On a cool Thursday evening in Downtown Denver when people are crawling the streets searching for bars and food, the most sensible thing one can do is crawl to the Summit Music Hall.

This particular Thursday saw Florida metal band Trivium return to the stage at the Summit as part of their current United States tour.  The group released their seventh studio album last October and they still continue to pull in audiences across the world.  If this Denver show was any indication at all, fans will delight in Trivium’s music for (hopefully) many records and tours to come.

The group entered the room filled with cheers and lit by only a few colored stage lights up ahead.  One by one the members entered the stage until their vocalist took to the mic with his guitar to play the opening riff of the band’s 2013 song “Strife,” which prompted fists rising to the ceiling throughout the room.

Trivium supplied fans with sharp performances of classic tracks like “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation,” “Down from the Sky” and “Pull Harder on the String of Your Martyr.” Lead guitarist Corey Beaulieu’s interplay with vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy has scaled to new heights on stage.  Beaulieu and Heafy trade securing the rhythm or punctuating the melody throughout the group’s songs, creating an extremely tight presence.  Songs like “Into the Mouth of Hell We March” showcase each player’s precise picking and expertly stressed soloing, where almost every note can be clearly heard.

The other half of Trivium that must be heard is the masterful rhythm section.  Bassist Paolo Gregoletto provides a thumping accompanying melody while drummer Paul Wandtke executes perfectly timed fills and double-bass drumming.  Performances of the songs “Until the World Goes Cold” and “Forsake Not the Dream” see them utilizing their skills to the fullest extent.

Their live set was well received by the audience, who regularly engaged in fist-pumping, singing along and, of course, frenzied moshing.  Heafy repeatedly encouraged the audience to get their bodies moving during fast paced songs and his words appeared successful throughout the entire set.  Heafy and Beaulieu traded clean vocals for growls between each other, as is common to Trivium’s vocal approach.

The band strikes the optimal balance between melody and harsh, quick riffing – perfecting melodic heavy metal.