User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 268 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 8 out of 268
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  1. Feb 12, 2016
    10
    If there is an album to describe music that has shaped both the RNB and Hip Hop sound, it is this one. Undoubtedly the single best RNB/PBR&B album of this generation. Is it repeatedly filled with sex,drugs,and darkness? Of course, and for many critics it is what turns them off. But what matters is that Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd, tells a story in each chapter: House of Balloons, Thursday,If there is an album to describe music that has shaped both the RNB and Hip Hop sound, it is this one. Undoubtedly the single best RNB/PBR&B album of this generation. Is it repeatedly filled with sex,drugs,and darkness? Of course, and for many critics it is what turns them off. But what matters is that Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd, tells a story in each chapter: House of Balloons, Thursday, Echoes of Silence. The Weeknd came in to fill a gap in the RNB industry, and it worked! His influence is present in any modern RNB artist such as PARTYNEXTDOOR, Bryson Tiller, Drake, TYuS, JMSN, Majid Jordan, Zayn, you name it. Overall, amazing vocals, chilling lyrics, and beautiful production mainly by Illangelo and Doc Mckinney. 10/10 Expand
  2. Aug 25, 2022
    5
    Even at its most oppressive (in particular the songs from House of balloons), every haunted note of Trilogy seems blissful. A compilation of all his best mixtapes is a gift
  3. N10
    Nov 18, 2012
    10
    Three mixtape's in one album, that truley is raw. Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) is vocally fantastic, one of the best, if not the best. The sound of it is dark and creepy, many consider him as a darker version of Michael Jackson, for me it's just Abel, the storytelling and lyrics is way to diffrent but vocally I can agree to some point. The production is really good and fitting to his voice. AThree mixtape's in one album, that truley is raw. Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) is vocally fantastic, one of the best, if not the best. The sound of it is dark and creepy, many consider him as a darker version of Michael Jackson, for me it's just Abel, the storytelling and lyrics is way to diffrent but vocally I can agree to some point. The production is really good and fitting to his voice. A really good artist, while youre in to his music there's no escape. My favourite track's at the moment is (based on three songs of each mixtape) : What You Need, The Morning, Wicked Games, Life of the Party, The Zone, Valerie, Montreal, Same Old Song and Next.
    If you havent heard so much of The Weeknd, listen to this, buy if you like it, and the rest of ous... let's just support it. The Weeknd surely is a big name of our generations R&B, three fantastic mixtape's in one!
    Expand
  4. Nov 15, 2012
    10
    As a whole it is a definite buy for someone that enjoys, the other new wave of R&B artists like Miguel and Frank Ocean. and a real ride for a album as a debut record.
  5. Nov 14, 2012
    10
    This album is the most creative one of 2012.
  6. Nov 24, 2012
    9
    This is the best R&B release of the year. The Weeknd is running the show at this point. Hard to pick just one standout track from this group of 30, as all of them really standout in their own way. Is it perfect? No, but no release is.
  7. Nov 15, 2012
    8
    The Weeknd has since become a staple name in "making the girls wet" and Trilogy is ultimately a beautiful piece of work. However, a majority of the songs sound the same, which can get boring after awhile. Standouts are: High For This, Wicked Games, The Zone, Birds Pt. 1, D.D., XO / The Host, Initiation, and Same Old Song.
  8. Jul 28, 2019
    6
    Trilogy has some classic-level music on it, but obviously the idea of his three mixtapes coming together is a bit unnecessary. I don't want to listen to many artists for almost 3 straight hours. So while there is great music here, digesting each mixtape, specifically House of Balloons, separately is more worthwhile.
  9. Nov 16, 2012
    10
    Trilogy is a great compilation. Includes The Weeknd's critically acclaimed mixtapes, including the smooth "House Of Balloons" which includes a variety of styles smashed together with R&B. Also, "Thursday" (one of my favorite albums of 2011), which has more of a Rock feeling, still keeping the R&B. The third mixtape, the softer "Echoes Of Silence", I don't particularly enjoy it aside fromTrilogy is a great compilation. Includes The Weeknd's critically acclaimed mixtapes, including the smooth "House Of Balloons" which includes a variety of styles smashed together with R&B. Also, "Thursday" (one of my favorite albums of 2011), which has more of a Rock feeling, still keeping the R&B. The third mixtape, the softer "Echoes Of Silence", I don't particularly enjoy it aside from the Dirty Diana cover. Also included are three brand new songs, including "Til Dawn" which reminds me of Kanye's 808's and Heartbreak. Expand
  10. Nov 19, 2012
    9
    Easily one of the most creative and defining records of this decade so far. The Trilogy is well worth a listen even for people who have already gotten the original three mix-tapes. You can tell that all of the songs got re-polished and the addition of 3 bonus tracks makes this well worth every penny!!
  11. Feb 26, 2013
    10
    Individually I gave him a 9, 9 and 8 to mixtapes

    But I think the three together plus the three new tracks that are really incredible, deserve reward Universal Republic and XO with a 10, for the great gamble that did in this play. A compilation album of mixtapes of a new artist of R B, in the times where really the R B is very low in popularity, is a bet very risky in commercial
    Individually I gave him a 9, 9 and 8 to mixtapes

    But I think the three together plus the three new tracks that are really incredible, deserve reward Universal Republic and XO with a 10, for the great gamble that did in this play.

    A compilation album of mixtapes of a new artist of R B, in the times where really the R B is very low in popularity, is a bet very risky in commercial terms, but I think this time the public has valued quality over commercial.

    The best album of 2012 and really one of the best R B I've heard in a long time, The Weeknd has earned a fan.
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  12. Mar 30, 2013
    10
    It's Trilogy. He had me at High for This then he sprung What You Need. By Coming Down, I had no doubts that this was perhaps the best R&B collection of all time. A bit hyperbolic, but this is just a mixtape. By his debut album, we should know how impressive this young artist is for his age.
  13. Dec 1, 2016
    10
    Dark, sweet, and just beautiful. Abel expresses his deepest lyrics and sings us everything he did in the past from sex, drugs, and heartbreaks. This is definitely one of the many albums to listen too and it will never get old. This is the best one.
  14. Jun 6, 2016
    10
    I first purchased this album around my 15th birthday shortly after it was released. I paid a decent price too! I one day decided to listen to the entire 2 hour and 40 minute total length, 30-track, 3-disc album. I have to say that this album is a soothing and lengthy piece of genius that only The Weeknd himself has the potential to craft. The beauty behind Trilogy is the slow-tempo beatsI first purchased this album around my 15th birthday shortly after it was released. I paid a decent price too! I one day decided to listen to the entire 2 hour and 40 minute total length, 30-track, 3-disc album. I have to say that this album is a soothing and lengthy piece of genius that only The Weeknd himself has the potential to craft. The beauty behind Trilogy is the slow-tempo beats and lyrics of "sex, drugs, and druggy sex" that are put together to make a truly amazing yet relaxing and mind-blowing piece of art. A highly recommended buy (physical copy is the best way to go)! Expand
  15. Aug 9, 2016
    8
    8.0 eight
    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  16. Feb 14, 2017
    10
    This is just because there was no 11 :) yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
    does it really need to be at least 150???
  17. Feb 24, 2018
    10
    The way he tells the scariest, most haunting story in light, airy vocals is so enticing and amazing. He says these things from a mob leader perspective that only catches the listener's attention even more. The sprinkle of tracks filled with regret and anxiety from his drug life really show the full extent of his personality in a way that attracts you to the rest of the album.
  18. Oct 1, 2018
    10
    "Trilogy" revolucionou o som do R&B, isso é certo. É um álbum que fala de sexo, drogas e escuridão? Sim, é. Mas o que realmente importa é que Abel Tesfaye conta uma história nos três capítulos: "House of Balloons", "Thursday" e "Echoes of Silence". Em geral, vocais incríveis, letras arrepiantes e uma bela produção.
  19. Mar 2, 2019
    9
    Trilogy - a collection of three mixtapes, "House of Balloons", "Thursday", and "Echoes of Silence" remains as one of modern R&B's greatest gifts, setting the foundation of almost all R&B and Dark-Music today. There is almost no single album which has held more influence over the last decade, Trilogy is almost perfect in every sense of the word. The Weeknd's vocals send home a message ofTrilogy - a collection of three mixtapes, "House of Balloons", "Thursday", and "Echoes of Silence" remains as one of modern R&B's greatest gifts, setting the foundation of almost all R&B and Dark-Music today. There is almost no single album which has held more influence over the last decade, Trilogy is almost perfect in every sense of the word. The Weeknd's vocals send home a message of despair and self-finding, with large trace amounts of identifiable influence from Michael Jackson, The Weeknd talks of sex, drugs and isolation, held together with heavy synths and drums with an eerie backdrop. There are minimal times where the album can feel loosely connected and sometimes repetitive and/or empty but this only seems to be apparent due to the three separate mixtapes being connected to form one album. Trilogy remains as the foundation of Dark R&B. Expand
  20. Jan 23, 2020
    10
    a masterpiece and ahead of its time. the weeknd made a name for himself and started his careed with a big bang
  21. Jan 30, 2023
    10
    the kind of world changing astroworld-like music that people remember for years
  22. Apr 8, 2020
    10
    this is the weeknd’s first major project, a compilation of the three best mixtapes ever
  23. Sep 2, 2021
    10
    The more you hear it, the more you fall in love with it, has deep lyrics and great production for an amateur production, simply the The Weeknd's masterpiece
  24. Sep 9, 2021
    10
    The atmosphere of this album is unmatched, and so many songs are amazing, one of the best albums's in the genre in the past 10 years
  25. Oct 30, 2021
    10
    the growth in his music is amazing, and in this album he shows it again, the transitions that he makes when advancing each song is incredible, very well thought out of all those who put effort into this amazing album
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Jan 7, 2013
    85
    This kind of remaster campaign is normally reserved for albums that have had decades to sink into the national consciousness as is, introducing a shock-of-the-new, hearing-it-again-for-the-first-time element, and while the oldest of the Trilogy material has only been around for a year and a half or so, the differences in the new mixes can still be jarring.
  2. Mojo
    Jan 3, 2013
    80
    The Weeknd starts here. Jan 2013, p.108]
  3. Dec 11, 2012
    90
    Overall, in fact, it might feel like a little too much of The Weeknd all at once. But then again the music is so good it might just be what the doctor ordered.