Trivium: Ascend Above The Ashes Tour

The Criterion
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
December 6, 2025

Written and Photographed by Eduardo Martinez

The Ascend Above The Ashes Tour hit The Criterion in OKC on Saturday, December 6th, and dude… what a night. Trivium pulled up with Jinjer and Heriot, and the lineup just made sense.

Heriot kicked things off and immediately set the tone—heavy, energetic, and exactly what you want to get the crowd locked in early.

Then Jinjer came out and absolutely blew me away. I knew they were good, but hearing those aggressive vocals live? Wild. Tatiana’s vocal fry technique is insane—she can switch from guttural heaviness to a straight-up gorgeous clean tone without missing a beat. And the band? Super tight. Having Jinjer as direct support was honestly the perfect move.

By the time Trivium hit the stage at 9:40 PM, the room was buzzing. They opened with their iconic track “In Waves”—as they should—and the whole crowd erupted. They also played a couple tracks off their new EP Struck Dead, including “Bury Me With My Screams” and the title track “Struck Dead,” which both hit super hard live. And of course, they performed “The Heart From Your Hate” towards the end of their set. Perfection!

But honestly, seeing Matt Heafy live was the highlight. The dude is a legend for a reason. He’s huge in the metal world and the YouTube guitar world, and he lived up to every bit of that hype. His vocals were on point, and his shredding? Ridiculous. You don’t see many frontmen who can rip solos at that level. Between him and Corey, it’s just shred city the entire set.

Walked out of there with even more respect for Matt and the whole band. Incredible night.