassing sounds that span from Death Metal to Thrash Metal to Power Metal and everything else in between. These styles were seamlessly and intricately weaved into songs that were impeccably structured, all with a clear vision of where they want to go whilst at the same time providing enough surprises to keep things feeling fresh. A song with an anthemic chorus would all of a sudden drift into a crushing breakdown before calls for circle pits would showcase their technical prowess as Thrash musicians. The great thing about the way Orbit Culture structure their music is that it never feels disjointed or sporadic, instead free flowing and as smooth as butter. Overall this was a superb opening performance that set the tone for the night as being one that will surely be remembered by everyone in attendance.

Glasgow’s Bleed From Within are a band that has steadily and consistently been riding the undercurrent of the British Metal Scene for years now. Whilst never truly breaking into the big time, they have maintained a level of consistency that has earned them the respect and admiration of those who listen to their music as well as those in attendance tonight at the Liverpool Academy. From the first note right until Scott Kennedy and Co leave the stage 40 minutes later, they receive a hero’s welcome so raucous and heartfelt that it would almost trick one into believing this was one of their own headline shows.

As well as an incredible back catalogue to pick their set from, Bleed From Within provide an intensity in their live show that just can’t be replicated. They manage to capture this essence that is both unimaginably brutal, sincere and inspiringly authentic. Bleed From Within gave everything they had on that stage tonight and despite living in a world in which the common audience trope of “(Insert City Here) you have been the best crowd on this tour” is still prevelant, you could just on their faces that they’re not just saying this for the sake of it, they fucking mean it too. This performance to me shown that Bleed From Within have all of the credentials to be doing exactly what Trivium are doing and selling out venues of this size. They were absolutely phenomenal.

Much like Bleed From Within, Trivium are one of the most reliable bands in the metal scene today. They have been a band that have consistently occupied the top billings of most major festivals across Europe and the States whilst never particularly bothering the Headliner slot of the more major festivals around the scene. Outside the realm of metal, in the eyes of the contemporary listener though they don’t stand out as much as some of their peers and have instead made a name for themselves through hard work, word of mouth and an intense and consistent touring schedule. Tonight’s show, as well as the whole Goblins and Wizards tour could be considered an intimate affair in the context of the bands previous tours deciding to stick to mid level Academy venues. What this promises though is that every single person inside these venues will be absolutely devout Trivium fans.

This notion is instantly confirmed during the first few seconds of their set opener, ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’. Despite being their latest release, they have been touring this album for the best part of 2 years, with over 200 shows played during this particular cycle. Fans were therefore more than warmed up for this song and the singalong was almost instant. Every song was regaled back perfectly to Matt Heafy and Co and you could tell they were overwhelmed by the reaction they garnered on the night. Heafy himself mentioned that it was the first time Trivium have played Liverpool since 2007, so you could forgive him for thinking that the reception he may receive tonight may be a lot more subdued compared to other cities they may frequent a bit more. These trepidations however were immediately put to bed.

As a band, Trivium carry themselves as a group of guys that demand perfection, every note, every little nuance is refined within an inch of its life, and it’s these little things that separate them from many other bands. On the night they were as tight as a band could be, each flourish from guitars, each crushing riff, every beat of every drum stood out in an absolutely impeccable sound mix to create a synchronicity that simultaneously made each member of the band stand out, without any one instrument truly taking the spotlight. On the night Trivium epitomised what it meant to be a collective group of musicians as opposed to being their own individual force and as a result their end product shone in a way that is difficult for most other bands to achieve.

Back to the setlist and despite this tour still coinciding with the album cycle of “In The Court Of The Dragon”, Trivium made a conscious decision for it to coincide with the 15th Anniversary of their iconic album, “Shogun”. Of the 15 songs performed this evening, around 5 or 6 were included from “Shogun”, with a couple of deep cuts thrown in there for good measure. Whilst this meant that some usual favourites from Trivium’s set were cut off, the opportunity to get to see some of their lesser known gems sure made up for it.

Before tonight I wouldn’t be what you would call a Trivium fanatic. They were always a band that passed me by; barr them being on at festivals and I have nothing to do. However this performance cemented why they have such a passionate fan base, there is a true, authentic connection between the guys in Trivium and their fans which helps create a family atmosphere as opposed to an us and them scenario and created one of the most unique atmospheres I’ve seen at a concert. I was truly converted by Trivium tonight, not that I had low expectations of them to start with. They were absolutely sublime. Heafy announced that the band would be taking a back seat for a while, a rest that is that long overdue and hugely deserved. They will be welcomed back with open arms when they do return to our shores again.