Trivium’s Matt Heafy Calls Metallica “The Greatest Band in the World”
Trivium had the privilege of opening for Metallica at last week’s “intimate” (by Metallica standards) Miami-area club show, a last-minute request the Florida natives were all too happy to rearrange their lives for. Despite the fact that Trivium themselves are now one of metal’s biggest acts and the two bands have history together — they toured a bit on the European festival circuit in 2006 and have remained in touch ever since — the moment was not lost on frontman Matt Heafy, who gushed about the experience in a recent interview.
Speaking to El Cuartel Del Metal, Heafy explained how the band learned of Metallica’s invite just four days before the show:
“It was Sunday afternoon. I think we were just about to watch a movie with the kids. And I got an e-mail from our manager. He’s, like, ‘Metallica asked if you can be available for this Thursday.’ We were, like, ‘Yes. Yes, we can. Let’s do everything we can.’ But we had to keep it quiet ’cause it wasn’t fully confirmed yet. It didn’t get confirmed until, I think, 30 minutes before we started driving down to South Florida. So we had to get our crew back down to Florida, get our gear back together, rehearse again. Luckily, we all rehearse so much individually, it’s not like we’re ever sloppy; it’s not like we take time off. So we were ready to go. And we made it happen. We got down there. We weren’t able to say ‘hey,’ but Metallica left us an amazing handwritten letter and gave us a box of Blackened [whiskey].”
“To be able to see them at a quote small show; I mean, a small show for them is seven thousand people. That’s more people than we can do on a big show. So, to be able to watch them that close — I was able to be on the floor and watch them — it was incredible. They’re all amazing, but Hetfield’s voice sounds better than ever. I don’t know how the hell that happened, but he sounds like a better singer now than he’s ever been. And it’s just so amazing. The vibe was great.”
“They’re truly the greatest band in the world and [have] always been the greatest band in the world. And it’s awesome that they thought of us. They were, like, ‘Hey, let’s get Trivium down here.’ For Metallica to have an opening band, that’s usually just their decision; it’s whatever they wanna do. And the fact that they picked us was really cool.”
Heafy comes off as nothing if not humble, a sentiment I can myself back up from years of knowing both he and other members of the band. Quality dudes! What’s more, I’m positive they’ll pay it forward to tomorrow’s up-and-coming metal bands when Trivium are the ones headlining arenas a decade from now.
Trivium’s new album, In The Court Of The Dragon, came out in October and the band just wrapped up a tour with Megadeth, Lamb of God and Hatebreed.
