Album Review: Trivax – The Great Satan
Band: Trivax
Album: The Great Satan
Label: Osmose Productions
Release date: May 30th, 2025
Country: Iran(early)/The UK (later)
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording
Album Review: Trivax – The Great Satan via Osmose Productions by Ioana
When thinking about crazy origin stories, Trivax is a band that comes to mind almost immediately. Founded by frontman and main songwriter Shayan back in 2009 in Iran out of all places, the project has since evlolved into one of the most proeminent acts in the contemporary underground. The fact that the band took to criticizing the Islamic faith and the theocratic regime in their home country is no surprise, the main tenant of their music being their unwavering commitment to freedom in all shapes and forms. Their latest record, “The Great Satan”, which will be out on May 30th makes this as obvious as it gets, even from the album cover, which features a grotesque depiction of Iran’s former ruler, Ayatollah Khomeini. In the band’s own description, this record “embodies rebellion, violence, and ecstasy”. Now without further ado, let’s dive in.
Musically wise, this record is a step up from its predecessor, “Eloah Burns Out” in terms of complexity, the variety in musical ideas being one of the first thing a listener will notice, even from the first songs. Another aspect that struck me right off the bat is how much closer this record leans on black metal, particularly when compared to its forebearer, which features a fairly even blend of black and death metal. This may seem a little bit of an odd choice, particularly when considering that the song won’t come off as aggressive and in your face. However, I don’t think the band set out to do that. On the other hand, this record seems tainted with that kind of anger that has an undertone of sadness. Where does one find this kind of anger most often? In artistic expressions of injustice. To put it simply, “Eloah Burns Out” is hate driven. “The Great Satan” maintains that, but it also showcases the pain that gave birth to it.
A song that makes this idea strikingly obvious is “Operation Ramadan”, the first single which will be released from this album. Right of the bat, the drums and the stormy guitar riffs catch the listener attention, setting the path for what seems to be a classic example of a well-written song. However, what truly gets me about it is the vocal performace. Although staying true to the trademark technique, Shayan also managed to express that feeling of suffering, of having something as freedom taken away from you by an entity that you cannot control, and the listener is there to witness all of it. It’s what I would call “a taste of the real world” in musical format, since it shows the ugliest side of humanity in all its horrifying might. But it also shows that one can stand and face it.
The rest of the album encompasses this idea just as masterfully. In between spoken word sequences that brim with everything ranging from terror to contemplation (that last one mostly on the final track) and fiery compositions that leave anyone who encounters them with a strange sensation of fear and awe, “The Great Satan” stands out as a truly one of a kind record. Don’t let the serious description I gave intimidate you, however, as the album is far from lacking in headbangers. One such track that comes to mind is “Here Comes The Flood”. With an “all guns blazing attitude”, punchy guitar riffs and… a breakdown out of all things?, it has all one can ask for. You could call it a striking memento that the band has no plans of sacrificing the violent songwriting that has come to define them.
Another interesting aspect, that may or may not be deduced from what I’ve mentioned so far, is that this record feels a lot more mature than anything else from Trivax’s catalogue. It’s hard to pinpoint where exactly this comes from, it could be a mixture of all its traits combined, but it is undoubted that “The Great Satan” seems to show the band carrying more wisdom than they used to. Perhaps this is a result of the music being a little less chaotic structurally, but I’d say the lyrical content also influenced this aspect to a certain extent. In that case, however, I cannot offer an educated perspective, since there is plenty of time until they will be published. But that’s left to each listener to research and decide if my description makes any sense. To a certain extent, I may have gotten this sensation when reaching the last track, but I won’t elaborate more on that, since I have no intention of spoiling this album more than it’s necessary for this review (I should have probably thought about this before I sat down to write it in the first place… Great!)
Lastly, I would like to add that the amount of spoken word and instrumental tracks that are featured on this record may seem big for some. However, I could hardly call them filler content. As I said, “The Great Satan” is meant to be a shot of reality more than a mere album. Thus having such songs included makes perfect sense, as they add a lot to the overall conceptual aspect, and to the tension dynamics between songs. Soo.. I advise against complaining about it, you will find that it makes a lot of sense when you take the album from start to finish.
This was one of the albums I was most excited to review this year so far, but I admit that it took me a couple of listens to fully grasp it. If I had written this review at a first listen, it would have looked completely different to what it does now. Overall, “The Great Satan” is the kind of record that deserves a careful listen, preferably without any distractions around. It is, simply put, human. 10/10
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10/10 Immortal Classic
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