TRIPLE KILLBlackened Dawn

When so many local metal releases seem to lean into different levels of extremity, technical complexity or some degree of nu-ish groove, it’s actually pretty refreshing when a band just plays some straight-up heavy metal.

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Melbourne’s Triple Kill lean into their second album gently at first, with a long piano and clean guitar intro serving to put everyone off guard. That is until the driving riffs and cleanly melodic vocals fade in almost a third of the way in, showing off the band’s high energy metal stylings and highlighting their most obvious musical influence. 

Yes, their overall approach and Rod Goolagong’s singing style makes them sound very much like a streamlined version of Trivium, but a far less po-faced one not bogged down in that band’s metaphoric, conceptual existentialism. Instead, Triple Kill offer full-throated, fist-pumping odes to giant sandworms (Shai Hulud) or skull-shaped castles (Weight of Eternia), taking a detour here and there into some Killswitch Engage-like victory anthems (Finish the Fight) and epic-sounding thrash-tinged tracks like Torn with its machine-gun drumming and overlaid vocals.

Triple Kill’s influences are ingrained but there’s no dull moments, no duds: every song is nothing short of an infectious and catchy riff fest with a soaring chorus and blazing guitar work, simply good, fun heavy metal.

Triple Kill’s influences are ingrained but there’s no dull moments, no duds: every song is nothing short of an infectious and catchy riff fest with a soaring chorus and blazing guitar work, simply good, fun heavy metal. Triple Kill haven’t set out to revolutionise the music they love on Blackened Dawn. They just want to play it well and have a heap of fun doing it – and they have succeeded.

STAND OUT TRACKS: Shai Hulud, Torn, Finish the Fight
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Soilwork