Trivium "Ascendancy"

Ascendancy is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium; it was released on March 15, 2005 by Roadrunner Records.

This marks the first Trivium album to feature guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto. The album was produced by Jason Suecof and frontman, Matt Heafy. The album spawned four singles in "Like Light to the Flies", "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr", "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" and "Dying in Your Arms". Music videos for each of the songs were shot; a promotional video was filmed for the song "Rain".

A demo of the song "The Deceived" was included on the re-release of Trivium's debut album Ember to Inferno nearly a year before Ascendancy was released. Likewise, a demo version of "Like Light to the Flies" was included on the MTV compilation album Headbangers Ball Volume 2. Also, a demo of the song "Blinding Tears Will Break the Skies" was included on the Ember to Inferno re-release and later re-recorded and included as a bonus track on the re-release of Ascendancy.

Speaking to Kerrang! about the songs lyrics, Matt Heafy said: "Definitely, some of the lyrics are about my personal insecurities and my social issues and disorders, and there's a thing about quietness in the music industry – people assume you're a dickhead if you don't want to talk, and that was definitely said about me. Being in a band forced me to have to get over my awkwardness around people and you can really see what I was going through in there." Heafy considers Ascendancy his favorite Trivium album.

Since its release, Ascendancy has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. In the U.S., the album peaked at No. 151 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 4 on the Top Heatseekers charts, and has sold over 140,000 units. In the UK, it peaked at No. 79, and shipped over 100,000 copies, attaining Gold status, without entering the UK top 75.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Matt Heafy.

1. "The End of Everything" (Instrumental) Heafy, Jason Suecof 1:20
2. "Rain" Heafy, Corey Beaulieu 4:11
3. "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr" Heafy, Beaulieu, Travis Smith 4:51
4. "Drowned and Torn Asunder" Heafy, Beaulieu 4:17
5. "Ascendancy" Heafy 4:25
6. "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" Heafy, Beaulieu 5:55
7. "Like Light to the Flies" Heafy, Beaulieu 5:40
8. "Dying in Your Arms" Heafy 2:53
9. "The Deceived" Heafy, Beaulieu 5:11
10. "Suffocating Sight" Heafy 3:47
11. "Departure" Heafy 5:41
12. "Declaration" Heafy 7:00

Total length: 55:11

Trivia:

- Debuted #4 on the US HeatSeeker charts and #151 on the US Billboard Top 200 charts, which also landed Trivium the title of 4th highest "new band" debut in Roadrunner's history

- "Washing Away Me in the Tides" appeared on the soundtrack to Underworld: Evolution (2006)

Recording information:

Recorded at Audiohammer Studios, Sanford, FL and Morrisound Recording, Tampa, FL.

Mixed and mastered at Backstage Productions, Derbyshire, England.