Late last week, Trivium released a new track, The Sin And The Sentence, and it’s a monster. Trivium are one of those bands who had to overcome a fair amount of flack early in their career. When they signed to Roadrunner Records in 2004, frontman Matt Heafy was only 18 years old. There’s always a bit of scepticism in the metal community when a band hits so young – is it just a marketing thing? Are they really even playing their instruments? Will they have a lasting career or is this just another flash-in-the-pan thing? But Trivium have managed to survive and evolve, and whether you’re into them or not, they can teach us a lot about the metal scene in general, and how to maintain a loyal audience.
It’s a cliché, but no band would be where they are without their fans. Trivium has done a great job of taking notice of local fan-run fan clubs and making sure they feel the love. Just check out the Trivium Mexico Twitter feed for a great example. Everyone in the band takes the time to interact with these fan accounts and to make their fans feel involved in their success. If you’re in a band, take note of your loudest supporters: hook them up with the odd ticket or backstage pass, do a shout out on your social media, let them know you care.
Metal is goofy. We all know it. Something Heafy, in particular, is great at is acknowledging the funny faces he sometimes pulls onstage by asking fans to create memes based on certain pictures. The cynical might say it’s all about brand awareness, getting your face out there and believing all publicity is good publicity. But whether it’s calculated or not, it’s another way the band interacts with its fans and keeps its name and face out there. It also breaks down the barriers a little.
Social media means bands aren’t as mysterious as they once were. Once upon a time, it was all about keeping that mystique and using it to your advantage. Those days are over, so how are you going to build up a ‘universe’ around yourself? Trivium is great at this. Each album project has its own feel that starts with the music and is augmented by the visual presentation. The perfect example is their album In Waves, the first project where they really built up to its release with teasers, thematically unified videos and a specific aesthetic. As goofy as these guys let themselves appear to be, they’re also deadly serious about their music and its presentation, and they rarely let their sillier side show in their music or videos. Instead, they approach them as true art. You can do this whether you’re a headliner, a support act or a local-level band.
