Matt Heafy says Trivium set out to make «Crown In The Grave» the best album of their career, and that it is the first of their records he listens to as a plain metal fan. It is out on 20 November on Roadrunner Records.
“`Speaking on Nik Nocturnal’s podcast, he remembered what they said before they started writing: «We sat down and said the next record has to be the best thing we have ever done. The songs are above everything — above every guitar part, above every high falsetto or every low growl».
Looking back, he says «In The Court Of The Dragon» from 2021 was very extreme and technical, while «The Sin And The Sentence» from 2017 was the album that united the fans, who until then argued over whether «Ascendancy», «In Waves» or «Shogun» was the best. After «What The Dead Men Say» in 2020, on «Dragon» they decided to put everything in.
The «Struck Dead» EP from 2025 was supposed to show, as they thought, the way to the next album. Changes in the schedule and the amount of time they were given made them realise they did not want to go in that direction, and the result sounds nothing like the EP.
He compares the band’s work to cooking: you have to taste every ingredient and in the end eat the dish and enjoy it. «With this album I cannot stop listening to it. I do not think I am listening to myself — I am listening to metal songs I was missing», he says, adding that he even puts it on during training.
It is Trivium’s eleventh album and the first written at The Hangar, their own space in Orlando. It is also the first with drummer Alex Rüdinger, known as Rüdi, who came in when Alex Bent left in October 2025. The production was by Josh Wilbur — he has worked with Korn and Lamb Of God — and the mix was handled for the first time by Jacob Hansen, known for his work with Volbeat and Amon Amarth.
The album was announced in October with a video for the title track, after «Dead Inside Of Me» in September. Promotion is a run in North America with In Flames, Orbit Culture, Fit For An Autopsy and Frozen Soul, from 5 November in St. Petersburg, Florida, to 19 December in Charlotte. In 2027 Trivium and In Flames will tour together in Europe as well.
Source: https://metal-stop.com/matt-heafy-says-he-cannot-stop-listening-to-triviums-new-album/
