Halloween at the House of Blues is always a vibe, but this one hit different. The air felt charged before the lights even dropped—equal parts metalhead energy and spooky-season adrenaline. Trivium chose this night to kick off their Struck Dead Tour and drop their new EP of the same name, so yeah, the stakes were high—and the payoff? Even higher.
Heriot opened the night and immediately made it clear they weren’t here to just warm up the crowd. Hailing from the UK, their sound is a collision of sludge, chaos, and control—equal parts haunting and heavy. By the end of their set, the room was buzzing with that rare, unanimous reaction: Who the hell are these guys, and how do I hear more? Heriot set the tone for the night—uncompromising and loud.
Then Jinjer took over, and if you’ve ever seen them live, you know what comes next. Tatiana Shmayluk remains an unstoppable force—her transitions between clean vocals and guttural screams feel effortless, almost supernatural. The band behind her is just as locked-in, each breakdown landing with surgical precision. Songs like Teacher, Teacher! and Vortex turned the floor into a collective exorcism. There’s no denying it—Jinjer doesn’t just play shows; they summon them.
And then—Trivium.
The moment the first notes of Capsizing the Sea bled into In Waves, the room detonated. As someone who’s loved this band since high school, it felt like every era of my life showed up for this one show. Hearing Like Light to the Flies live for the first time was almost emotional—it’s one of those songs that’s been there through everything, and hearing it screamed back by thousands felt like catharsis in stereo.
They tore through a perfect balance of old and new: Strife, Throes of Perdition, A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation—each song landing with that signature Trivium precision. And when Struck Dead hit, it felt like a line in the sand. Heavy, melodic, and deeply self-assured—proof that nearly two decades in, Trivium isn’t running on nostalgia; they’re evolving.
The release of Struck Dead earlier that same day gave the show an almost electric charge—like everyone in the room knew they were witnessing the beginning of something. The new material felt alive, seamlessly woven into the setlist alongside classics that defined an era. There’s a maturity to Trivium’s sound now—less about chasing intensity and more about mastering it. The title track in particular stood out: an anthem that’s both punishing and reflective, carrying the weight of everything the band has built and everything they still have left to say. It’s Trivium stepping confidently into their next chapter without abandoning the fire that started it all.
They closed with Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr and The Heart From Your Hate, leaving the crowd drenched, grinning, and completely spent.
For me, it wasn’t just a concert. It was a full-circle moment—a reminder of teenage nights spent blasting Ascendancy in my bedroom and how music can time-travel you straight back to who you were as much as it can shine a light on your path forward.
