Throwback: When Trivium Stormed Kerrang! Radio – 8th March 2006
Throwback: When Trivium Stormed Kerrang! Radio – 8th March 2006
8th March 2006. The air inside the Kerrang! Radio studios wasn't just electric—it was heavy. This was the year Trivium stopped being "the next big thing" and officially became the kings of the new metal guard. Ascendancy had already blown the doors off the UK scene, and the hype for what was coming next was reaching a fever pitch.
As the official photographer for Kerrang! that day, my job was to document a once-in-a-lifetime hang for 15 die-hard competition winners. These weren't just casual listeners; these were the kids who lived and breathed every riff. And they were about to get a masterclass from the best dual-guitar assault in the business.
The Ringmasters: Emma Scott and Monk
Keeping this chaos organised were two of the finest at the station: Emma Scott and Monk. Emma was the driving force behind the day, her infectious energy keeping the fans pumped while she navigated the logistics of a high-profile band in a tight studio space. She’s always had that knack for making the winners feel like the real stars of the show. Beside her, Monk was doing what he does best—bringing that authentic, slightly anarchic Kerrang! spirit to the proceedings. Seeing them wrangle 15 excited fans and four Florida metalheads was a masterclass in itself; they kept the vibe light and the schedule (mostly) on track, ensuring everyone got their moment with the band.
The Twin-Guitar Masterclass: Heafy & Beaulieu
While Matt Heafy often commands the centre of the frame with his frontman charisma, the room really shifted gear when Corey Beaulieu stepped up to the front. Seeing the two of them together in such a cramped, intimate studio space was surreal.
The "masterclass" wasn't some stiff, academic lecture. It was raw. Matt and Corey sat right there with the fans, plugged into practice amps, and began deconstructing the DNA of their sound.
Matt handled the "big picture"—explaining the rhythmic down-picking intensity of "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr."
Corey was the technical surgeon. I remember capturing shots of the fans’ faces as he slowed down his lead runs, showing them exactly how he navigated those blistering solos in "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation."
The dynamic between them was effortless. Corey would toss in a joke about a difficult transition, and Matt would jump in to show the "cheat code" for making it sound massive live. For those 15 winners, it wasn't just a lesson; it was like being invited into the band’s inner sanctum.
The Secret Weapon: Paolo Gregoletto
Of course, Trivium’s sound isn’t just about the six-strings. Paolo Gregoletto was there too, holding down the low end with that signature "contained thunder" that would define the band's next decade.
A First Listen to the Future
The atmosphere in the room changed when the lads decided to treat the winners to something top-secret. We were deep in the lead-up to what would eventually become The Crusade, and the band played a few raw snippets of new material.
I’ll never forget the look of pure, unadulterated shock on the fans' faces. This was the moment they realised the band was evolving—shifting toward that thrashier, classic metal sound. Being the only people in the world (outside of the band and the label) to hear those tracks was a moment of pure metal history.
