The records that changed my life: Trivium's Paolo Gregoletto

A press shot of Trivium bass player PAOLO GREGOLETTO

The first album I bought was…

No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom [1995]

“I wasn’t playing music yet so my tastes were whatever my friends were into. This was all over the radio and hard to escape. I’m not a huge No Doubt fan now but I can still enjoy this.”

The best album artwork is…

Iron Maiden - Powerslave [1984]

“If any band has done album art right, it’s Iron Maiden. They always put in so much detail. Powerslave is the perfect storm of the best album art and the most incredible album, too.”

The album I wish I’d made is…

Metallica - Master of Puppets [1986]

Puppets is incredible from start to finish. It’s such a seminal album, it changed everything about how I played. It has something indescribable and that’s why people still revere it. It can never be duplicated.”

A kid asks me what metal is, I hand them a copy of…

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath [1970]

“It’s important to go back to the absolute blueprint and see where metal started. There were some bizarre events that brought Sabbath together, like Tony Iommi’s fingers and tunings. It might seem crazy to look at extreme metal in comparison – there’s no screaming or crazy guitar arpeggios – but that album is what metal is.”

The album I most want to be remembered for is…

Trivium - In Waves [2011]

In Waves was a new place for us because we parted ways with Travis [Smith, drums]. It took six months to make on our own. I got frustrated with it because it was so time-consuming. In hindsight, it was great to have time to chart our new course, we proved we could survive.”

I break the speed limit to…

Slayer - Reign in Blood [1986]

“If you need to get somewhere in 28 minutes, Slayer are like drinking coffee. I used to lug Slayer albums around with me and I’m so happy they’re now on my phone when I need them. They’re a great band to turn to if you need to pass time because you know what you’re getting.”

The album I want played at my funeral is…

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. [1984]

“It’d be funny to play that title track at a funeral! A lot of the lyrics on that album aren’t as upbeat and poppy as the music makes them seem; they played it a lot in the 80s at political events and they clearly didn’t read the lyrics.”

The most underrated album is…

Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos [Nuclear Blast, 2002]

“I remember getting into them thinking they were such a killer band, then when we toured with them with on Ozzfest they proved it. They’ve inspired so many people; Soilwork are the ground zero for bands like Trivium. You could release that album right now and it would still feel relevant and exciting.”

The album that reminds me of school is…

Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn [2002]

“I used to play things like Lamb Of God for six years in a band before Trivium. I thought there was nobody else playing like that and nobody wanted to hear that stuff. We couldn’t play shows because we didn’t fit in, but suddenly this great band emerged out of nowhere.”

The album that should not be is…

Lou Reed And Metallica - Lulu [2011]

“Metallica are my favourite band but that album was really bizarre. I know it was an artistic expression and they’re both incredible musicians in their own realms but sometimes things like that shouldn’t happen. I don’t feel too bad saying this because they pretty much made it disappear – it’s not even on streaming sites any more!”

When Trivium's Matt Heafy Met Machine Head's Robb Flynn

Every Trivium album ranked from worst to best

How Trivium Came Back From The Brink

Latest in
Queen posing for a photograph in 1978
"Freddie’s ideas were off the wall and cheeky and different, and we tended to encourage them, but sometimes they were not brilliant.” Queen's Brian May reveals one of Freddie Mercury's grand ideas that got vetoed by the rest of the band
Mogwai
“The concept of cool and uncool is completely gone, which is good and bad… people are unashamedly listening to Rick Astley. You’ve got to draw a line somewhere!” Mogwai and the making of prog-curious album The Bad Fire
Adrian Smith performing with Iron Maiden in 2024
Adrian Smith names his favourite Iron Maiden song, even though it’s “awkward” to play
Robert Smith, Lauren Mayberry, Bono
How your purchase of albums by The Cure, U2, Chvrches and more on Record Store Day can help benefit children living in war zones worldwide
Cradle Of Filth performing in 2021 and Ed Sheeran in 2024
Cradle Of Filth’s singer claims Ed Sheeran tried to turn a Toys R Us into a live music venue
The Beatles in 1962
"The quality is unreal. How is this even possible to have?" Record shop owner finds 1962 Beatles' audition tape that a British label famously decided wasn't good enough to earn Lennon and McCartney's band a record deal
Latest in Features
Mogwai
“The concept of cool and uncool is completely gone, which is good and bad… people are unashamedly listening to Rick Astley. You’ve got to draw a line somewhere!” Mogwai and the making of prog-curious album The Bad Fire
The Mars Volta
“My totalitarian rule might not be cool, but at least we’ve made interesting records. At least we polarise people”: It took The Mars Volta three years and several arguments to make Noctourniquet
Ginger Wildheart headshot
"What happens next, you give everyone a hard-on and then go around the room with a bat like Al Capone?!” Ginger Wildheart's wild tales of Lemmy, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Cheap Trick and more
Crispian Mills and Bob Ezrin
“We spent seven months on David Gilmour’s boat and almost bankrupted ourselves. But Bob encouraged us to dream big”: How Bob Ezrin brought out the prog in Kula Shaker
Buckethead and Axl Rose onstage
Psychic tests! Pet wolves! Chicken coops! Guns N' Roses and the wild ride towards Chinese Democracy
Ne Obliviscaris
"Exul ended up being recorded at 10 different studios over two and a half years." Ne Obliviscaris and the heroic story of their fourth album