“I don’t think the underground or extreme metal scene will ever dig us. It’s elitist”: How Trivium defied the gatekeepers and split the critics with The Crusade
Trivium broke through in 2005 with their album Ascendancy and a star-making performance at Download festival, but their 2006 follow-up, The Crusade, prompted a significant backlash and divided critics and fans. Metal Hammer spoke to the band during their first US tour that year, discussing their rapid success, accusations of snobbery from parts of the scene, and support they received from some of metal's biggest names.
The band reflected candidly on the gatekeeping culture within underground and extreme metal, with a member stating bluntly that they don't believe that scene will ever accept Trivium, branding it "elitist". The piece, framed with a vivid desert-set narrative device, revisits the making of The Crusade and the pressures the band faced following their sudden rise to prominence in the metal world.
- Trivium's 2006 album The Crusade split critics after their Ascendancy breakthrough.
- Band felt snubbed by an "elitist" underground/extreme metal scene.
- 2006 Metal Hammer interview covered success, snobbery and peer support.