Trivium's Matt Heafy Posts First Single Tamashii No Houkai From Black Metal Project Ibaraki
Monday, 24 January 2022
Written by Jon Stickler
Trivium's Matt Kiichi Heafy has shared the first single from his solo black metal-influenced project, Ibaraki.
Tamashii No Houkai finds the frontman collaborating with Emperor's Ihsahn, who co-penned the track, with Behemoth's Nergal assisting with the album's production. Heafy, who is of Japanese heritage, explained:
"Tamashii No Houkai means 'the breaking of the soul' or 'soul collapse'. It's a Japanese term that didn't exist before, but one we forged to reflect the song's meaning.
"Tamashii No Houkai is co-written by Ihsahn — the legend behind Emperor and a musician who has been a longtime influence and mentor to so much that I do in music. The writing of this song was the turning point for Ibaraki — it summarised everything from the past, present, and future of what I thought black metal was, is, and could be.
"Tamashii No Houkai is the perfect summary and representation of everything that Ibaraki is… and will be."
The six-minute epic marks a stylistic jump from Trivium's metalcore, though it does share the same cinematic breadth and relentless, intricate fury. It comes paired with a video that shows the main themes of the record while exploring Heafy's ancestry.
The debut album from Ibaraki, the name for a terrifying Japanese demon taken from feudal legend, is still yet to receive a release date.
Earlier in January, Heafy unveiled a collaboration with Testament's Chuck Billy called Behold Our Power, the official theme song for Poland's Mystic Festival.
Last autumn, Trivium rescheduled their UK and European Dead Men And Dragons Tour to January and February 2023. They put out their 10th studio album, 'In The Court Of The Dragon', in October 2021.
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