If you’ve read my posts before, you’ll know that the Riverside Municipal Auditorium (RMA) in Riverside is one of my favorite venues. This legendary building is unique, and it always feels intimate, even when you’re there with 2,000 friends. This past Wednesday is a perfect example of why I feel that way. Trivium brought their Struck Dead Tour to town, with Jinjer and Heriot, for what was a perfect lineup for the I.E., and the near sold out crowd let the bands know it.
Trivium
Trivium closed out the night with a high-voltage, hard-hitting performance that left the crowd fired up from the first chord to the final scream. The lineup — with Matt Heafy on lead vocals & guitar, Corey Beaulieu on guitar, Paolo Gregoletto on bass, and new drummer Alex Rüdinger — brought both precision and raw energy.
They kicked off the night with “In Waves” and “Like Light to the Flies”, which immediately grabbed the attention of everyone at the near sold out show. From there the pace never let up. Their entire set hit hard and reminded longtime fans exactly why Trivium exploded onto the metal scene all those years ago.
Mid-set, the band balanced nostalgia and newer aggression — the heaviness of “Into the Mouth of Hell We March” and “Throes of Perdition” intertwined with the haunting melody of “Until the World Goes Cold,” giving depth and emotion before they charged back into the pit with “Bury Me With My Screams,” a track from their fresh 2025 release.
As the night surged toward its climax, fan favorites landed punch after punch. “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation” and “Struck Dead” shook the building, and closing out with “The Sin and the Sentence” gave the crowd exactly what they came for.
On stage, the chemistry was evident: Matt’s vocals shredded perfectly between harsh screams and melodic hooks, Corey’s guitar work was everything the audience expected, Paolo’s bass grounded the sound with groove, and Rudinger’s drumming thundered behind it all.
All in all, the December 3 show proved that Trivium still know how to deliver the goods — equal parts old-school hits and brutal new tracks, executed with power and passion. It was a night built for both longtime die-hards and newer fans alike.
Setlist
- In Waves
- Like Light to the Flies
- Strife
- Into the Mouth of Hell We March
- Throes of Perdition
- Until the World Goes Cold
- Bury Me With My Screams
- A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
- Struck Dead
- Dying in Your Arms
- Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr
- The Heart From Your Hate
- Down From the Sky
- The Sin and the Sentence
Jinjer
Ukrainian metalcore band Jinjer is an absolute force of nature. They could have easily headlined this show, and in a support band spot they absolutely owned the room. From the moment they hit the stage vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk’s energy was electric, and the band backed her up with tight musicianship.
Their setlist for the night drew mostly from their recent tour rotation: they tore through “Duél,” then “Green Serpent,” “Fast Draw,” “Hedonist,” “Teacher, Teacher!” and “Perennial” — each hitting hard and giving the crowd exactly what they’d come for. Songs like “Rogue,” “Someone’s Daughter,” and “Pisces” closed out Jinjer’s 9 song set, and reminded me why this band left a lasting impression on me the last time I saw them.
What stood out was the contrast — Jinjer’s brand of groove-laden, progressive metal gave a different flavor from Trivium’s style, and it worked. The riffs were awesome, the rhythm section locked in, and the dynamics between heavy grooves and melodic passages really kept things unpredictable. There is a real emotional weight to Tatiana’s delivery, and the lighting was in perfect harmony for every song.
Their ~40–50 minute set came off like a full-blown headline set: intense, polished, and supremely confident. By the time they left the stage, the crowd was fully warmed up — energized for Trivium, but also buzzing from Jinjer’s own punch.
Bottom line: if you came out for Trivium, you got double the value thanks to Jinjer. They delivered a performance that was equal parts groove, power, and attitude — a perfect lead-in, and a reminder that this band can hold their own anytime.
Setlist
- Duél
- Green Serpent
- Fast Draw
- Hedonist
- Teacher, Teacher!
- Perennial
- Rogue
- Someone’s Daughter
- Pisces
Heriot
Opening up the night was British metalcore band Heriot, and the fans that came early seriously got rewarded. As is often the case with opening bands, I hadn’t heard of Heriot before Wednesday night, but I have to say that they were the perfect tone-setter to open a night of metal.
Vocalist Debbie Gough mentioned it was their first time playing here, since this is their first North American tour. Opening for powerhouses like Trivium & Jinjer isn’t easy, but Heriot performed with a level of confidence that many bands just don’t have. Their hardcore-edged grooves came off as huge introduction to Riverside’s metal crowd.
Heriot’s 6 song setlist fit right in with two more established bands on bill, and kicking off with “Foul Void” was a great choice to warm up the pit. They followed that up with “Siege Lord”, raising the energy in the room.
Mid-set they went into “Demure” and “Commander of Pain”, and it was clear these are not just straightforward metal-core bangers, but a band trying to push boundaries, with heavy riffs but also a sense of mood and atmosphere.
By the time they hit “Mourn”, and then closed with “At the Fortress Gate”, the audience was locked in. This felt like more than just a warm-up slot, and personally I was glad to see so many had shown up to give this opener a large crowd to play for – something that doesn’t always happen. Heriot definitely made some new fans Wednesday night. This band is a perfect example of why I tell people to always catch the opener – sometimes you strike gold.
Setlist
- Foul Void
- Siege Lord
- Demure
- Commander of Pain
- Mourn
- At the Fortress Gate
Overall: if you showed up at the show just for Trivium or Jinjer, I’d say you got more than your money’s worth. The Struck Dead Tour wraps up in Orlando on Dec 14th.
As usual, there is a gallery with a ton of photos below. If you were at the show I’d love to hear your thoughts. Follow me online at:
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~ Razz
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