Matt Heafy has reflected on the time he called his band Trivium “the new Metallica.”
The vocalist and guitarist says he made the comment after the band shot to success in the UK when he was 18 – but he wasn’t prepared for the backlash from his metal peers.
He tells Talk Toomey: “We really blew up in the UK first and we got our first cover feature when we were like 18. The quote on the front was from me because I was a confident 18-year-old, and had been in the band for six years at that point.
“The quote was something along the lines of ‘Trivium: The next Metallica‘ and at that moment it really worked out for our band in the UK. But other bands started seeing that and saying ‘Who the hell is this young band calling themselves the next Metallica?’”
He adds: “That’s when we started seeing a little bit of difficulty, things that we didn’t expect. We didn’t expect other bands to not be ready for this young band that had a boatload of determination for what they wanted to do.”
Heafy says Metallica have fuelled his ambitions to be a rock star since he was 12 years old – but he doesn’t want Trivium to be a carbon copy of his heroes.
He says: “That’s something I knew I wanted to do from being a kid. I wanted to be in a metal band that can play arenas. So it was a little bit of us saying that because that’s what we wanted to do. To this day, I don’t want to do it like my heroes, but I absolutely want to be the kind of band that makes a dent on heavy music.
“Whether it be rock or metal, I want people to know what our band is, and I want to be able to play in front of as many people as possible. I just think it’s a lot more of a shock when it’s teenagers, than when it’s an adult saying it. So nowadays, we say the exact same things and people respect that.”
Heafy reported earlier this year that the band had a batch of songs written for the follow-up to Silence In The Snow. The band will tour the US next month, with an appearance scheduled at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest event in California on September 25.
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Trivium tour dates 2016
Sep 15: Columbus Newport Music Hall, OH
Sep 16: Baltimore Soundstage, OH
Sep 17: Chester Rock Allegiance, GA
Sep 19: Atlanta Masquerade, GA
Sep 20: Little Rock Metroplex Teen Summit, AR
Sep 22: Denver Summit Music Hall, CO
Sep 23: Albuquerque Sunshine Theater, NM
Sep 24: Tempe Marquee Theatre, AZ
Sep 25: San Bernardino Ozzfest Meets Knotfest at San Manuel Amphitheater, CA
Sep 27: Salt Lake City Complex, UT
Sep 29: Omaha Sokol Auditorium, NE
Oct 01: Janesville Sonic Boom, WI
Oct 02: Louisville Louder Than Life, KY
Oct 04: Peoria Limelight Eventplex, IL
Oct 06: Dallas Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill, TX
Oct 07: Houston Scout Bar, TX
Oct 08: Tulsa Cain’s Ballroom, OK
Oct 10: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Oct 11: New York Irving Plaza, NY
Oct 13: Poughkeepsie Chance Theater, NY
Oct 14: Worcester Palladium, MA
Oct 15: Binghamton Magic City Music Hall, NY
Oct 18: Saint Petersburg State Theatre Concerts, FL
Oct 19: Fort Lauderdale Revolution Live, FL
Oct 21: Lake Buena Vista House Of Blues Orlando, FL
