Trivium Ascends from the Ashes at The Wellmont Theater for Their Struck Dead Tour

Trivium took their “Struck Dead” Tour to Montclair, New Jersey, days removed from releasing their new EP of the same name under Roadrunner Records. Along with Trivium was famed Ukrainian band Jinjer, and joining for their first U.S. tour, British metal band Heriot. Fans lined up early as the day grew shorter on this brisk Sunday in November.

By the time British metalcore quartet Heriot took the stage, the fans were already tightly packed in, ready to show love and support for the band. Although formed in 2014, they recently signed to Century Media and released their debut album Devoured By The Mouth of Hell in 2024. Drummer Julian Gage took to the drum kit with hands raised high to amp the crowd up. A fan could be heard screaming, “Show me what you got!” The rest of the band obliged by kicking off with the title track from their debut album, “Foul Void.” The hauntingly slow riff from Erhan Alman was followed by the equally haunting screams of vocalists Debbie Gough and Jake Packer. In between riffs, Gough commanded the crowd to “make noise” and "go crazy”, and they followed through. The crowd was ready for a full-on musical assault for the next 25 minutes.

Speaking with Heriot, each member was absolutely thrilled to be touring in America for the first time. They showed the utmost gratitude for Trivium and were blown away by the crowds showing up early to give their support. Hopefully, with the mutual outpouring of love, they will be back in the U.S. soon!

Heriot Setlist

Foul Void

Siege Lord

Demure

Commander at Bay

Mourn

At the Fortress Gate

Fog filled the stage as the lights dimmed. Blue lights emanated from two raised platforms on each side of the drum set. The word Jinjer appeared on the screen behind them, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. Again, the drummer took the kit first. Vladislav Ulasevich, followed by bassist Eugene Abdukhanov and guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov. Lastly, the fierce vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk stormed the stage, ready to take no quarter from these fans.

Jinjer kicked off their nine-song setlist with “Duèl” off their latest and fifth studio album of the same name, released February 2025 via Napalm Records. The song, about the internal struggle to overcome personal afflictions, also mirrors the political climate in their own war-torn country of Ukraine. Don’t let the lyrics fool you — tonight there was no struggle. Tatiana’s eyes locked onto the crowd with laser focus.

Jinjer continued with “Green Serpent,” “Fast Draw,” and “Hedonist,” all from Duèl, before digging a little deeper with tracks like “Teacher, Teacher!” off the EP Micro, which tonally captures the strong suits of each member. The complex riffs of Ibramkhalilov and driving grooves of Abdukhanov mixed well with the blast-beat fury of Ulasevich — not to mention Shmayluk’s seamless switch between screams and clean vocals. Next was “Perennial” off the same EP before circling back to tracks from Duèl. Lastly, Jinjer rounded off the set with arguably their most popular song, “Pisces” (named Metal Hammer’s 74th of the 100 Greatest Metal Songs of the 21st Century). Jinjer continue to dominate the metalcore scene both here and abroad and remain proud ambassadors of their home country, Ukraine.

Jinjer Setlist

Duél

Green Serpent

Fast Draw

Hedonist

Teacher, Teacher!

Perennial

Rogue

Someone’s Daughter

Pisces

Two dragons adorned the speakers on the left and right sides of the stage, red eyes blazing. Fog hit the stage as lights illuminated a gate stretching around the drum kit and extended to a backdrop draped over risers. The screen displayed an image of an ancient town with a statue of an angel. The piano notes of “Capsizing the Sea” echoed through the proverbial sea of fans. Alex Rüdinger (ex-Whitechapel) joined on drums as the beat kicked in. The rest of Trivium followed to light The Wellmont Theater on fire with “In Waves.”

And just like “In Waves,” the crowd surfed en masse as if vocalist Matt Heafy himself was the undertow pulling them toward the stage. “Like Light to the Flies” began next. More from Ascendancy would soon follow, as it’s the 20th anniversary of the album. As the chaos subsided, Heafy asked the crowd if they minded if he played a track off Shogun. “Into the Mouth of Hell We March” and “Throes of Perdition” followed as guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto ran madly back and forth across the stage, mirroring the circle pits forming inside The Wellmont Theater.

A little further into the set, Trivium played two tracks off their latest EP, which had only been released two days prior — “Bury Me With My Screams” and “Struck Dead.” (EP of same name and released by Road Runner Records) In between these tracks, out of the ashes of the stage, rose Monte (the inflatable mascot) from the Ascendancy album cover. Rounding out the set was “The Heart From Your Hate” off their 2017 album The Sin and the Sentence (Roadrunner Records), “Down From the Sky” from Shogun, and closing the night with “The Sin and the Sentence.”