Jared Dines & Trivium’s Matt Heafy Team up on Dines X Heafy EP
Official press release:
Modern guitar virtuoso/content creator Jared Dines and GRAMMY® Award-nominated Trivium frontman Matt Heafy have joined forces for the groundbreaking DINES X HEAFY EP.
Bridging the gap between online content creators and recording artists, the five-song EP is available today on all streaming platforms as well as on Soundtrack by Twitch, giving Twitch streamers a way to add licensed music from the EP to their Twitch live streams during a 30-day period.
“Matt was pre-internet in the way he launched his career, releasing records, playing shows, and signing to a label,” observes Dines. “I’m post-internet in the way I launched my career by using YouTube, Facebook, and all of these other video apps. It is interesting to see the crossover though. Matt has done everything traditionally. At the same time, he embraced new technologies instead of shutting them out. By doing this together, we get to be in both worlds. The EP was recorded in a raw and real manner. So, it has a different element. It would be cool to show everyone it does not matter if you are a guitarist from Instagram or you are in a big band, you can do things together. At the end of the day, the goal is simple — we’re just trying to write good songs and create some cool shit.”
“Streaming actually helped me improve as a singer and as a guitarist, because I’m practicing all day in front of people,” exclaims Heafy. “The culture is very regimented. However, I have always had that mentality, because my mom is Japanese, and my dad was a marine. Now, it is a combination of three things: streaming, training, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Those practices made me better at what I do and prepared me to jump into something new. I took a very different approach to DINES x HEAFY. It all came very organically without any planning.”
To celebrate the release, Dines and Heafy have unveiled the music video for the single “Dear Anxiety.” On the track, airtight riffing collides with a seismic refrain upheld by Heafy’s soaring delivery. It spirals out into a flurry of soloing. Watch it below.
Dines and Heafy first crossed paths back in 2017 when Heafy blindly messaged Dines on social media. He went on to participate in Dines’ popular “Shred Wars” series, amassing 2.2 million views on their matchup. A year later, Dines filled in when Heafy exited Trivium’s fall tour to be present for the birth of his twins. Around the same time, Dines shared a folder of ideas and set the stage for what would become DINES X HEAFY. Mixed by Will Putney, Dines laid down guitars, bass, and drums in Washington, while Matt handled vocals and select solos in Florida. They unlocked an inimitable chemistry, striking a balance between arena-ready hard rock hooks and technically proficient metallic fireworks.
