Trivium Premiere New Song + Short Film “In the Court of the Dragon”
Trivium spent the week teasing big news for today, and big news they have delivered: the NWOAHM maestros have released a new song, “In the Court of the Dragon,” and an accompanying short film.
Both, you’ll be glad to know, are excellent.
The song itself combines pretty much all the elements of a great Trivium song: moshtastically thrashy riffs, heart-stoppingly impressive shredding, and a generally epic feeling of epic epicness. It wouldn’t feel that out of place on Shogun, which I mean as very high praise indeed. As a bonus, it includes an intro composed and orchestrated by Ihsahn (Emperor), who has been working on an album with Trivium frontman Matt Heafy for awhile now.
Meanwhile, the short film, which was directed by Ryan Mackfall, is also top-notch. For one thing, it looks great. For another, it’s really unsettling, like a horror movie hybrid of Eyes Wide Shut, The Ring, Holy Mountain, Robinson Crusoe, and Robert Eggers remaking the grandma subplot from Happy Gilmore as an earnest nightmare machine. Old people and body fluids are always good for a shiver, but there are some images in this video that once you see, you won’t be able to unsee. For example:
HOLY SHIT, do you see the shirt they got this poor kid to wear??? [shudders] FUCKING TERRIFYING.
Says bassist/reasonable human being Paolo Gregoletto of the song and video:
“We started putting together the riffs for what would become ‘In the Court of the Dragon’ last year with no touring on the horizon. We decided to use the uncertainty to our advantage and to create without any of the limitations and commitments that would normally be eating away at our time in the jam room.
“The title of the song came from a short story by Robert W. Chambers. The story is filled with dread and uncertainty, and that felt fitting for the times we’ve all been living in for the last year. Rather than a direct re-telling, we decided to go a different route and build our own narrative around the music that we were creating.
“Similar to some of our past songs and albums, this song began with lyrics rooted in mythology. But unlike the past, we decided to create our own myth to fit the music. Being free to create the story and write the music without a deadline, due to a once-in-a-lifetime event, really led to one of the most rewarding writing and recording experiences we have ever had. We hope it lives up to your expectations.”
Adds singer/guitarist/Twitch titan Matt Heafy, regarding the single’s artwork:
“While the music of ‘In the Court of the Dragon’ was taking shape, we knew we needed epic artwork of the type that you might see on the wall of an important museum from a long-dead renaissance master.”
You can check out the song, short, and single art below!
It’s a safe bet that you’ll be able to hear Trivium perform “In the Court of the Dragon” during their tour with Megadeth, Lamb of God, and In Flames later this summer. Here be the dates:
8/20 Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
8/21 Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory [tickets]
8/22 Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion [tickets]
8/24 El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center [tickets]
8/25 Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater [tickets]
8/27 Denver, CO @ Ball Arena [tickets]
8/29 Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre [tickets]
8/31 Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center [tickets]
9/1 Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre [tickets]
9/2 Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion [tickets]
9/4 Portland, OR @ Moda Center [tickets]
9/5 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre [tickets]
9/9 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago [tickets]
9/11 Danville, VA @ Blue Ridge Festival [tickets]
9/12 Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater [tickets]
9/13 Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion [tickets]
9/15 Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion [tickets]
9/16 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center [tickets]
9/18 Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center [tickets]
9/19 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre [tickets]
9/20 Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion [tickets]
9/22 Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP [tickets]
9/24 Mount Pleasant, MI @ Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre [tickets]
9/26 St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis [tickets]
9/28 Minneapolis, MN @ Armory [tickets]
9/30 Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage [tickets]
10/1 Laval, QC @ Place Bell [tickets]
10/2 Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron [tickets]
